Throughout the toolkit we have highlighted the benefits of partnering with external organisations. As specialists they are experts in providing guidance and training to staff and delivering school-based Prevention work. Some services will also offer one-to-one advocacy support and counselling to young people affected by gender-based violence (GBV).
“It’s important to have someone there who is almost like a partner and a consultant, and schools are very busy and there’s lots of pressure and lots of issues.”
Teacher, participating school
Prioritising Prevention a collaborative reseach project lead by AVA, highlighted that teachers valued the support of external experts. The key to the partnership was tailoring a programme of work to meet the specific needs of the school and supporting each other to keep the momentum of the project going. The capacity of staff is limited and effective partners can help to alleviate this burden.
You can find a directory of specialist organisations here.
Making a referral for one-to-one support
Referral processes vary between organisations. It’s important to talk young people through their support options and provide them with options. Referrals to voluntary-sector services should be made with the young person’s consent and they should be consulted about how much information is shared. Ideally a young person should be supported to self-refer, where appropriate.
Confidentiality
A young person may wish to access a support service without their parents’ or carers’ knowledge. Schools and organisations will need to operate within their own policies but, if your policy allows and the young person has Gillick Competence, this request should be given due consideration, especially if the alternative would result in a lack of access to support.
Building links
There are lots of innovative Prevention projects happening across the UK. You can find examples on our network pages where people can also add their own project. We want to map out and link up organisations and people in local areas and around the UK to build a network of Prevention practitioners for schools and colleges to contact.
The Prevention Network
The End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) runs a Prevention Network that brings together experts within Prevention to campaign and lobby for a coordinated, targeted and long term approach to ending GBV. In particular, they are calling for schools and other educational institutions to play their part in creating a safer world for women and girls.