AFRUCA SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN


Help us to protect more children in our community

With offices in London and Manchester, we work in UK Black and Ethnic communities to protect and safeguard children from abuse, modern slavery and exploitation. We tackle cultural and religious practices that harm children.

AFRUCA Job Vacancies

Protect Me, Too: A Consultative Meeting With Black Youth In London and Manchester

We are holding an online consultation on Friday 5 April 2024 with young people in London and Manchester.

The event is to help gather the view-points of participants about the daily challenges faced in the community and on social media that can increase risks of harm for young people in both cities. We want young people to tell us about what should happen to make life safer for them.

Scan the QR code to register

Manchester Child Exploitation and Youth Violence Network of Professionals and Community Groups

Following our successful event in January 2024 to explore solutions to combat the growing problem of child exploitation and youth violence across Manchester, we are holding a consultative meeting to discuss the establishment of a Manchesterwide network

Date: Friday 22 March 2024

Venue: AFRUCA Centre, Universal Square, Manchester

RSVP: brian@Afruca.org

Consultative Meeting on Child Protection In Faith and Community Groups

AFRUCA Safeguarding Children held a special online Consultative Meeting on Tuesday, 13 February 2024 to explore the role of faith organisations in the protection of children in Black and ethnic communities across the UK. Over 60 faith and community representatives, professionals and policy-makers attended.

We organised this consultative meeting to explore with participants how we can work together to enhance child protection and safeguarding in Black and Ethnic faith organisations, looking at four broad areas: empowering faith leaders; building connections, supporting congregants and building capacity of faith organisations.

Work to advance key recommendations is in progress.

AFRUCA Psychotherapy Service For Children At Risk or Returning Home From Foster Care

The AFRUCA Psychotherapy service provides short-term, one to one, confidential and culturally appropriate therapy service for children (5-18 years) who have been involved in the local authority child protection system because of child/domestic abuse and/or who are being reunified with their birth parents after a period in foster care. Using a range of approaches, our psychotherapists provide support for children to help them build emotional well-being, rebuild trust, emotional bond and attachment with their birth parents.  

Community Engagement and Education are at the heart of our work at AFRUCA to prevent child abuse, trafficking, exploitation and modern slavery.

Contact us to arrange a session delivered by our staff and volunteer Children’s Champions for your agency, church, mosque, school or community group.

Child Protection Community Engagement and Education

Our
Services

Join AFRUCA Talks: Our Free Online Forum For Parents

Child Protection

Publication

We are delighted to release the 4th Edition of our very popular publication for parents in Black and Ethnic communities across the UK - Understanding Child Protection In The UK - A Guide For Parents In Black and Ethnic Communities.

Read more

Ongoing

Activities

AFRUCA News: February 2024 Activities

We held a range of community based activities to help educate about basic child protection and safeguarding needs of children.

AFRUCA Public Facing Events Calendar

We’ve Been Safeguarding Children Since 2001

Prompted by the deaths of a number of newly arrived child ren in the UK, Debbie Ariyo, a former Civil Servant, founded AFRUCA in 2001 to address child safeguarding and child trafficking issues in African diaspora communities and provide services to help support children and families and rehabilitate victims.

Debbie Ariyo OBE - Founder and CEO

AFRUCA’s 20th Anniversary Documentary Video

Our
People

What People Say About AFRUCA

  • "The support I received from AFRUCA had a great impact in my life. I thank God I'm here today because it was a life changing experience."

    Person With Lived Experience of Modern Slavery, AFRUCA Child Trafficking Support Programme

  • "My experience with AFRUCA was wonderful! It couldn’t have been any better. The social worker exercised a high level of empathetic display therefore, giving room to a proper in-depth understanding and assimilation of the parenting lessons. Well-done her!’’

    Parent, Manchester who took part in our Child Protection and Family Support Service

  • "Your County Lines programme is very much needed for the young people. Crazy to think County Lines and Serious Youth violence is so big in today’s society."

    Parent participating in AFRUCA Coffee Morning Sessions, Manchester

  • “I have read through the assessment, and it was comprehensively written, as you considered the cultural interpretation of some of the concerns. I was impressed with the work done with the family and the outcome was positive, as a result, the children are no longer on the Child Protection Plan. I was also pleased how you made yourself available at meetings and contributed to assessing the progress of Child Protection and monitoring the risk to the children”.

    Social Worker, Kingston/Achieving for Children who took part in our Child Protection and Family Support Service

  • “The knowledge and delivery of these trainings gave me better skills in parenting my children and the children around me.”

    Parent who participated in AFRUCA’s Child Protection Community Education Programme

  • "I think everybody should learn what I have been taught today in the Champions training. It's good to hear from people who look like me and understand"

    Participant who took part in AFRUCA’s Child Protection Community Education Programme

  • "This training should be taught to you as soon as you come into the UK. I wish that I had known all of this long before I needed it"

    Participant who took part in AFRUCA’s Child Protection Community Education Programme

  • "AFRUCA saved my life. I don't know what I would have done without them. They helped me get my family back to which I am eternally grateful"

    Parent who benefitted from AFRUCA’s Child Protection and Family Support Service

  • “I would like to say I enjoyed the lessons throughout these ten weeks. The first one I didn’t know what to expect, and ever since I’ve had these lesson every single Saturday, it has honestly change my life. I’ve learnt a lot of codes that I wouldn’t even know if I continued with my normal route. To be honest I am just really happy that I’m even in these coding sessions

    Young participant on the AFRUCA Coding Programme to Prevent County Lines Trafficking

  • "Working for AFRUCA has been an incredible experience. Everyone in the office is extremely passionate about their work, kind to everyone, and extremely supportive. While working for AFRUCA, I was able to learn how non-profits operate and the reality of how prevalent modern day slavery and human trafficking is in the UK. I’ve gotten to work on projects with everyone on the team where I’ve been able to advance my graphic design, technology, and research skills. I’ve loved working here and am so grateful to have interned with the London team."

    Danielle Worthalter, Intern from the USA

  • "I think we definitely got people thinking and talking more about modern day slavery. I think it was also important for people to know the difference between cultural sensitivity and ignorance e.g. knowing that just because people come from a very different cultural background, it does not always defend their behaviour, and they could in fact be practicing modern day slavery. I like to think we helped people be more confident in speaking out when they see something suspicious or harmful in their local environment"

    AFRUCA Volunteer Anti-Slavery Champion, Manchester

  • AFRUCA awakened my consciousness to issues of Safeguarding Children, provided me with the language, resources, and network of equally trained and passionate champions. The simplification, scalability and its unique slant of breaking religious and cultural myths around safeguarding narratives made all the difference for me and my community. AFRUCA does not just train. Its advocacy, investment in strategic research, grassroots and community reach, development of people, ongoing support and provision of relevant resources for champions, children, professionals, and policy-makers, positions it in the Ivy-League of Change Agents in safeguarding children. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as AFRUCA's Children's Champion over the last 15 years.

    Pastor Dupe Adefala, World Fountain Christian Ministries, Oxford.

    AFRUCA Volunteer Children’s Champion.

  • "I joined Afruca in 2015 and became a champion after a fantastic training. AFRUCA has really informed my knowledge in the area of safeguarding especially in the African community. Being a volunteer has given me the opportunity to reach out to many people who would have become victims due to lack of knowledge. I feel good by giving my time, energy and skills to the community for a good cause of breaking barriers. It is said that prevention is better than cure. AFRUCA has done and is still doing a lot of preventive work to ensure children are brought up in a safe and caring home by their own parents. I am proud to be part of the good cause."

    Dupe Olaniyi, AFRUCA Volunteer Children’s Champion

  • "Each day brought a new opportunity to learn and grow. AFRUCA's unique approach to internships, treating me as a valued member of the team rather than a temporary addition, allowed me to feel genuinely integrated into the organization's efforts."

    Christy Li, Operations Intern. AFRUCA London Office

Our Current and Recent Funders