Doncaster Childrens Services Trust : EPIC

EPIC will deliver the project working within the Frenchgate shopping centre with some outreach work at the Interchange.  The Frenchgate shopping centre has identified a empty shop unit which will be converted into a POP up space for young people. This will give EPIC a town centre location to design and deliver a range of diversionary and support interventions for young people.

The project will allow a team of part time youth support workers to pilot this innovative new approach in the heart of Doncaster.  The team will work with young people aged 10 – 17 within the shopping centre providing a range of positive diversionary activities.  The project will support four key areas of diversionary intervention that are distinctive and work to promote contextual safeguarding.

1. EPIC will deliver a series of training workshops to all security staff working in the shopping centre and Interchange in safeguarding.
2. Working with the Frenchgate shopping centre to identify and secure a designated and clearly signposted safe place for young people which they can go to should they feel unsafe or concerned.
3. To recruit and train young people as peer advisors to support the delivery of positive intervention including carrying out a comprehensive research piece on how safe people feel in public spaces and their views on improving safety and tackling youth related anti-social behaviour and youth violence.
4. The retail sector is often an entry point for young people into the workforce.  EPIC will work with all the Frenchgate shopping centre retailers to design pathways for young people into work and away from risky behaviours including, violence, anti social behaviour and being drawn into criminal exploitation by organised crime groups.