Research: Getting out for good

Research summary

• 2017 – 2022

The research provided insight into how girls and young women can be protected from harm, and supported to succeed to achieve their full potential. This included reducing the risk of child sexual exploitation and gender-based violence.

Using a mixed method approach, the project highlighted the critical need for tailored support mechanisms around mental health and sexual exploitation. Methods included quantitative assessments measuring health and wellbeing, and co-produced qualitative workshops exploring identity and mental health.

Research outputs

Parliamentary roundtable

The team presented their findings at a parliamentary roundtable in May 2023. Discussions were led by esteemed figures such as Baroness Louise Casey, Jess Phillips MP and Anne Longfield OBE. In short, they highlighted that:

• the impact of serious youth violence on girls and young women requires more attention
• services are not specifically tailored to meet the needs of girls and young women
• services need gender-specific provisions to tackle the issues that the research highlighted, particularly for young women’s mental health and wellbeing.

Participants discussed providing national support for at-risk girls and young women. This fed into a joint report between the Commission on Young Lives and Manchester Centre for Youth Studies, and a series of policy recommendations.

Policy recommendations

The team developed local and national recommendations to tackle the issues that emerged:

• Train teachers, health professionals, the police and children’s services to raise awareness of
  • the impact of vulnerability and trauma on girls and young women 
  • the violence and harm that some experience in gang-related contexts

• Support professionals to spot signs of abuse and respond effectively. This would include training and procedures to recognise and prevent adultification.

• Deliver educational programmes in primary schools from year five onwards. These would tackle the spread of misogynistic messages through social media influencers, and explore issues around consent and healthy relationships.

• Introduce automatic referrals triggered by the risk of exclusion, non-attendance at school or missing girls and young women. Referrals should go to a girls’ practitioner, based in local youth practitioner teams in and around schools. Girls’ practitioners enable girls and young women to build their skills, agency and confidence to make meaningful change.

• Guarantee mental health and emotional support to all girls judged to be at risk of exploitation, violence and harm.

Blogs and journal articles

• Jump, D (2023) Keeping Girls and Young Women Safe, MetroPolis Blog
• Jump, D and Horan, R (2024) Girls and Gangs: A Decade on From the Firmin Report and What Has Changed?, Violence Against Women
• Jump, D and Horan, R (2021) Getting out for Good: Preventing Gangs Through Participation, HM Inspectorate of Probation Academic Insights