Redthread

Today, Sky News has published a powerful 3-minute film by Rachael Venables that shines a light on why Violence Reduction Units (VRUs), funded by the Home Office, and embedded youth work in A&Es are essential to protecting children, young people, and the communities we live in.

This week, we celebrated 30 years of Redthread, over that time we have been delivering transformative youth work in hospitals and health settings. To celebrate, we created a new booklet, the publication gives information about our where we started, our services and support we offer, and some of the impact we’re having. Read our new booklet and find out more.

Every year thousands of children and young people come through hospital as victims of assault and exploitation. At this time of crisis, Redthread youth workers are there. We work alongside NHS staff and other professionals in emergency departments. Our experienced, specialist youth workers engage with and support young people, aiming to reduce serious youth violence. We often meet young people at a moment of change and work with them to find a positive way forward.

Young people presenting in hospital due to violence and exploitation most commonly return to A&E not because of another act of violence, but because they are in a mental health crisis. 55% of children and young people we support re-attended for this reason. Mental health provision gaps mean young victims of violence are frequently left to deal with the aftermath of this trauma alone, commonly developing PTSD.

Every year, thousands of children and young people come through hospital as victims of assault and exploitation. At this time of crisis, Redthread youth workers are there. We work alongside NHS staff and other professionals in hospital emergency departments. Our experienced, specialist youth workers engage with and support young victims of violence, aiming to break cycles of violence.

As our merger with Catch22 progresses, enabling us to preserve our vital youth work services in hospitals to children and young people affected by violence and exploitation, changes are being made to the leadership team at Redthread. We therefore want to wish all the best and a huge thank you to our CEO, Lucie Russell who will be leaving on 13th September. Lucie will be taking on a new role as CEO at User Voice.

Join us and bring your passion and dedication to a team that makes a real difference every day. Before applying, make sure you have looked at our guidance on the recruitment process. Youth Violence Intervention Practitioner Location: Stadium Rd, London, SE18 4QH. On-site. Contract: Full-time, permanent Salary: £29,767.50 per annum + benefits Closing date: Friday, 20th September, 10 am Youth Violence Intervention Practitioner Location: Blackshaw Rd, London SW17 0QT. On-site.

In 2024 we started working in partnership with the Children’s Liver Unit at King’s College Hospital. We use our youth work expertise to build holistic support networks for young liver patients while they are in hospital and after they have been discharged.

July 19th, 2024 Redthread, a charity set up over 20 years ago to provide transformative youth work in hospitals and other health settings to children and young people affected by violence and exploitation, is currently exploring a proposed merger with Catch22 – a nonprofit organisation which builds resilience and aspiration in people of all ages and communities across the UK.

June 4th, 2024 We are seeking an organisation and/or 2 individuals to deliver clinical supervision to Redthread staff based in London and Birmingham in the context of trauma-informed practice, so that they can undertake their roles safely and effectively. We are a diverse organisation and it is critical that our staff have access to the right clinical supervisor to feel safe, reflect on their practice, and manage any work-related vicarious trauma.