Pan-London Tertiary Violence and Exploitation Support Service for Young People

The London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is seeking a provider to deliver specialist support to young people aged 11-25 across London who are experiencing the highest levels of violence, exploitation, harm and vulnerability. This is a tertiary prevention service that provides intensive, relationship-based one-to-one support to address immediate safeguarding concerns and underlying drivers of harm. The service replaces the Violence and Exploitation Support Service (VESS) which ends in June 2027, with the contract due to expire in June 2027. The Provider will deliver tailored, needs-led interventions that build trusted relationships with young people who may have experienced significant trauma or developed distrust of professionals. Key responsibilities include: identifying and engaging eligible young people; providing intensive support through named practitioners; improving safety and wellbeing by addressing immediate concerns and root causes; facilitating access to specialist services (housing, mental health, education, employment); strengthening multi-agency partnerships; and promoting culturally competent, trauma-informed approaches. Target young people include those with established or repeated violence/exploitation, entrenched circumstances not addressed by existing services, multiple interconnected risks (housing instability, family issues, peer influence, trauma, substance use, justice involvement), and escalating contextual risk. Examples include young people with missing episodes linked to exploitation, involvement with gangs or criminal networks, persistent risks despite previous interventions, and those experiencing violence alongside housing insecurity, mental health issues or educational disengagement. The Provider must demonstrate credible youth work experience, advocacy and systems navigation skills, safeguarding expertise, multi-agency partnership capability, specialist intervention delivery, and commitment to reflective practice. Practitioners must evidence credibility, authenticity, professional curiosity and appropriate boundaries, supported by training and supervision. The service operates within a pan-London framework with strong local integration and partnership working across statutory, voluntary and community sectors.