About Us
Why Choose Us
We at CYP First, are two passionate Child Exploitation professionals aiming to transform your practice and response to children, by delivering creative, innovative and practical training through years of experience.
We pride ourselves on delivering quality and the best value for money and our feedback speaks for itself.
Through frontline work we have developed training that puts the voice of the child first and we have been working with across the country with professionals from all multi disciplinary fields delivering sessions in CSE, County Lines, Criminal Exploitation of Children, Missing children, Return Home interviews, Modern day dangers, E-Safety, Trafficking, grooming for radicalisation and extremism, child exploitation including gangs and criminality.
We also continue to work with local councils on responding to CSE and Child Exploitation (County Lines) by delivering training for their licensed vehicles, hotels, bars and other venues.
Our training is adaptable to all service areas and will be bespoke to your needs. The rights of the child and their voice will be at the centre of all we deliver and our passion for changing practices will be evident in our delivery.
Who are we?
Helen Matthews has 18 years first hand experience of working with CSE survivors and is now the CEO of Street Teams, a Charity creatively responding to all aspects of exploitation, Parents and siblings, transition, missing, radicalisation, BAME community engagement, faith sector CSE engagement, B & YM, children over exposed to pornography.
Andy Thompson is a previous registered manager of Ofsted rated Outstanding CSE services. Passionate in his delivery and care for children. National trainer and speaker. 20 years within the residential sector and speaks from the heart due to being on the front line. Trainer in Trauma, Stockholm syndrome, Behaviour Management, Physical Intervention, Ofsted consultancy, residential procedures, responding and working with survivors of CSE and CE.
Why are we different?
Too many people have expressed that training doesn't come from the heart and that trainers lack passion. Well, this is where we are different! Our training comes from years of experience from frontline work as we both still run a successful large Child Exploitation Charity in the Midlands. Our experiences are reflected in our courses to offer you a different experience from trainers that is passionate, enjoyable and real, with delegates always offering the most positive of comments about how we have transformed their practice.
Our Training
Criminal Exploitation (County Lines)
Fully CPD'd course.
Learn how to recognise, respond and support young people who are groomed for Criminal Exploitation. Exploring Gang culture, the effects of Social Media, Music and terminology, looking at the grooming process, local and national threat, use of the NRM, disruption tools and working on your counter narrative.
Suitable for ALL professioanls, Children's workforce, Police, Licensing, Housing, Health, NTE, Foster Carers, Education, Voluntary Sector, Youth Justice, Probation and Prison services etc.
Child Sexual Exploitation
Fully CPD'd course.
To understand what Child Sexual Exploitation is, how to recognise it, to understand the grooming process in all its forms and to work with vulnerable children, including issues like Trauma Bonding and Stockholm syndrome. Exploring Human Trafficking and the NRM referral process, discussing victim blaming and how to work with youg people who have been abused through Child Sexual Exploitation.
Suitable for ALL professionals. We offer Basic & Advanced CSE courses, bespoke to your area of work.
Managing Challenging Behaviour
Delegates will learn to identify what behaviour is, exploring and discussing ACEs and how they can impact a lifetime. Together we learn to differentiate and identify challenging behaviour & age appropriate behaviour and to ensure a consistence practice when dealing with challenging behaviour.
We will explain the key principles of attachment and bonding critical for a child’s healthy development and how healthy attachment is facilitated. Delegates will understand the various ways that neglect and abuse negatively influence attachment, exploring the consequent challenging behaviours.
Suitable for ALL professionals who work with Children, mainly aimed towards Foster Carers and Residential staff or anyone operating a care role for Children and Young People
Night Time Economy Training
CYP First are proud to be the recognsied trainers for Operation Makesafe for Bedfordshire borough and have delivered to 1000s of licensed drivers and hoteliers about how to spot and report Child Exploitation within their vehicles or Hotels.
Licensed Driver Training
Connecting drivers to the subject of Child Exploitation is what makes this course so successful. Drivers learn how to spot and report all froms of exploitation, exploring legal implications and legislation, dispelling myths of victims and perpertrators along the way.
Responding to Missing Children
This course aims to understand and explore:
•Why children / young people runaway?
•Vulnerability factors that may increase missing episodes
•Trauma and Stockholm Syndrome
•Understanding Missing from Care Categories
•Police Definitions
•How to Manage Young People going Missing
•Legislation and Guidance
•Runaway and Missing from Home and Care (RMFHC) protocol
•Statutory Guidance
Other Training
CYP First also deliver the following courses and will also write specific training to suit your needs:
- Self-Harm
- FGM
- Safeguarding
- Reporting & Recording
- Social Media & Internet Awareness
- Confirmation Bias
- Modern Day Slavery
- Radicalisation & Terrorism