Transitional Safeguarding in action: Lessons from the VASA approach
This blog is published in support of AYJ’s latest briefing, From exploited to exploiter? Preventing the unjust criminalisation of victims of child criminal exploitation in the transition to adulthood. This blog highlights the Vulnerable Adolescents Supported into Adulthood (VASA) approach in Kingston and Richmond’s London Boroughs. The model responds to the sharp cliff edge many young people face at 18, showing how Transitional Safeguarding can reduce risk, prevent criminalisation, and provide meaningful support into adulthood.
Exploited to exploiter? is part of a larger project funded by Barrow Cadbury Trust that explores the experiences of children transitioning to adulthood while in the criminal justice system.
At AYJ, we’ve been speaking with organisations and services across the country who are working to support young people at risk of criminal exploitation during the difficult transition into adulthood. One example is the VASA panel in Kingston and Richmond. As From exploited to exploiter? highlights, exploitation does not end when a young person turns 18. Yet support often does. The result is a cliff edge: at the very point young people are especially vulnerable, statutory safeguarding often falls away. Without the right support, exploited children can quickly find themselves criminalised as adults.
What is the VASA approach?
The VASA panel brings together local services – social care, housing, health, education, police and the voluntary sector – to review cases of 18–25-year-olds at risk of exploitation or violence. It works collaboratively to build safety plans, ensure agencies are connected, and provide practical support that reflects the realities of young adulthood.
What difference has the VASA approach made?
In just two years, the VASA panel has considered 66 referrals of young people who would otherwise have faced that cliff edge. Around 65% of referrals are for young men, mostly at risk of criminal exploitation, while young women are more likely to be at risk of sexual exploitation or multiple harms. This reflects wider national patterns. The model has helped reduce risks, with stable housing proving critical. In 30% of cases, risk levels dropped by two stages once accommodation was secured.
Young people themselves highlight how valuable the panel’s support has been:
“Getting financial support with food vouchers has been really helpful and they were really quick in responding.”
“All round great support and a massive help to me. Fast response times and very supportive in terms of other help such as mental health referrals.”
What are the challenges?
The VASA approach has shown how Transitional Safeguarding can work in practice. But the approach is currently funded through the local Violence Reduction Unit, and its future is uncertain. For the VASA approach – and similar models across the country – to thrive, sustainable funding and government backing are essential.
Why Transitional Safeguarding matters
The VASA panel demonstrates that with cross-agency buy-in and commitment, a small investment can make a big difference. It shows that when services work together, and when young people’s needs are taken seriously beyond the age of 18, the risks of exploitation can be reduced. ‘At present, as our report From exploited to exploiter? shines a light on, too many young people fall through the cracks. Transitional Safeguarding approaches like the VASA panel show how those risks can be reduced.
This is exactly the kind of innovative, youth-centred practice that government should be supporting nationwide. To read more about the VASA approach and its results, you can read the full report here.