In this blog we share six tips from Young People to professional on how they can best support a young person who is or has experienced CEA. All of these tips were taken from the ‘CEA Hasn’t Gone Away’ booklet which you can download from our campaign page .

1. Validate their experiences and emotions.

“Things to say: “I believe you”; “I am going to help you”; “It is not your fault”; “I understand you may find it hard to trust after everything that has happened to you, but this is a safe place”.

These are all things I wish had been said to me to make me feel safe”

2. Avoid victim blaming language.

“… try to think everything over in your head before you say it, and think how you would feel in their situation if someone said that to you. Examples of things said to me: “But you did download that app?” “But you did choose to go out to meet him” and “You got in the car!” “

3. Be clear about what you will have to share with others.

” Do not promise to keep things a secret, be honest if you need to pass on any information to management and make it clear what is going to happen next.”

4. Keep young people in the loop.

“I was often left in the dark about what was happening, and I would hear practitioners discussing things under their breath about me whilst I was in the room, it was very unnerving.”

5. Do not force young people to give lots of detail, be patient.

“If something is too much detail, do not make the young person talk about it. You will be able to tell through body language if they are uncomfortable. I felt very pushed from an early stage to discuss everything in depth.”

6. Hold off on education until the young person is ready.

” This could simply be too much too soon. The young person is dealing with a lot and should not be educated until they are ready.”

In our work at Basis we always try to put the experiences of those we support at the center of how we work, these seven tips as told by young people highlight some really important issues Young People come across when being supported by professionals. By promoting the voices of the young people themselves we hope to create a more informed work force that is better equipped to provide the best support possible to young people who have or are experiencing CEA.

Want some more information?

 If you want more information on Basis Young People as a professional, please visit our webpage: https://basisyorkshire.org.uk/youngpeople/professionals/ 

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any worries about a Young Person you are supporting!

If you are a Young Person, and you have been affected by something you’ve read in this blog, visit our ‘Do You Feel Safe?’ webpage: https://basisyorkshire.org.uk/youngpeople/do-you-feel-safe/ 

For more information on CSE Awareness Day, check out the Stop CE webpage: https://stop-cse.org/national-awareness-day/