Safe Choices Northern Ireland

Barnardo's Safe Choices Service was established in 2008 and was developed from Beyond the Shadows which worked with children and young people who had experienced or were at risk from sexual exploitation.

Safe Choices works with children and young people who are in the care system but who are going missing from their place of residence and as a result are at risk of being sexually exploited. We offer a service to males and females up to the age of leaving care. The service has bases in Belfast and Antrim. The service accepts referrals from the Belfast, South Eastern, Northern and Southern Trusts and can offer consultation to the Western Trust.

This service works in partnership with the Eastern Health and Social Services Board, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), and with a range of other agencies. The Eastern Health and Social Services Board covers North and West Belfast, South and East Belfast, Down Lisburn Trust and Ulster Community Hospital Trust areas.

We believe that this work can only be undertaken on a multi-agency basis, therefore, we work in partnership with a range of other agencies including P.S.N.I. Trusts, Education, Health and the voluntary and community sector.