Extra-Familial Harm: Tackling Harm Outside the Home

Extra-Familial Harm: Tackling Harm Outside the Home 

Too often, safeguarding only kicks in when harm happens at home. But for a growing number of children, the danger lies elsewhere; on the street, in school, or within their peer group. In episode two of YEFcast, host Ciaran Thapar is joined by Gail Gibbons, YEF’s Assistant Director of Change for Children’s Services, Neighbourhoods and the Youth Sector, to unpack extra-familial harm (EFH) and what children’s services can do about it. 

Drawing on YEF’s new children’s services guidance, Gail explains why extra-familial harm isn’t yet consistently treated as a core safeguarding priority, and what senior leaders can do to close that gap. 

They discuss: 

• Why extra-familial harm is only now being recognised as a core safeguarding priority 

• How contextual safeguarding shifts the focus from individual children to the unsafe places and spaces around them, including schools and neighbourhoods 

• Why children in care face heightened vulnerability to EFH, and what targeted protections should look like 

• Why streamlining pathways and panels matters for children and professionals alike 

• The evidence-based interventions, including high-quality mentoring, that can make a measurable difference, and how to close gaps in access across England and Wales 

This episode builds on YEFcast’s mission: translating the evidence behind youth violence prevention into practical guidance for the people making decisions on the ground. 

For more on this topic see our Safe episode with Carlene Firmin. 

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