Time to Listen: Seeing the Child Behind the Harm

Children who experience harm through violence and exploitation are often judged by their behaviour - when what they need is protection, understanding and care. This webinar calls for a shift in perspective - to look beyond the behaviour, ask what’s happening and consider the wider context of harm.

Children and young people affected by violence and exploitation are frequently adultified, criminalised, or treated as the problem, especially in cases involving harmful sexual behaviour (HSB), extremism, or peer-to-peer harm. These responses can compound trauma and push young people further from the support they need.

Join us for Time to Listen: Seeing the Child Behind the Harm, an online event that brings together voices from frontline practice, research and advocacy to explore how we can respond to children who’ve engaged in harmful behaviours with compassion, understanding and care.

Our speakers:

Carly Adams Elias, Safer London – Sharing insights from the See Beyond project, which encourages criminal justice professionals to look beyond offending behaviour and focus on supporting young women who have experienced exploitation and harm.

Nigel Broomfield, Exit Hate – Exploring responses and approaches to young people who have been groomed and radicalised into far-right ideologies.

Josh Paice, Safer London – Discussing Safer London’s Positive Relaitonships and Sexual Behaviours service, which works with young people engaging in harmful sexual behaviours and promotes safer, healthier relationships.

Aika Stephenson, Just for Kids Law – Examining the criminalisation of children impacted by exploitation and violence, and advocating for systemic change to protect their rights.

Lynne Cairnes – Reflecting on PhD research into how boys’ stories reveal identities of being a ‘risk’ and the role of systems and interventions in shaping these narratives. Her insights connect harmful sexual behaviour with other forms of harm and explore how fear, shame, and cultural narratives influence responses.

We’ll ask:

• How can we shift the lens from behaviour to context - and see the child behind it?
• What does it mean to listen in ways that challenge harmful narratives and promote healing?
• How can we build systems of response that are rooted in care, not judgment?

This webinar is part of Safer London’s Time to Listen campaign, which calls for a shift in how we see, hear and support young Londoners affected by violence.