With no time to lose, our sector has a vital role
Violence and exploitation have dominated the grim world of county lines, and authorities and children’s charities are working out how to respond more effectively (cover story). What’s clear is that the ‘red flags’ that could indicate a trail of abuse are highly likely to cross our paths so there’s no time to lose in understanding the latest strategies. The future of thousands of vulnerable young people is at stake and our sector has a vital role to play.
Strategy for our services has a central thread of lived experience these days – and is all the richer for it. Innovation is king among the entrepreneurial communities that share their stories in this issue, and the work to transform life in the criminal justice system to a horizon of opportunity is particularly inspiring (page 8 and our centre-page pullout). They are running on the inside lane of campaigns to smash stigma and their results speak for themselves.
And while we look back on some crucial milestones – for the sector’s history (p18) and for many individuals (p26) – we look forward to more of the creativity that brings joy to this month’s pages (p10 and p20). Never be in doubt that ‘people in recovery have creative minds’!
Read the July/August issue as an online magazine (you can also download it as a PDF from the online magazine)
Claire Brown, editor