Written evidence submitted by Railway Children (RLS0023)

 

Background

 

The Transport Select Committee report into Safety on the Railways (Sept 2014) recognised the vulnerabilities children face when using the transport network and recommended that improvements to safeguarding were made in order to keep them protected.

 

Following a subsequent roundtable with the then Transport Minister Baroness Kramer, Railway Children worked with British Transport Police (BTP) to develop the Safeguarding on Transport (ST) programme. The programme raises awareness of vulnerability, and equips rail staff to play their part in keeping vulnerable people safe.

 

The programme was launched in November 2015 and initially focused on raising awareness of vulnerable children but following feedback from the industry has been expanded to include vulnerable adults as well as children.

 

Recent statistics from BTP show that they respond to 2,277 incidents of risk, harm and vulnerability every month and with 8.6m passenger journeys each day rail staff have a vital role to play in the safeguarding of vulnerable people.

 

This submission highlights the progress made so far in rolling out the ST programme across the rail industry, and the steps needed to consolidate this.

 

 

The Safeguarding on Transport (ST) awareness programme

 

Volunteers are recruited from BTP and the transport industry, who undergo training to become ST Champions. Champions then deliver short 20 minute awareness sessions to colleagues using the materials attached.

 

The programme has been developed using the industry standard safeguarding messages and focuses on five key actions:

 

1.  Be aware of vulnerable people on transport

2.  Be concerned about their welfare

3.  Listen to what they have to say

4.  Reassure showing kindness and consideration

5.  Report any concerns to the police

 

The programme benefits the rail industry by:

 

              caring for the communities in which they operate by keeping people within those communities safe

              creating positive industry partnerships by working with TOCs and other suppliers

              creating engaged employees through providing a rewarding volunteering programme.


 

Success to date

 

              Over 250 Champions trained, who have cascaded awareness sessions to over 1000 colleagues in the industry

              Champions trained at 17 out of the top 20 stations identified by BTP as having the highest numbers of safeguarding incidents

              Significant improvements in staff awareness and levels of confidence, as evidenced by evaluation data

              98% of staff trained say they would recommend this to colleagues

              Finalist in the National Rail Awards 2016 Safety Award category (jointly with BTP)

              The programme has been piloted outside of the rail industry and early indications are that it is transferable to other modes of transport

 

Case study: Following training, a customer service assistant at a busy mainline station became concerned about a young girl travelling alone on a school day, who tried to buy a long-distance single ticket. She passed on her concerns to supervisors, who spoke to her, engaged BTP, and established that she was travelling to see a friend of a friend without her familys knowledge. She was returned safely to the family home.

 

Case study: Home Office police in North Yorkshire requested that we deliver the awareness training to bus drivers, as part of a summer initiative to reduce child sexual exploitation in their local area. A driver subsequently reported some concerning behaviour from a male passenger which led to an arrest.


Challenges

 

There have been some significant challenges to the programme being taken up by the rail industry which has resulted in it being rolled out far slower than we initially anticipated.

 

Currently the programme is largely reliant on key individuals and organisations wanting to do the right thingby introducing it. As there is no direct correlation between the Safeguarding on Transport programme and meeting TOCs performance targets, it is not being universally adopted, despite the very real benefits it can offer in terms of keeping vulnerable passengers safe.

 

There is also a considerable gap between senior management who may be supportive as individuals and the ability to get the message cascaded down to workers on the ground.

 

Railway Children’s 5 Year Strategy

 

For the next 5 years our UK strategy will continue to focus on working together with our natural partners in the rail industry. It is here that we can make greatest impact and long term sustainable change for our beneficiaries.

 

Our strategic aims for the Safeguarding on Transport programme are:

 

              To create a National Safety Network for vulnerable children and adults on and around the UK

transport system through the Safeguarding on Transport awareness programme

 

              Using our privileged relationships in the rail industry we will seek to make interventions with children

at risk as identified by the BTP and rail staff

 

              We will ensure that any child identified on the transport system is offered the help they need to remain safe and achieve their potential

 

 

The programme will consist of three key elements:

 

1.  Safeguarding on Transport Awareness: Our objective is to recruit and train a further 1,200 champions who in turn will roll out the 20 min sessions to 36,000 rail staff.

 

2.  Safeguarding on Transport Hubs: 10 hubs will be developed at stations where safeguarding incidents are greatest. Hubs involve the station community (TOCs, retailers, suppliers and Police) working in partnership with Railway Children to protect and safeguard vulnerable children and adults in and around the hub.

 

3.  Safeguarding on Transport Projects: At 6 locations across the UK, Railway Children project workers will be based within the station community. They will assess the needs of children referred from BTP and provide ongoing one-to-one support, family work and/or mentoring as appropriate.

 

Next steps and recommendations

 

In order to create an effective National Safety Network for vulnerable children and adults on and around the

UK transport system we recommend the following:

 

              The introduction of a safeguarding requirement into the franchise process, ensuring that it is built into the ITTs and cascades down into committed obligations.

              The RDG and owner group and TOC senior management teams commit to champion the programme, thus giving it authority and ensuring that it is introduced and cascaded down throughout their organisations.

              Secure Station Accreditation requirements are revised to include the safeguarding of vulnerable children and adults.

 

The Transport Select Committees support to achieve the above recommendations would be invaluable.

 

December 2016