“Catch22 has helped me improve a lot of areas of my life, and has been supportive to me. I would like others to have the same experience.”
– Service user
Catch22 has been working with children for over 200 years and today we focus on designing and delivering services that build resilience and aspiration. Catch22 has vast experience of delivering effective child exploitation and missing services and substance misuse throughout the UK.
The 3Ps are our organisational DNA. We believe that improving the lives of the young people and everyone we support is only possible when these basics are in place: to have good people around them, a purpose, and a good place to live.
Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience applies this when creating care plans with young people, combining this with our outcome star data, local authority action plans and their child exploitation risk assessment matrix.
Aim of service
Catch22 are proud to have been delivering in the London Borough of Merton for over 14 years, holding contracts working with the most vulnerable young people and families across the borough.
“My case worker stuck by me when things were tough. He gave me good advice and he always listened. I don’t use as much cannabis as much anymore. I’m not about the life I used to be in – I don’t want to get in trouble anymore.”
The Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience Service is an integrated substance misuse, child exploitation, and missing from home service, focused on mitigating risk and promoting resilience in young people.
The aim of this service is to reduce harm to young people aged 24 and under, who are at risk of harm from, are experiencing, or have been:
- using substances,
- exploited, or
- reported missing from home or care.
Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience also receives funding from The Wimbledon Foundation to deliver a counselling service in several schools across Merton. This service is aimed at children and young people (aged 11-16 years), who have been identified as requiring a one-to-one intervention for a range of emotional health issues.
“My worker was a great support and allowed me to express my emotions in a way I haven’t done before, whilst feeling safe.”
Outcomes
In the contract year 2023 – 2024, Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service reached a total of 462 people.
Of those, 184 were engaged in care planned interventions, with SMART and achievable goals agreed. 110 successfully exited the service, and 56 remained engaged at year end. 92% of the young people who engaged in these interventions met their goals.
Risk and resilience model
Where child exploitation (CE) and missing from home services are commissioned together, we find they are more effective at identifying and managing risk.
The chart shows that many young people who we supported who were under the age of 18 were supported across multiple service strands reducing the need for multiple services and workers.
The highest presentation of referrals to the Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service this year were from:
- Mitcham,
- Wimbledon / Colliers Wood, and
- Morden.
Specialist substance misuse
Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience are proud to continue to be the service in Merton, supporting young people with substance misuse issues.
We aim to support young people with a range of issues, helping them to build their resilience, with the overall goal of empowering them to make healthier lifestyle choices. We do this by developing their life skills, identifying and implementing positive coping strategies.
Across this reporting year, Catch22 worked with 112 young people aged 11 to 24 years on a care planned psychosocial intervention as defined by Public Health England, of which:
- 82 were aged under 18: a decrease on last year’s total of five (6%) in structured treatment,
- 30 were aged 18-24: an increase on last year’s total of 7 (30%) in structured treatment, and
- an additional 19 young people received a targeted intervention for their substance misuse.
Treatment exits
96% of those aged under 18 who left treatment with Catch22, left because they successfully completed their treatment, had reduced their substance use, and/or were drug free at exit. This is above the national average of 83% for under 18s leaving in treatment in 2022-2023.
Of those aged 18-24, 79% had reduced their substance use and/or were drug free and met care plan goals at exit.
Trends in substance use
Cannabis remains the most common substance that young people come in treatment for. Additionally, 12% presented with alcohol as their main / most used substance.
Many children and young people also report poly-use, where they are using more than one substance at a time.
Demographics
Compared to last year, the service has seen an increase in referrals from individuals who identify as White British or White: Other (57%). This is followed by referrals identified as Mixed (15%) and Black (14%).
Across the service, we had a majority of females in treatment (55%), compared to males (45%). This differs from what we have seen in the national data, in which presentations are almost two-thirds male at 62% – a similar proportion to the previous two years’ records.
14 followed by 15-year-olds accounted for the largest proportion of those in treatment within our service. This has not changed from last year’s data. National data has shown that earlier onset use (before the age of 15) is the most common vulnerability reported by young people starting treatment.
Referrals
The most common referral route for young people in specialist treatment was from education, with 32% of young people entering the service this way. The second most common route was children and family services at 24%, and the third most common was self-referral at 22%. This is positive as it demonstrates that the service is known and visible to children and young people across Merton.
Mental health treatment need
We noted a reduction in the number of referrals being received from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) compared with last year (10).
Catch22 will work with CAMHS to review the mental health care pathway, so that children and young people who are using drugs or alcohol as a coping mechanism, are able to access the mental health support they need while also receiving substance misuse support.
Education, employment and training
28% of those in treatment with our service were not in education, employment or training (NEET). This equated to 17 over-18s, and 14 under-18s.
Missing from home
Over this reporting period the Missing from Home service received 524 notifications, pertaining to 132 individuals.
55 of these young people had multiple missing episodes, of which 30 young people had more than five missing episodes within the year. This is an increase of five young people compared to last year’s data.
We completed 353 return home interviews (RHIs) with these young people. This was a decrease of 7% from last year. 99% of these return home interviews were offered within 24 hours of receiving the notification, with 78% being conducted within 72 hours – where the young person both consented and was available. This is significantly higher than national data.
61 missing from home follow-on interventions were carried out with young people who had been ‘RAG rated’ at red or amber levels.
Catch22 often gain information during the return home interviews, which is fundamental in respect of multi-agency safeguarding and risk management, information sharing protocols, and partnership working. This enables agencies to work together in the best interests of the young person, for example, mapping young people across the missing from home, child exploitation, and substance misuse strands. This allows for relevant information, issues, and trends to be shared with the contextual team, Police, and MACE panel as required.
Demographics
Ethnicity reporting for individuals referred into the missing from home service has remained consistent with last year, with no significant change of reference. consistent with last year annual reporting with no significant change of reference. White was the highest-represented group at 40%, followed by Black at 35%, and Asian at 13%.
The service has seen a fairly-even split of males and females this year who were reported missing, at 48% and 51% respectively.
The highest-presenting age group was for 16-year-olds. This is quite different to last year, where we saw a higher proportion of young people aged 12-13. We have also seen three young people aged 10 and under reported missing – in line with national reporting showing that children reported missing are getting younger.
Child exploitation
Across this reporting year, Merton Young People’s Risk and Resilience worked with a total of 53 young people within its child exploitation provision.
30 of these young people were brought forward on care plans, and 23 were new referrals that engaged in support. This was a decrease of 52% compared with 2022-2023. We have again seen an increase in referrals for child sexual exploitation (CSE)
Referrals continue to be identified through Contextual Harm Consultations, which are held weekly with the team manager, UTURN, and social workers from children’s services. Screening is completed using risk matrix score and then, together, it is agreed as to which service is best placed to provide the support required. During 2023-2024, 67 contextual harm consultations were completed with Catch22 and UTURN.
Referrals are also identified via return home interviews. Young people are supported with additional sessions to reduce their risks of further missing episodes and reduce the risk of exploitation.
94% of those young people worked with demonstrated reduced risk at the end of the intervention. This is usually captured on the reviewed risk screening matrix by lower score and/or the child or young person being taken off MACE Panel.
Interventions
Due to Catch22’s national footprint in relation to the delivery of exploitation services, the Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service specialist practitioners have access to a vast library of resources and materials that have been utilised and adapted for working with young people.
These resources are categorised under the subject matters we tackle, and include topics such as grooming, online safety, child sexual exploitation and more.
The support provided through these interventions is tailored to meet the specific needs of the young person, and designed to manage risk, cater to individual circumstances, and aid engagement.
The frequency of delivery is led by the needs and wishes of the young people we support. The voice of the child is key to the interventions we provide.
We use a range of support techniques to support young people based on these interventions – examples of which include:
- person-centred approach,
- strengths-based approach,
- motivational interviewing,
- whole family support,
- trauma-informed practice,
- tailored interventions,
- solutions-focused approach, and
- contextual safeguarding.
Demographics
The top three ethnic groups reported this year have remained consistent with the previous year of reporting, with no significant change of reference. White remains the most highly-represented group for referrals at 45%, followed by Black at 25%, and Asian at 8%.
In this reporting year, the Missing from Home service saw a gender split of 64% female to 36% male. This differs quite significantly from the previous year, which had a more even split.
The highest-presenting age group for this part of the service was 14-15-year-olds. This is similar to what was seen within the service last year. We have, however, also seen six people aged 12 or under presenting to the service, and one young person aged 10.
Value added
For Child Exploitation Awareness Day 2024, Catch22 released a new, expanded version of ‘Catch On’ which includes additional activities for children who are neurodivergent or have special educational needs.
The new activities were developed with an expert interdisciplinary team across Catch22 that involved child exploitation specialists, teachers from our alternative provision schools, and communications and design specialists. It was piloted in a Special School in Merseyside with a group of Year 9 students by one of our Pan Merseyside Child Exploitation and Missing service caseworkers.
The new Catch On resource includes the following features:
- reduced and simplified text,
- a pale background with a simple black font,
- lower reading age,
- uncluttered slides,
- pictures, symbols and colour coding to support understanding,
- scaffolding activities,
- supporting key messages with repetition and reiteration,
- making some story elements more explicit,
- avoiding abstract concepts and the passive voice wherever possible, and
- a ‘Thinking about me’ activity for each story to encourage pupils to relate the key messages to their own life.
We received lots of feedback from the launch, with children saying they learnt “lots of advice and information”, “the meaning of ‘nude’ and that it’s bad to send naked pictures”, “how to block people online,” and “lots about exploitation”.
We didn’t want cost to be a barrier to schools in safeguarding these children and young people, so the full suite of resources is available free of charge to anyone.
“The resources were pitched at just the right level for our students. Our students were really engaged with the subject matter.”
– Teacher
Prevention services
In addition to delivering its main services, the Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service also provides a range of preventative services within the community.
In the 2023-2024 reporting year, we saw:
- 116 multi-agency professionals trained by our teams,
- 135 young people aged 11-24 taking part in an alcohol audit – with follow-up information and guidance provided,
- 223 C-Card registrations completed,
- 131 C-Card repeats completed, and
- 18 community resolutions (out of course disposals) received.
Referrals for a community resolution via the Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service were received in response to first-time possession of cannabis offenses, in cases where the young person has been found to be in possession of cannabis consistent with personal use.
Outreach
Over the last year, the Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience team have completed a number of outreach activities within the local community. These have included:
- talking to young people and sharing our offer,
- providing education on how to stay safe, using the C-Card and more,
- providing alcohol audits with follow-up advice and harm reduction information,
- sharing information about the risks of vaping with young people,
- sharing information on social media.
- launching the Health and Wellbeing zones in Merton’s libraries,
- setting up health stalls within local libraries,
- attending Merton Youth Partnership’s ‘Celebrate and Connect’ youth festival,
- attending Mitcham Carnival, and
- taking part in the Merton Sports Day.
Wimbledon Foundation grant counselling
Through this scheme, three secondary schools received counselling support for students that did not meet the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) criteria, with the Wimbledon Foundation’s emotional health counsellor worked with students from Rickards Lodge, Raynes Park High School, and Harris Academy Morden.
The counselling interventions offered lasted between six and 12 weeks dependent on the identified need, with 10 students aged 13-17 accessing this school-based counselling service.
Innovate Fund
Using the Innovate Fund, which recently launched in Merton, we have also been able to provide children and young people with opportunities to develop their confidence, self-esteem, build resilience, and improve their emotional and overall wellbeing. We do this by providing access to activities that they may not have otherwise had chance to participate in and the provision of resources, such as:
- funded activities,
- fitness equipment,
- arts and crafts sets,
- cinema passes, and
- laptops.
Working in partnership
We recognise the wealth of support that voluntary and community sector organisations can offer to clients and, as part of building a team around a young person or adult, the Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service has continued to maintain strong working relationships across the London Borough of Merton.
The Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service offers interventions across all levels of the Merton well-being model. Our service delivery is based on the principles of multi-agency working.
To support this, we attended a number of strategic groups to ensure the most complex young people that are identified as being at risk and/or using substances, or who are at risk of missing and/or exploitation are referred and have a smooth transition into the service.
For referrals of young people and young adults requiring substance misuse interventions, we rely on partnership working with child and adult mental health services, social care, youth justice teams, and a number of statutory and voluntary agencies.
If additional services are required upon exit, we also ensure young people participate in their own care and exit plan, to create onward support packages with our partners beyond their engagement with our service.
We also participate in information sharing and updates for clients who are in treatment. This includes referrals panels, multi-agency child exploitation panels and strategy meetings, localities board meetings, and by working closely with the multi-agency safeguarding hub and social care teams.
“Stakeholders interviewed found Catch22 to be highly responsive to young people’s needs and praised their collaborative approach to their work with young people.”
– Healthy Dialogues survey needs assessment
Voice of the young person
We seek continual feedback from the young people and families we are working with. We do this through one-to-one consultations and online surveys, and use this feedback to develop and improve our service.
Focus groups
To support this, we have also carried out a number of focus groups with small groups of young people to seek their feedback on questions such as:
- Do young people in Merton know about the service and support that is available?
- What substances are young people using in Merton, and where would you go to access support information in the first instance?
- What social media platforms are young people using?
- How do you find our resource materials and are they accessible to you?
This year, Merton Young People’s Risk and Resilience also co-produced new promotional leaflets with its young people. These have been in use throughout the year, and will continue to be used in the year ahead.
Service user feedback
Some of the things that young people have told us about their experience with the service include:
- “My case worker has been very patient and considerate with me.”
- “My case worker would always ask if everything was ok and was always respectful.”
- “I felt like my case worker really helped me to understand online safety, and how to manage my stress load.”
- “I liked speaking to my case worker – he was chill and calm. I can talk to him about some stuff that I can’t talk to teachers about!”
- “Catch22 showed great compassion and empathy to my situation at hand.”
- “I don’t smoke as much weed anymore. They helped me get it under control.”
- “I smoke less weed now, and I can work on getting work experience and a job with my future!”
- “Very helpful and give good advice.”
- “My case worker cared about me and everything I had going on. She also cared about my son and made sure that we were both good all the time.”
- “I like that the meetings allowed me to be open about myself, and that it is confidential. It helped me to cut down on my weed and alcohol use.
It is wonderful to see that young people can see the impact the service has had on them, as we pride ourselves on ensuring service user feedback is at the heart of what we do.
We regularly receive feedback from young people who have contacted their worker once they have left the service to thank them for their support and to let them know how they are doing.
Impact
In addition to the qualitative feedback shown on the previous page, young people have told us about the impact the Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service has had on them via the exit surveys they complete.
In addition to the results shown in the chart below, when asked to rate how they feel about given statements “as a result of working with Catch22…”, this year’s young people shared that:
- 96% of those aged under 18 reported a positive change in themselves as a result of the intervention received.
- 79% of young adults aged 18-24 reported a positive change in themselves as a result of the intervention received.
- 97% of those who worked with the service would recommend the support of Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service to a friend.
Research and development
Bulletin
Over the last twelve months, Catch22 has produced 11 ‘Research and Development bulletins’ covering topics including:
- the MacAlister Review of Children’s Social Care,
- online safety,
- the cost-of-living crisis,
- the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse,
- safeguarding,
- LGBTQ+, and
- child criminal exploitation.
Campaigns, media and consultations
Catch22 has covered a number of national awareness days and campaigns relating to our service areas including:
- County Lines Weeks of Action,
- International Missing Children’s Day,
- Child Exploitation Awareness Day,
- Children’s Mental Health Week,
- Safer Internet Day.
We have also participated in national campaigns and consultation responses relating to:
- unaccompanied children statement of concern with other children’s charities,
- the Police productivity review,
- a national consultation on safeguarding,
- a campaign (led by the NSPCC and other children’s groups) to express concern about the safeguarding implications due to the rollout of end-to-end encryption, and
- The Met Police children and young people strategy consultation.
Catch22 continues to campaign for a statutory definition of Child Criminal Exploitation and a national strategy to address it. This is reflected in the Catch22 Manifesto, which asked all political parties, in the run up to the 2024 general election and beyond, to place renewed focus on adolescents and commit to policies that ensure everyone in society has good people around them, a safe place to live, and a purpose in life.
Evidence given to the Education Select Committee by Catch22’s County Lines Senior Service Manager, Johnny Bolderson, generated significant media coverage in most national newspapers including the Guardian, The Times, The Daily Mail, and The Telegraph, as well as a number of broadcast media interviews.
Service user forums
Our Young People’s Forum has been involved in events and consultations for the creation of the Tackling Child Exploitation (TCE) programme ‘Practice Principles’. Some young people were involved in making recordings of content so their voices can quite literally be heard.
We are also piloting an online forum for parents, which met for the first time in March and will complement other local face-to-face parents’ forums.
National forums
In addition to the above, this year, our teams attended a number of national forums, including:
- NWG Policy Forum (chair) – a policy forum for representatives from the main children’s charities working in the child exploitation arena.
- The English Coalition for Runaway Children (ECRC) meetings (co-chair) – a network of providers of missing services for children in England; representatives of statutory services are welcome but only third sector organisations have voting rights.
- National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Missing Expert Reference Group – hosted by the NPCC Missing Person’s Lead, the group has representatives from government departments, as well as national statutory and voluntary organisations working with missing people.
- NPCC Vulnerability Knowledge & Practice Programme (VKPP) Stakeholder Insight Group – a group with representatives from third sector organisations, Police, and government departments looking at emerging child abuse threats, convened by the NPCC Lead for Child Protection.
- National Cross-Border Safeguarding Task and Finish Group – looking at issues arising from children from one local authority or police force going missing or being trafficked to another local authority or police force, to ensure clear, consistent and comprehensive safeguarding responses.
- Metropolitan Police Social Media Partnership and Engagement Board – convened by the Met Police with representatives from youth services and organisations relating to social media, exploitation and youth violence.
- IICSA Changemakers Steering Group – representatives from key NGOs and children’s charities aim to take forward the recommendations of Baroness Jay’s Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
We have also attended a number of round tables on topics including county lines exploitation, child sexual abuse, and children missing from care.
Challenges
Recruitment and retention
Like last year, recruitment and retention of staff continues to pose a challenge. We are aware that social care continues to experience a rise in vacancies and turnover industry-wide, as a result of the cost-of-living increase.
To address these issues, we are exploring innovative ways to advertise and recruit. This includes promoting the broad and comprehensive training offered within Catch22, as well as providing competitive salaries and flexible working arrangements to attract candidates. Despite the current difficulties, we remain committed to finding effective strategies to build and maintain a dedicated and skilled workforce.
Case complexities
The service continues to engage with some of the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach young people, including those in care, those involved with the criminal justice system, and young people with complex emotional and mental health issues. We are seeing individuals with neurodiverse conditions such as ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and complex trauma. Many of the children and young people we engage with and support have multiple risk factors, which can include exposure to domestic abuse, youth violence, and offending. These young people often experience significant barriers to accessing support.
We know children and young people with complex needs require long-term support, resulting in them being supported by the service for extended periods. This sustained engagement is crucial for building trust and achieving meaningful progress.
Despite the challenges, the Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service (and Catch22 as a whole) offers a holistic approach, addressing not only the immediate issues but also identifying any underlying factors contributing to the young person’s difficulties.
By providing comprehensive support and helping them to access other services (such as mental health care and education SEN), the service aims to empower these young people to overcome their challenges and improve resilience and their overall well-being.
Number in treatment
National data from 2021-2022 showed that there had been a 54% reduction in the number of young people in substance misuse treatment, compared with the numbers in 2008-2009. The data from 2022-2023, however, showed a 10% increase on the previous year.
In Merton, Catch22 recorded a slight 2% increase in treatment over this reporting year, but there was a drop in the number of under-18s receiving treatment.
This shows the need to identify and address the barriers preventing young people from accessing the necessary support. It is essential to enhance our outreach efforts, improve awareness of or our service, and ensure that our interventions are accessible and responsive to the needs of children and young people. By doing so, we can better support them in overcoming substance misuse challenges and improve their overall well-being.
Return home interviews
The 72-hour window for Return Home Interviews remains challenging, especially with the number of notifications and missing persons (MISPERS) cases.
Often, these children go missing again within the 72-hour timeframe, complicating efforts to conduct timely interviews.
This year has seen an increase in interviews conducted outside of the 72-hour window. These delays are not due to Catch22 but are instead due to the convenience and agreement of the children, parents, placements, and schools where the interviews are often conducted. Factors such as the availability of the young person, their emotional readiness, and coordination with other agencies also contribute to the timing of these interviews.
Despite these challenges, Catch22 continues to recognise and prioritise the importance of these interviews in understanding the reasons behind the missing incident(s), and for implementing effective support strategies to reduce them and any associated risks.
“My case worker understands me, and does not give up on contacting or caring about me.”
– Service user
Future plans
Following the Government’s ten-year plan “From Harm to Hope,” Catch22 will continue to support work with key strategic partners through the Combatting Substance Misuse Partnership, as young people in treatment remains a key drug strategy outcome.
To support and improve the numbers of young people in treatment, some of the actions that we have planned include:
- Training and promotional drive: To support our mission, we will be providing bite-sized, bespoke training workshops to raise awareness of the Merton Young Person’s Risk and Resilience service offerings. These workshops are designed to build confidence and support partners and professionals in signposting and supporting their children and young people to access our services. By equipping stakeholders with the necessary knowledge and tools, we aim to improve the overall effectiveness and reach of our support services.
- School Link worker: We hope to embed a school link worker (funded by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities) to support schools to identify and respond to substance misuse issues, including raising awareness of the risks associated with smoking and vaping. Children and young people need to have education and information about substances earlier, to stop substance use becoming problematic and support young people into treatment.
- Cannabis resource: We are working to create and launch a resource for children and young people, parents, and teachers, aimed at targeting cannabis use in young people. We need to challenge the normalisation of cannabis and ensure that young people know that it is not completely ‘harmless’ and recognise the associated risks with child exploitation and county lines, the negative impact on mental health, and financial implications.
- Pop up events: We will continue to be accessible to our community through pop up events and family hubs. Awareness campaigns: We will continue to engage in local and national campaigns such as Alcohol Awareness Week, No Smoking Day, Dry January, and Child Exploitation Awareness Day.
- Service user involvement: We hope to further develop and embed our service user involvement, including the co-production of a promotional video about the service. The video will aim to break down potential barriers and stigma associated with a substance misuse service, to drive self-referrals.
- Digital offer: Together with the Catch22 Communications team, we are working to launch a young person’s landing page, alongside a “live chat” functionality, in response to young person feedback.
“It is a great, unbiased outlet free of judgement. My caseworker has made me feel very comfortable to engage in the service and helped me find clarity in many aspects of my life.”
– Service user