Support Young People
Supporting Children in Education
School Navigator Programme
Our School Navigator Programme at You Turn Futures in partnership with Link to Change is designed to empower children and young people to overcome barriers, make positive choices, and achieve their full potential. Through one-to-one mentoring, group work, and early identification and early intervention, our Navigators build trusting relationships with students, helping them to develop confidence, resilience, and a sense of belonging within school. We focus on promoting positive futures, raising aspirations, and encouraging hope, supporting young people to re-engage with education. By working collaboratively with schools, families, and community partners, we aim to create safe, supportive environments where every young person feels valued and capable of success.
Positive Futures Programme
Our Positive Futures Programme is dedicated to supporting children and young people in all education settings through a blend of one-to-one mentoring and group work sessions. The programme focuses on helping students to build confidence, develop emotional resilience, and make positive choices both in and out of school. The sessions provide tailored programmes including heathy relationships, exploitation, knife crime, and gangs. By creating safe, supportive spaces for reflection and growth, the Positive Futures Programme empowers young people to realise their potential, raise their aspirations, and take meaningful steps towards a brighter future.
AQA’s
At YouTurn Futures, we believe that every person has the potential to achieve. All those who access our services have the opportunity to complete AQA-accredited awards, helping them to gain recognition for their learning and progress. We offer these awards across a range of topics designed to build confidence, develop life skills, and support personal growth, empowering people to take pride in their achievements and move forward with purpose.
Exploitation
Since 2015, You Turn Futures has led on the Pan Bedfordshire Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Child Exploitation (CE) strategic response across the Partnership. This work has included developing the overall strategic response to CSE and co-authoring the Violence and Exploitation Strategy. As part of this leadership, we have designed and implemented the Child Exploitation Needs Assessment, alongside a suite of key resources including the CSE and CE assessment tool, Parents and Carers guidance, Practitioner guidance for CSE and CE, and the Multi-Agency Delivery Plan, all aimed at strengthening a coordinated, evidence-based partnership response to exploitation across Bedfordshire.
During this period of coordination, Bedfordshire became the first authority in the country to launch the Home Office Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit. We also led the development and launch of the Bedfordshire Against CSE and Bedfordshire Against Violence and Exploitation (BAVEX) campaigns, pioneering multi-agency initiatives to raise awareness, strengthen community engagement, and drive early intervention. In addition, we delivered a range of campaigns including the groundbreaking campaign focused on male victims of sexual exploitation, #ItHappensToBoysToo, challenging stigma and ensuring that support and safeguarding extend to all children and young people affected by exploitation.
Child Exploitation
At You Turn Futures, we are committed to supporting young people who have been affected by child exploitation in any form. Our approach is centred on safety, understanding, and empowerment, working closely with individuals to help them recover from trauma and rebuild trust in themselves and others. We provide specialist interventions, one-to-one mentoring, and tailored support plans that address each young person’s unique experiences and needs.
By collaborating with families, communities, and professional partners, we aim to reduce vulnerability, disrupt exploitation, and create pathways towards stability, resilience, and positive futures.
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
We provide specialist support for young people affected by Child Criminal Exploitation and County Lines. We understand the complex factors that can lead to exploitation, including coercion, fear, and vulnerability. We work to help young people break free from harmful influences and regain control of their lives. Our experienced team offers intensive one-to-one mentoring, early identification and intervention programmes, and targeted support designed to reduce risk and promote positive choices. We focus on building trust, increasing safety, and empowering young people to move towards a safer, more stable future.
Children and Young People Trafficked for the purpose of Criminal Exploitation in relation to County Lines.
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) is a distressing form of sexual, emotional and physical abuse of children. It can be difficult to recognise as many of the warning signs are symptomatic of challenges that all parents of adolescent or near adolescent children face. We will do this by working with partners to:
- Identify children at risk of sexual exploitation
- Intervene with children and families to safeguard those at risk of exploitation
- Train staff to recognise signs that a child is being exploited
- Raise public awareness of child sexual exploitation
Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.