Stabbing victims to be supported by youth workers at Croydon hospital, thanks to £4m grant
Stabbing victims will be comforted and supported by youth workers the moment they arrive at an emergency ward, thanks to new funding.
Croydon University Hospital will be one of five to get dedicated staff, thanks to a £4 million grant from the Mayor of London.
Youth work charity Redthread has been chosen to recruit staff as it comes to Croydon this spring.
The Youth Violence Intervention Programme started at King’s College Hospital 14 years ago and now operates in eight hospitals across London and the Midlands.
The charity meets young patients as soon as possible, in the waiting room or even in a resuscitation bay – because this is when they are most receptive to getting help and changing their behaviour.
And youth workers aim to support and advise the young person after they leave hospital.
The idea is to move the victim away from a life of crime and the potential of ending up back in hospital or worse, dead.
Sarah Jones, MP for Croydon Central and chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Knife Crime, said: “I’ve seen first-hand the incredible work Redthread’s youth workers do, supporting young people and helping break the cycle of violence which has devastated families in Croydon. Their approach is proven to work, with more than a decade of experience in other London hospitals like King’s.
“That’s why I lobbied the Mayor of London for funding to bring Redthread to more hospitals, including Croydon University Hospital, and I’m delighted we’ve been able to make this a reality.”
And Sarah McLaggan, head of children’s nursing in Croydon, said that early intervention is key to stop young people suffering serious violence.
She said: “Croydon is home to more young people than any other London borough – we have 93,000 under 18s.
“We’re already working closely with young people and our partners on this issue. We’ve trained our own A&E staff to spot the signs of gang violence, and since Croydon council launched its Choose Your Future campaign at the end of 2017, the borough has seen a 12 per cent drop in knife crime, bucking the trend elsewhere in the capital.”
Croydon council has also recently adopted a public health approach to tackling serious youth violence, looking at the causes rather than the symptoms.
Between January and December 2019 there was a total of 9,744 crimes of ‘violence against a person’ and 376 possession of a weapon offences recorded by the Met.
In the same period the year before, this was 9,207 and 385 respectively.
Redthread is hosting an open evening for people interested in becoming a youth worker or team leader at King’s College Hospital on January 27 at 6.30pm.
More information about the charity can be found here.
Pictured is King’s College Hospital’s accident and emergency department
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This is an amazing cause that helps so many youth and kids after an attack has occurred much like the police .So we need to explore the prevention before the attack ,with a positive way of thinking ,the youth will put the knives down, with one option , love and guidance we have too give this generation ,if we want to stop decline and needless deaths on our streets
We are gaining momentum with this Plan to Action with vocal support from many sources and would like you to also help with the backing of your organisation
Many Thanks
Truehearts Unite.