Back to main websiteExtra Familial Harm
What is Extra Familial Harm?
Extra Familial Harm, sometimes known as harm outside the home and contextual safeguarding, is a term used to describe the risk and harm a child is typically facing from outside their home.
(Please note that you will see references to all three terms throughout this page).
Quite often, the focus of ‘risk of harm’ is intrafamilial (within the home environment), however many other risks, including child exploitation, pose a threat to a child within the wider context, outside of their the home and are equally important when identifying safeguarding concerns.
Take a look at some of the resources below to help inform your practice and find support or read more in our one minute guide to contextual safeguarding here
What does Extra Familial Harm look like?
Children can be vulnerable to multiple forms of extra-familial harm from both adults and/or other children within their communities, peer groups and online. These harms are child abuse and never the fault of a child who is a victim.
- Child Sexual Exploitation - CSE
- Child Criminal exploitation - CCE
- Online Harm ie. Grooming
- Children missing and/or excluded from education
- Child on child sexual abuse (HSB)
- Serious violence including gangs/knife crime
- Influences of extremism which could lead to radicalisation
- Substance use
- Abuse and/or coercive control in teenage relationships
- Peer on peer/ child on child – Bullying/Cyberbullying
- being a victim or carrying out acts of serious youth violence
An introduction to Contextual Safeguarding
Dr Carlene Firmin, The Contextual Safeguarding Network, explores the concept of contextual safeguarding with this introductory webinar on extra-familial harm.
The principles of Contextual Safeguarding
This short video gives a helpful overview of Contextual Safeguarding and its core principles.
How do we respond to Extra Familial Harm in the Wakefield District?
Below is some quick guidance for practitioners working or volunteering with children and their families to identify and respond to extra familial harm.
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Relationship buildingShow details- Make time to hear what a child is telling you as they are the expert of their experience.
- Connect with a child - explore topics such as music, hobbies or food
- Build trust
- Be transparent about your concerns and your intentions.
- Do what you say you will & avoid overpromising -
Being Trauma InformedShow detailsMake every contact count.
Prioritise physical, psychological and emotional safety. Ask what a child needs to feel safe.
Those who have experienced trauma may feel powerless to control what happens to them so working to empower a child will give them a sense of agency.
Reflect on your own experiences & biases & how systems & processes can perpetuate not accessing support. Recognise & address power dynamics. -
Language to empowerShow detailsWhen talking about children & exploitation, language matters. It can be the difference between a child being effectively supported or feel they cannot access support. A child is not to blame for their abuse and the language we use should always reflect this.
The misuse of language can perpetuate blame and bias.Download the Children’s Society Language Toolkit
The importance of language
How the language we use can open up contextual opportunitites to keep children safe
A short video by Dr Carlene Firmin which looks at the language we use when discussing harm outside the home.
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Research in PracticeShow detailsResearch in Practice have provided some Multi-agency Practice Principles for responding to child exploitation and extra-familial harm which you can download:
Multi-agency Practice Principles for responding to child exploitation and extra-familial harm
or link to their website here -
What is the Contextual Safeguarding Framework?Show detailsTo view an operational, strategic and conceptual overview of the Contextual Safeguarding framework by Carlene Firmin click here.
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Your GuideShow detailsA useful tool to use when working with vulnerable children
Access Your Guide to Contextual Safeguarding here.
The Contextual Safeguarding Network
This website has a wealth of information, links to videos, podcasts, briefings and many other up to date resources from peer on peer abuse to safety mapping to harmful sexual behaviour and much more.
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Appropriate Language in Relation to Child ExploitationShow detailsThis document seeks to provide guidance to professionals on the appropriate use of language when discussing children and their experience of exploitation in a range of contexts.
To access the guidance, please click here.
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Contextual SafeguardingShow detailsContextual Safeguarding is an approach to understanding, and responding to a child’s experiences of significant harm outside of their home / family Read more and download here
To view the Child Exploitation series of One Minute Guides visit our Child Exploitation Learning and Development page and read more about online, child criminal, child trafficking, modern slavery and financial exploitation.
Developing skills and knowlegde around Extra Familial Harm
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Show details
Learning & Development Access the range of Child Exploitation training, development and resources from WSCP, as well as signposting to local and national services on our Child Exploitation learning & development page.There you will find links to current training offers, one minute guides, briefings, learning from reviews and signposting to local and national services that can help you with developing your skills and knowledge around Child Exploitation.
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How Professional Curiosity & Challenge can help youShow detailsBeing professionally curious and having the confidence to have difficult conversations with children and their families can ensure the right interventions are put in place to keep a child safe. Learn more about professional curiosity and challenge on the WSCP webpages here
Quick Links
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Child Exploitation Team (CET) Screening Tool coming soon
Tell me more information about the #SpeakUpStandUp campaign!