Focusing on early intervention, engagement and raising awareness
The Safer Basildon Partnership has worked to develop an early intervention and prevention programme to deliver key community safety messages to young people.
This is to assist young people in making positive and well-informed choices from an early age and to build their resilience and understanding to prevent them from becoming victims in the future.
Below are some of the programmes we commission and deliver throughout the year:
Crucial Crew
Crucial Crew is an innovative and interactive way of delivering personal safety education messages to Year 6 children (10/11-year-olds) to support their transition to secondary school.
In recent years, the project has been adapted to equip young people with the tools and skills they need to identify and recognise what exploitation and grooming looks like. This year's event offered sessions focused on the effects of vaping, anti-social behaviour, Hate Crime, and also to understand the risks associated with being involved in gang related activity and criminality.
Crucial Crew has taken place in the borough for a number of years and this year we ran sessions both in person and virtually over a 7-week period throughout February and March 2024. It was delivered to 32 schools - over 2,000 young people to provide them with these important messages as they make their transition into secondary school.
Walk Online Roadshows
Walk Online raises awareness about the potential dangers of using the internet to young people. The roadshows aim to highlight issues that young people may not already be aware of, including how easily they can be exploited through well-known online games and apps.
A session is also delivered to parents to improve their understanding about the risks posed online, and how they can safeguard their young people and have open and honest conversations about being online.
Useful links
Crucial Crew Booklet 2024 (PDF) [1MB] (opens new window)
The Children's Society (opens new window)
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service - education programmes (opens new window)
NSPCC - criminal exploitation and gangs (opens new window)
Essex Safeguarding Children Board (opens new window)
Child Exploitation and Online Protection (opens new window)