Animation from Research in Practice (2023)
This short animation explains what Transitional Safeguarding is about.
Introduction to Transitional Safeguarding with Dez Holmes (Research in Practice in partnership with Camden, 2022)
This digital briefing is for those working with adolescents (10-24 years old). The film describes what Transitional Safeguarding is, why it is essential to develop and embed it, in order to safeguard young people into adulthood.
Risks, Resilience and Relationships: Safeguarding adolescents into adulthood with Dez Holmes (Research in Practice, 2020)
This video from Dez Holmes, Director at Research in Practice looks at supporting young people to transition to adulthood and safeguarding them from harm and exploitation.
Beverley Tarka and Ann Graham from Haringey Local Authority (Research in Practice and Haringey, 2022)
A conversation between the Director of Children’s Services and the Director of Adult Social Services about joint leadership, working together and Transitional Safeguarding.
Transitional safeguarding and the role of health (NWG, 2022)
A conversation with Sarah Cerioli, Deputy Designated Transitional Safeguarding transitional nurse (Sussex).
Mind the Gap: Transitional Safeguarding – adolescence to adulthood: Strategic Briefing (2018) Dez Holmes & E. Smale: This briefing makes the case for ensuring a transitional approach to safeguarding adolescents and young children is made more effective and proposes key considerations for innovation. It explores how a transitional approach to safeguarding could be developed; an approach to safeguarding adolescents and young adults fluidly across developmental stages which builds on the best available evidence, learns from both children’s and adult safeguarding practice and which prepares young people for their adult lives. NB: there is a free online learning package for Research in Practice members
Bridging the Gap – Transitional Safeguarding and the role of social work with adults (June 2021) Chief Social Worker for Adults/Department of Health and Social Care: This is a knowledge briefing from the Chief Social Worker (Adults) aimed at all those committed to ensuring high quality social work with young adults, from practitioners and people receiving support through to strategic leaders across local safeguarding partnerships. It draws on evidence from research and knowledge from local areas to describe what Transitional Safeguarding is, why it is needed and how the contribution of adult social work is key to developing and embedding a more transitional approach to safeguarding young people into adulthood.
Transitional Safeguarding Blog – National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum
Transitional Safeguarding in Health ‘padlet’: This webpage is targeted at people working in health to provide accessible information, links, resources etc. and is available for anyone to access.
Safeguarding during adolescence– the relationship between Contextual Safeguarding, Complex Safeguarding and Transitional Safeguarding 2019: A briefing authored by Carlene Firmin, Jayne Horan, Dez Holmes and Gail Hopper.
Transitional Safeguarding: Academic insight, HMP Inspectorate of Probation (March 2022): Academic insight paper aimed at professionals and policy makers working within the youth and criminal justice systems.
Practice: Social Work in action (2022) Special Issue on Transitional Safeguarding Vol 34, Issue 1 Eds. Christine Cocker & Adi Cooper: This special issue contains articles on the ‘Case for Change’ by Dez Holmes, and several local case studies.
Holmes, D. (ed) (2022) Safeguarding Young People: Risk, Rights, Resilience and Relationships. London, Jessica Kingsley Publishing: Contributions to this edited book explore the complexity of contemporary adolescent safeguarding and offer a critical perspective on current practice. It considers theory and innovative practice to make the case for a person-centred, evidence-informed and rights-based approach to safeguarding young people.
Cocker, C., Cooper, A., and Holmes, D. (2022) Bridging the Gap between Children’s and Adults’ Safeguarding Responses’ om Holmes, D. ed, Safeguarding Young People: Risk, Rights, Resilience and Relationships, Jessica Kingsley Publications: This book chapter argues for a transformational approach to safeguarding adolescents and makes the case for Transitional Safeguarding.
Cocker, C., Cooper, A., and Holmes, D. (2021) Transitional Safeguarding: Transforming how adolescents and young adults are safeguarded. British Journal of Social Work 52 (3) pp.1287-1306: This article summarises findings from four national workshops with participants from both children and adults social services regarding enablers and barriers to taking forwards a Transitional Safeguarding approach to working with young people.
Cocker, C., Cooper, A, Holmes D, and Bateman F. (2021) Transitional Safeguarding: Presenting the case for developing Making Safeguarding Personal for Young People in England. Journal of Adult Protection 23 (3) pp.144-57: This article sets out the similarities and differences between the legal frameworks for safeguarding adults and children and presents the case for developing a Transitional Safeguarding approach that better meets their developmental needs and reflect the harms they face.
Learning from Safeguarding adult reviews about transitional safeguarding: building an evidence base: Journal of Adult Protection, 24(2), 90-101: This article sets out the evidence base to date on Transitional Safeguarding to support authors of Safeguarding Adults Reviews where Transitional Safeguarding is a theme.
Preparing for adulthood: The role of social workers, 2019, SCIE: This resource supports social workers in supporting young people in transition from children’s services to adulthood.
NICE guidance Transition from Children’s to Adults Services (2016): This guidance covers the period before, during and after a young person moves from children’s to adult’s services. It aims to help young people and their carers have a better experience of transition by improving the way it’s planned and carried out. It covers both health and social care.
ADASS/ADCS/PCH/SCIE (2025) Briefing on Transitional Safeguarding for sector leaders: A joint briefing for leaders and senior managers across children and adults services
Addressing the safeguarding binary between youth justice and probation: Blog by Professor Christine Cocker about the HMIP project on the Research in Practice website
Blog about the Alliance for Youth Justice briefing which evidences effectiveness of a Transitional Safeguarding approach supporting young people at risk of criminal exploitation in Richmond and Kingston
Alliance for Youth Justice, (2025) Transitional Safeguarding in action: lessons from the VASA approach
Alliance for Youth Justice (2025) Exploited to exploiter? Preventing the unjust criminalisation of victims of child criminal exploitation in the transition to adulthood : Lessons from VASA approach – policy briefing on issues faced by young people in contact with the criminal justice system transitioning to adulthood
For those working in the NHS, the Intercollegiate document (2025) covers competencies for health care staff and includes reference to Transitional Safeguarding, with a specific Appendix 3 containing a role description for a Transitional Safeguarding professional:
Blog from a supported accommodation perspective: Turning statistics into hope: : Rethinking transitions for young people leaving care , Research in Practice
The response to missing young people during the transition from
childhood to adulthood: A survey exploring challenges and good practice in supporting this group, October 2022
Northumberland Transitions safeguarding protocol (2021)
The aim of the aim of the protocol is to promote robust transitional arrangements and ensure effective and timely referrals between Children’s and Adult Services in Northumberland. It recognises that harm is likely to continue post 18, and that abusers target vulnerability irrespective of age.
Transitional Safeguarding in Brent – a Scrutiny Committee task group report
The Transitional Safeguarding Task Group was set up to review the development of transitional safeguarding in Brent and a task group report was written to review arrangements at an early stage.
South Gloucestershire
A chapter on missing from home, school and care policy – includes brief section regarding care leavers (page 17).
Risk management pathway – to enhance the support to care leavers who are missing / risk of / are being exploited.
A seven minute briefing on the Safeguarding Adult Review, Madeleine
Care and Health Improvement Partnership and Partners in Care and Health past LGA events presentation page (for other resources from Webinars on safeguarding adults)
Making Safeguarding Personal (2019)
A film with Adi Cooper introducing Making Safeguarding Personal
Cocker, C. Larsson, B, Rennolds, N. Baruch, B. Huegler, N. Vieth, R. Smith, L. Holmes, D. (2025) Transitional Safeguarding in Youth Justice and probation services: A scoping study. HMIP: This research covers what Transitional Safeguarding means for people working in this sector
Fatima Bintu Sesay, (2025) Avoiding the cliff edge: working with young survivors of modern slavery as they turn 18, Hope for Justice
Book chapter ‘Transitional Safeguarding and Intersectionality’ by Christine Cocker, Dez Holmes, Adi Cooper in Handbook of Intersectionality and Social Work (2026) eds. Frank Keating & Carlene Firmin, Edward Edgar Publishing
Contributing to a book on intersectionality, this chapter explores how it operates in the area of Transitional Safeguarding
Transitional Safeguarding: Transforming how young people are safeguarded, by Christine Cocker, Dez Holmes and Adi Cooper, Policy Press, March 28 2024, available to order through booksellers online.
Health briefing on Transitional Safeguarding (October 2023)
Film of Dez Holmes' presentation on transitional safeguarding 2023
Youth work training resource on transitional safeguarding
Newcastle City Council's adult exploitation video
Transitioning from child to adult: Safeguarding practice for young people who have experienced child sexual exploitation, by Professor Geraldine Brady, What Works for Children's Social Care
Gateshead Safeguarding Children Partnership's seven minute briefing on transitional safeguarding
