Rescue and Response

Rescue and Response is a pan-London County Lines support service for children and young people up to the age of 25 who are caught up in County Lines drug distribution networks and subject to criminal exploitation. 

We provide individual casework support through one of our three service providers (Safer London, Abianda and St Giles Trust) and our team of Partnership Coordinators and Analysts will bring together the professional network so we can help safeguard those referred.

The National Police Chiefs Council definition of a County Line is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas [within the UK], using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of “deal line”.

They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move [and store] the drugs and money and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons.

We work with St Giles Trust, Safer London and Abianda who:

• provide a credible case-working service that can engage with the young person at the time of need, including immediate safety planning for them, their family or network
• have combined their expertise in working with high-risk vulnerable children and young people, using their unique models of practice to increase the likelihood of engagement and positive outcomes
• have caseworkers who have lived experience of relatable situations, which can help to demonstrate authenticity and contribute towards building a strong rapport. 

We have an out-of-hours callout ‘Rescue’ service which allows for an immediate response from St Giles Trust caseworkers when a child or young person is picked up in the counties and suspected of County Lines involvement. 

We use ‘teachable moments’ to effectively engage with the young person and gain their trust to then deliver ongoing support. ‘Rescues’ will usually take place once a young person has come into contact with authorities and is in a safe place, such as a police station custody suite.

The project was launched in 2018 and funded by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime and is the first County Lines support service to operate at scale, across the whole of London.

Our dedicated core Brent-based team acts as a front door for the Rescue and Response service and consists of both Partnership Coordinators and Analyst teams.

Partnership Coordinators:

• provide the coordination and response to all referrals into the project, ensuring wrap around services are deployed.
•  work closely with the professional network around each CYP referred into the project, ensuring that our service meets their needs and also advocating for the CYP to receive effective contextual safeguarding
• specialise in the areas of education and identifying vulnerability in young adults (18-25).

Analysts:

• work closely with the Metropolitan Police Service intelligence command, National County Lines Coordination Centre and Op Orochi.
• use information gained from the project which is used to create the yearly Strategic Assessment, which outlines the extent and scale of the issue affecting London and the surrounding counties

Through our partnership with Abianda we provide gender specific interventions for County Lines affected females, which are rooted in evidence based practice, addressing the barriers that young women and girls typically face in accessing services.

This includes a Senior Gender Consultant role, who provides bespoke training packages focused on the needs of young women and girls and case consultations for professionals, helping them to make informed decisions at referral stage and then support the young person to transition beyond our service.  

We have introduced an Emotional Wellbeing Advocate role embedded within Safer London, which is in response to the detrimental impact of the pandemic on CYP’s mental health and wellbeing. The role is designed to deliver both direct support to children and young people with additional mental health needs and support to colleagues across the Rescue and Response partnership through case consultations and drop-in surgeries.

All referrals must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• up to the age of 25
• resident of London
• known or suspected involvement in County Lines OR association with others who are involved in County Lines. 

For further information:

• Rescue and Response 2022 Strategic Assessment
• St Giles Trust – Community Based Support
• Abianda – Rescue and Response
• Safer London – Young Londoners and their families