ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Firmin introduces the reader to two young people whose lives inspired Contextual Safeguarding – Malik and Sara. Using case review material, she illustrates the relationship between their experiences of abuse, the social fields in which they spent their time and the choices they made. Ballooning out to a wider international evidence-base, the author demonstrates that these two lives exemplify what decades of research has told us about the dynamics of extra-familial harm. Focusing on: key aspects of adolescent development; the nature of extra-familial contexts in which abuse occurs; and the interplay between the two, Firmin reflects on what Malik and Sara’s lives required of protective services. There were two things that professional agencies needed to do: see them as young people in need of support, and have a response in place that spoke to their experiences. The chapter that follows will explore the extent to which this was possible.
