In Haringey, an innovative multi-agency initiative is working to transform how children and young people are safeguarded through the lens of stop and search
The Stop and Search Safeguarding Project, delivered in partnership between Haringey Council and the Metropolitan Police Service (North Area BCU), began in 2020 and is now informing a wider pan-London initiative supported by the London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LIIA).
The project’s core focus is simple: when police stop a child, how can this encounter become a point of early support, not just enforcement?
The project team spoke to LSWC about their learning so far, the power of professional collaboration, and what they hope to achieve next. Watch below as Sarah Ayodele from the borough Dave Bradley, a Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police, tell us more about the project.
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“The biggest achievement is identifying children who might not have been known to services at all, if it weren’t for this work”
The work began following a local learning review and has since developed through phased implementation. Practitioners and police came together to explore how stop and search encounters could be used to better identify vulnerability and trigger timely interventions. By improving information-sharing between partners, the project aims to reduce harm and prevent escalation for children and young people at risk.
The team is already seeing improvements. Haringey has adapted screening processes within its Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) and is making better use of stop and search data during Multi-Agency Child Exploitation (MACE) meetings. These changes are enhancing risk identification and strengthening multi-agency coordination.
With phase four of the project now underway, 29 London boroughs and 12 borough command units (BCUs) are involved. This expanded phase is designed to test and share practice across the capital, reflecting both the appetite for change and the commitment to child-centred policing. Though full findings and recommendations are due later this year, early insights show stronger professional dialogue, better cross-boundary data sharing, and more consistent responses to young people at risk.
The project was inspired by the vision of leaders including Anne Graham and Beverley Hendricks and has received widespread backing from safeguarding professionals across London.
Haringey presented their project at the 2025 Practice Spotlight marketplace during the London Children’s Services Summit at Guildhall, where children's services stakeholders from across the city came together to share what’s working.
About Practice Spotlight
Practice Spotlight shines a light on the most innovative and impactful work happening across London’s Children’s Services. Led by the London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LIIA), the initiative drew over 100 submissions across 9 themes:- Racial equity
- Impact for children with special educational needs and disabilities
- Building safety for young Londoners
- Supporting and strengthening the workforce
- Delivering excellence for care leavers
- Improving outcomes for children with complex needs who are in care or on the edge of care
- Delivering together with health services
- Making data speak for London’s children
- Delivering positive impact through early intervention