Lunch and Learn: Vamp Learning Review

Vamp was a white British teenage girl who tragically died following an episode of drug use in July 2022. As Vamp was subject to a child protection plan at the time of her death, the Merton Safeguarding Children Partnership undertook a Child Safeguarding Practice Review, which identified areas of learning that would be taken forward by partners. The review focused on three key areas:

1. Lived experience of adolescents e.g. risk-taking behaviour, missing, potential exploitation, young carers
2. How can services adapt to be more accessible to adolescents? What can services do differently in response to children who feel unable to engage with practitioners?
3. How cross borough working can be strengthened, and bureaucracy reduced for education and CAMHS.

This Lunch and Learn session is 90 minutes and will aim to explore the key themes highlighted by this case, including:

• Persistence in building trusting relationships
• Utilising a trauma-informed approach to support children vulnerable to exploitation
• Focusing on young people’s safety in the community, not just at home
• Preventing the adultification of children
• Confidence in identifying and supporting young carers

It will also consider practice improvements that can help to address the areas for learning identified by the review.

Zoom or Microsoft Teams links will be sent