Our partnership with British Transport Police
Railway Children has developed the Safeguarding on Transport programme in response to a growing number of vulnerable children being reported across the UK rail network. Our objective is to create a national safety network for children at risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation.
Working with British Transport Police (BTP), our programme helps to spread awareness of how to identify and protect those that are in danger on the network, including children that have run away, are victims of crime, are involved in county lines, or are experiencing mental health issues.
Stepping in and giving the right support at the right time can mark a turning point in their lives.
The more children identified and reported to BTP, the more can be referred to ourselves or other services for ongoing support when required.
We are proud to be one of only a few charities who have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Information Sharing Agreement (ISA) with BTP which allows us to offer support under the partnership. From the forms BTP officers fill in about each young person they identify as being at risk, we are able to assess the level of risk and vulnerability and offer the appropriate support.
We operate five projects across the country that can offer one-to-one support to young people and their families, as well as enabling us to be more visible to officers and our rail colleagues on the network and at stations. We regularly hold briefings with officers, participate in joint patrols, work closely with BTP on key operations and join in with station safety events.
They are experts in their field. They are able to engage with young people because they are independent and not police. Used properly, the work saves our officers time and gets better results.
Inspector, British Transport Police
If you are a member of BTP or work in the rail industry and would like further information about patrols, briefings or to learn more about the partnership with BTP, please email g.little@railwaychildren.org.uk or j.clay@railwaychildren.org.uk.