The Safer Young Lives Research Centre

The Safer Young Lives Research Centre was previously known as ‘The International Centre: Researching child sexual exploitation, violence and trafficking’.

The Centre has been in operation for the last fifteen years, during which time we have developed extensive expertise in researching sexual abuse, and in implementing participatory approaches and ethical and innovative methodologies within the field. We were delighted to be awarded The Queen’s Anniversary Prize for this work in 2013.

Over the last decade, we have been developing increasing expertise around other forms of abuse and adopting an increasingly holistic approach to understanding experiences of, and responses to, harm. Whilst our specialism in sexual harm remains, our new title more accurately reflects this wider thematic and contextual approach and expertise.

The Centre is led by Dr Helen Beckett (Director) and a leadership team of  Dr Julie Harris and Dr Camille Warrington. Professor Jenny Pearce, who established the Centre, remains actively involved.

Our purpose

To create and share knowledge around young people's experience of abuse and to work with others - locally, nationally and internationally - to better prevent and respond to this.

How we work

We are an applied research centre that is committed to:

• the empowerment and protection of young people
• transparency and excellence in research
• being theoretically informed and practically relevant
• collaborative and partnership-based working
• young people’s safe and meaningful participation
• inclusive and anti-oppressive practice
• ethical and innovative ways of working.