Friends, peers and safeguarding

Abstract

Moreover, during adolescence the significance and influence of young people's peer relationships have been found to intensify in many countries around the world (Blakemore, 2018;Coleman, 2011). Nevertheless, recognising this has failed to ensure that child protection or wider safeguarding systems and interventions take account of young people's friendships or wider peer relationships when supporting those affected by violence and abuse. On the contrary there is evidence that many social work responses disregard peers, while centring family relationships, in their efforts to safeguard young people (