Safer Lives is a three-year research project exploring how the Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities (SFSC) programme can support families and young people affected by offending and serious violence. Funded by the Youth Endowment Fund, the project brings together community-based delivery and academic research to build evidence on the impact of the SFSC model in this context.
Over the past months, the Safer Lives project has been in its mobilisation phase, a period of laying the groundwork critical to the success of the study. This phase has focused on recruiting the right people, building strong local relationships, and ensuring that everything is in place for safe, ethical and effective delivery across our partner areas.
Mobilisation is about much more than logistics. For a project like Safer Lives, which works closely with families and young people, it is about trust and care. It is about taking the time to understand local contexts, to bring together a skilled and values-led team, and to make sure that families and young people are supported by people who are experienced, accessible and rooted in community-based work.
Building the Safer Lives delivery team
A key focus of the mobilisation phase has been recruiting staff who will lead Safer Lives delivery on the ground. These roles are central to the project, forming the main point of contact for families, co-facilitators, peer researchers and local partners across London and Manchester.
We have welcomed a new group of Parent Programme Officers to the Safer Lives team, each bringing a strong background in work with families and communities. Together, they contribute experience spanning SFSC delivery, family support, psychology, early intervention and research-informed practice.
In London, Chantel Antoine, Karen Fender and Mina Syed are leading delivery across 12 local authorities. Chantel brings continuity as an established member of the SFSC team and the lead practitioner on the feasibility study for this work. Both Chantel and Karen bring extensive experience of facilitating SFSC programmes, Mina adds unique and extensive knowledge of NHS services, psychology, early intervention care and family support. In Manchester, Beverley Emmerson leads programme delivery, drawing on her previous experience working on SFSC research projects and her established relationships in the local area.
During mobilisation, the Parent Programme Officers have focused on embedding themselves in their delivery areas, mapping local services, identifying the practical resources for delivery, building relationships with partners, and preparing the ground for safe, engaging programme delivery. This early relationship-building is essential in creating the conditions for families to participate with confidence and trust.
Recruiting delivery sites and building local partnerships
Alongside staff recruitment, a major focus of the mobilisation phase has been securing delivery sites for the Safer Lives study. The project aims to work with around 15 local authorities, grouped into five cluster areas, to support robust delivery and evaluation. Over recent months, meetings have taken place with senior leaders in youth justice services to explore participation and agree local involvement.
Several local authorities have already committed to taking part, including Hackney, Camden, Islington, Tower Hamlets, Hammersmith and Fulham and Southwark in London, and Trafford, Salford and Stockport in Greater Manchester.
As delivery areas are confirmed, the Safer Lives team is establishing relationships with a wide range of local services. This includes engaging with prevention and diversion teams, gangs and contextual safeguarding teams, early help services, pupil referral units, and community-sector youth organisations. This early engagement is helping to ensure that delivery is locally informed, joined up with existing provision, and responsive to the needs of children, young people and families.
Coordinating delivery and supporting staff
Supporting the project and managing relationships between the delivery team, the evaluators and the funder is Sally-Ann Opoku-Donkor, Programme Coordinator for Safer Lives. Sally-Ann plays a key role in the mobilisation phase, providing day-to-day project coordination and operational oversight, and ensuring that staff have the resources, information and support they need as delivery begins. With a background in the youth charity sector and social and public policy, she also contributes to reflective discussions that help shape the project as it develops.
Keeping young people at the centre
Youth voice has been embedded into Safer Lives from the outset through the involvement of Peer Researchers Lucas Da Costa and Teyah Brathwaite. Both bring experience as community youth ambassadors and remain actively involved in local youth programmes supporting young people to navigate challenge and opportunity.
During mobilisation, Lucas and Teyah have helped shape how Safer Lives engages young people, supporting interviews and communication in ways that are accessible, respectful and youth-centred. Their involvement helps ensure that the project keeps lived experience central and remains responsive to the needs of the young people taking part.
Oversight, quality and continuity
The Safer Lives delivery team is supported by senior staff who provide strategic oversight, quality assurance and continuity with the wider SFSC programme. Leandra Box, Deputy CEO and Director of Programmes, leads on research partnerships, funder relationships and ethical governance, while Jade Briant, Senior Parent Programme Officer, leads on delivery quality and staff development, drawing on her extensive experience of SFSC delivery and community engagement. Bernadette Rhoden, Head of Training and Curriculum will also play a crucial role in providing programme fidelity oversight, clinical supervision and training and curriculum support.
Evaluation readiness
Mobilisation has also included important preparatory work to support the evaluation of Safer Lives. This has involved developing information management systems to support secure data collection and sharing, alongside work to ensure that processes meet ethical and data protection requirements. Ethical approval is being progressed with academic partners, ensuring that the study is conducted to high research standards and safeguarding protocols are being developed to ensure that care is taken with both the practitioners and the families we work with.
Looking ahead
As Safer Lives moves from mobilisation into delivery, the foundations laid during this phase will continue to shape the project. The relationships built, the staff recruited, and the care taken in preparation all contribute to a study that is robust, ethical and rooted in community experience.
We look forward to sharing further updates as Safer Lives progresses, and to continuing to work alongside families, young people and partners as the project develops.
