Bridging the Gap: Transitional Safeguarding and the role of social work with adults – Knowledge Briefing (2021)

This open-access briefing draws on evidence from research and knowledge from local areas to describe Transitional Safeguarding, why it is needed and how adult social work is key to developing and embedding a transitional approach to safeguarding young people into adulthood.

Aimed at practitioners and managers within adult services, strategic leaders across local safeguarding adults partnerships, the knowledge briefing builds on existing work by Research in Practice and focuses particularly on the contribution of social work with adults and wider safeguarding adults colleagues to the transitional safeguarding agenda.

It pays particular attention to the harms associated with sexual and criminal exploitation, recognising that where young people are experiencing coercion and other forms of control and exploitation under 18, these experiences and the impact they have rarely stop when a person turns 18.

The Knowledge Briefing has been co-produced by the Office of the Chief Social Worker for Adults, with Research in Practice, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, BASW, Care and Health Improvement Programme and the NWG Network, and with input from police colleagues.