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We deliver high-impact training for professionals working with young people and families, including:

Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) and County Lines Awareness

Grooming, Coercion, and Control

Trauma-Informed Practice

Working with High-Risk Young People

Contextual Safeguarding & Peer Influence

Each session is interactive, real-world focused, and tailored to your team's needs — whether you're in social care, education, policing, or community outreach

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Welcome to SMART Training and Consultancy. We are an exciting and innovative company which delivers high quality, interactive training and consultancy services to support and improve people, practice and policy with regards to outcomes achieved for young

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This page is for parents - if you are a teacher, click here

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Three different scenarios which can be used with staff training, RSHE lessons or to share with parents.

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Three different scenarios which can be used with staff training, RSHE lessons or to share with parents.

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Please only share if you feel appropriate depending on the context and relationship you have with the parents and/or children.

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University of Hull - Research and Enterprise

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Anti-Fraud Lesson Plans (financial crime) KS3&4

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Anti-Fraud Lesson Plans (financial crime) KS3&4

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Together with PSHE Association, the national body for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, Cifas has created four Anti-Fraud Education lesson plans with accompanying resources. The lesson plans are targeted at 11-16 year olds and cover Key Stage 3 and 4.

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Working together to teach young people about fraud

Research conducted at Cifas has shown that increasing numbers of young people are affected by fraud, either being targeted by online fraudsters or unwittingly engaging in fraudulent acts themselves.

Together with PSHE Association, the national body for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, Cifas has created four Anti-Fraud Education lesson plans with accompanying resources. The lesson plans are targeted at 11-16 year olds and cover Key Stage 3 and 4.

Helping young people understand the effects of financial crime

The lessons aim to help students:

Recognise what fraud is, why they may be targeted and how to seek support;

Explain the consequences of committing fraud;

Develop skills to protect their online information and personal data; and

Develop skills to critically evaluate the reliability of online content in relation to scams.

The two lesson plans for Key Stage 3 introduce students to the concept of fraud and the importance of digital literacy and data protection within the context of financial risk. For Key Stage 4, the two lessons build on this learning by encouraging students to think about their responsibility for financial information in more independent contexts.

Informed and up-to-date fraud education for your students

You can download the plans and resources for each lesson from this page.

You may also wish to use these awareness videos, created by Cifas, as extra resources:

- Created in partnership with BBH London, this 'hidden camera' film highlights just how easy it is for criminals to get your personal information from the Internet.

Sponsor a Child Trafficker -Also created in partnership with BBH London, this film looks at the devastating consequences that money mules (people who allow their bank accounts to be used to launder money) enable.

Further information

To find out more about the work at Cifas to deliver anti-fraud education to schools, please contact communications@cifas.org.uk

The lesson plans can also be found on the PSHE quality assured resource site.

For further anti-fraud education material, teachers may wish to make use of the resources from MoneySense.

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Anti-Fraud Lesson Plans | Fraud Resources for Teachers | Cifas

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Research conducted at Cifas has shown that increasing numbers of young people are affected by fraud, either being targeted by online fraudsters or unwittingly engaging in fraudulent acts themselves. Together with PSHE Association, the national body for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, Cifas has created four Anti-Fraud Education lesson plans with accompanying resources.

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Anti-Fraud Lesson Plans (financial crime) KS3&4

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Anti-Fraud Lesson Plans (financial crime) KS3&4

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Together with PSHE Association, the national body for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, Cifas has created four Anti-Fraud Education lesson plans with accompanying resources. The lesson plans are targeted at 11-16 year olds and cover Key Stage 3 and 4.

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Working together to teach young people about fraud

Research conducted at Cifas has shown that increasing numbers of young people are affected by fraud, either being targeted by online fraudsters or unwittingly engaging in fraudulent acts themselves.

Together with PSHE Association, the national body for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, Cifas has created four Anti-Fraud Education lesson plans with accompanying resources. The lesson plans are targeted at 11-16 year olds and cover Key Stage 3 and 4.

Helping young people understand the effects of financial crime

The lessons aim to help students:

Recognise what fraud is, why they may be targeted and how to seek support;

Explain the consequences of committing fraud;

Develop skills to protect their online information and personal data; and

Develop skills to critically evaluate the reliability of online content in relation to scams.

The two lesson plans for Key Stage 3 introduce students to the concept of fraud and the importance of digital literacy and data protection within the context of financial risk. For Key Stage 4, the two lessons build on this learning by encouraging students to think about their responsibility for financial information in more independent contexts.

Informed and up-to-date fraud education for your students

You can download the plans and resources for each lesson from this page.

You may also wish to use these awareness videos, created by Cifas, as extra resources:

- Created in partnership with BBH London, this 'hidden camera' film highlights just how easy it is for criminals to get your personal information from the Internet.

Sponsor a Child Trafficker -Also created in partnership with BBH London, this film looks at the devastating consequences that money mules (people who allow their bank accounts to be used to launder money) enable.

Further information

To find out more about the work at Cifas to deliver anti-fraud education to schools, please contact communications@cifas.org.uk

The lesson plans can also be found on the PSHE quality assured resource site.

For further anti-fraud education material, teachers may wish to make use of the resources from MoneySense.

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Anti-Fraud Lesson Plans | Fraud Resources for Teachers | Cifas

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Research conducted at Cifas has shown that increasing numbers of young people are affected by fraud, either being targeted by online fraudsters or unwittingly engaging in fraudulent acts themselves. Together with PSHE Association, the national body for Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, Cifas has created four Anti-Fraud Education lesson plans with accompanying resources.

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This video, rated 12A, covers themes such as grooming, child criminal exploitation, intimidation, drugs, sexual abuse and control. Please review all resources attached here to check that they are appropriate to share with the intended audience.

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This video, rated 12A, covers themes such as grooming, child criminal exploitation, intimidation, drugs, sexual abuse and control. Please review all resources attached here to check that they are appropriate to share with the intended audience.

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LGfL - How are young people being targeted to be money mules (video)

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LGfL - How are young people being targeted to be money mules (video)

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DC Dawn Wood from the Metropolitan Police's Cyber Crime Unit talks about the issue of young people being used as 'money mules' - a form of money laundering which can put children and young people at serious risk of criminalisation, frozen bank accounts and even violence. There's no such thing as free money!

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How are young people targeted to be a money mule? - LGfL TV - Powered by eStream

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How are young people targeted to be a money mule?

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Crimestoppers - Classroom Resource (Videos) - Running the Lines

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Crimestoppers - Classroom Resource (Videos) - Running the Lines

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Here you will find 2 short videos which have been created by Fearless. They raise awareness of how ‘County Lines’ drug gangs exploit young people to sell drugs.

The story follows Evan who is groomed, exploited and threatened into becoming a drug runner for a London-based organised crime group.

Whilst Running the Lines is fiction, what happens to Evan is happening to other young people up and down the UK. Learn more about County Lines and speak up if you’re worried your friends may be involved.

The second video is Sophies story, which is the follow up film to Running the Lines.

Sophie, who features in the running the lines film, tells her story and discusses the impact of exploitation, not just on her but on her relationships with friends and family too.

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LGfL - Spotlight on Safeguarding - Chicken Shop Grooming

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LGfL - Spotlight on Safeguarding - Chicken Shop Grooming

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This is the first in a series of 5-minute safeguarding CPD sessions to use at the start of a staff briefing or inset session. This topic is chicken-shop grooming, with a quick scenario and 4 minutes for discussion time.

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Spotlight on Safeguarding - Chicken-Shop Grooming - LGfL TV - Powered by eStream

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Spotlight on Safeguarding - Chicken-Shop Grooming

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Child financial exploitation: a guide for parents, carers and professionals

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Child financial exploitation: a guide for parents, carers and professionals

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Child financial exploitation: a guide for parents, carers and professionals | Catch22

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Across our child exploitation services, we are increasingly aware of children being financially exploited alongside other forms of exploitation such as child criminal exploitation (CCE) and child sexual exploitation (CSE). Using our expertise, we have created a poster for parents, carers, and professionals to explain what child financial exploitation is, what the signs are, and […]

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Online Safety Padlet: Sextortion / Sexually Coerced Extortion

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Online Safety Padlet: Sextortion / Sexually Coerced Extortion

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Please find the link to the ESHAWH Online Safety Padlet, which has information about sextortion and sexual coerced extortion

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'Sextortion' or Sexually Coerced Extortion Help & Support (Internet Watch Foundation)

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'Sextortion' or Sexually Coerced Extortion Help & Support (Internet Watch Foundation)

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Sexually coerced extortion or ‘sextortion' is a type of blackmail where someone tries to use intimate, naked or sexual photos or videos of you to make you do things you don't want to do. Sometimes, these photos or videos are taken without your knowledge, and the person blackmailing you uses them to force you to pay money or do something against your will.

Criminals often target people who use dating apps, social media platforms, webcam/live streaming sites or websites related to pornography. They might pretend to be someone else online and become friends with you. Later, they might threaten to share pictures or videos with your family and friends.

Remember, if you ever find yourself in a situation like this, it's important to know that the victims of 'sextortion' are never to blame. The criminals who try to extort money or make victims do things they don't want to do are the ones at fault.

This site has information about the following key topics:

What to do if you, your child or a friend are a victim of sextortion (with tailored information for 'I'm under 18', 'I'm an adult' and 'I'm a parent/carer')

What is sextortion? (including: 'Understanding sextortion', 'Recognising sextortion warning signs', 'Recognising your child, or a child you know, may be a victim of sextortion', 'What to do if you are a victim of sextortion' and 'Protecting yourself or your child from sextortion')

Sextortion Help and Resources (including 'advice and guidance' and 'help and support').

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Sexually coerced extortion or 'sextortion' is a type of blackmail where someone tries to use intimate, naked or sexual photos or videos of you to make you do things you don't want to do. Sometimes, these photos or videos are taken without your knowledge, and the person blackmailing you uses them to force you to pay money or do something against your will.

Criminals often target people who use dating apps, social media platforms, webcam/live streaming sites or websites related to pornography. They might pretend to be someone else online and become friends with you. Later, they might threaten to share pictures or videos with your family and friends.

Remember, if you ever find yourself in a situation like this, it's important to know that the victims of 'sextortion' are never to blame. The criminals who try to extort money or make victims do things they don't want to do are the ones at fault.

Our team frequently see both boys and girls as targets for 'sextortion'. It's important to know that this crime can impact people of any sex or age.

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Help if you're worried about 'sextortion' or online blackmail

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Advice for children, young people, adults and parents on sexually coerced extortion or 'sextortion'. What to do if you're being blackmailed for nudes or money online.

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Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion - info for parents/carers (CEOP Education)

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Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion - info for parents/carers (CEOP Education)

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The criminal practice of extorting individuals on the pain of releasing self-explicit material is commonly known as ‘sextortion’. The practice’s technical name ‘Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion’ or FMSE, is an increasingly prevalent form of child sexual abuse. What started as simple money exchanges, now include cryptocurrency seizures and pre-paid gift cards as forms of criminal redemption.

Males aged 14 to 17 are overwhelmingly represented in cases of this nature. Often they’ll be enticed by the promise of seeing sexually explicit images, before the rug is pulled and the scam put into operation. As a result the victims have been tricked or groomed over a period of time. With the rise of AI this practice is becoming more complex with false explicit images actually changing hands, in exchange for a real image of the target. CEOP is highly concerned with this practice and has authored a guide page on what to do. If interested, please follow the link below:

https://www.ceopeducation.co.uk/parents/articles/FMSE

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You may have recently heard of Financially Motivated Sexual Extortion (FMSE), sometimes referred to as ‘sextortion’. This is when an offender threatens to release nude or semi-nude images and/or videos of a victim, unless they pay money or meet another financial demand, such as buying a pre-paid gift card. It is a form of child sexual abuse.

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Free Online financial harms lesson materials and CPD for teachers (PSHE Association)

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Free Online financial harms lesson materials and CPD for teachers (PSHE Association)

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Online financial harms are increasingly complex. And the overlap with other safeguarding concerns increasingly evident.

With such harms linking to online safety, toxic influences, safe relationships, mental health, digital/media literacy and more, the PSHE education curriculum is uniquely suited to protecting children and young people.

The PSHE Association's new lesson plans start at key stage 2 then build in complexity as students progress to secondary school and post-16/key stage 5 (see full lesson summary below and watch trailers).

There are also dedicated materials for pupils with SEND, and an accompanying on-demand CPD course for PSHE leads and teachers, which includes practical steps for embedding learning on financial harms within your PSHE curriculum.

This is all part of PSHE Association's work as a partner on the Child Financial Harms programme — a Nominet-funded, Parent Zone led consortium bringing together leading organisations involved in researching and providing solutions to financial harms.

Primary lessons include a focus on understanding the fundamentals of what influences our spending decisions and how spending money online can affect mental health and wellbeing.

Secondary lessons include lessons that will help students to identify, assess and minimise financial harms posed by phone use and different online contexts, including how the internet can amplify risks relating to money, data and privacy. Other key stage 3 lessons explore how gaming, social media, algorithms, advertising and peer influence can all increase pressure to spend.

At key stage 4, lessons dig deeper into the complexities of making and spending money online – exploring the rights and risks around cryptocurrencies, as well as the difference between controlled and uncontrolled spending, including on gambling. Other lessons will help young people recognise, avoid and challenge financial exploitation and seek help if necessary.

The second of two key stage 5/post-16 lessons explores the overlap with PSHE content on relationships, by helping students to identify signs of manipulation, persuasion and abuse in online relationships that could lead to financial exploitation or extortion.

In addition to this, free on-demand training for teachers includes practical steps for embedding learning on financial harms within their PSHE curricula.

Click here to explore the free resources and on-demand training

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This page content is for registered users only

Create a free account to:

Access free PSHE Association resources and guidance

Get regular updates on the latest PSHE education news and views, directly to your inbox

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Lesson materials and on-demand CPD for teachers. Protect pupils from a range of online financial harms that pose safeguarding as well as financial risks.

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This report presents the findings of our research to better understand child financial exploitation. Through our interviews with frontline professionals it is clear that this emerging issue is still poorly understood and that there is an urgent need to both address this gap and for greater collaboration between agencies in order to effectively safeguard children from harm.

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This study explored how frontline professionals understand child financial exploitation based on their experiences of working with children and their families.

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The financial exploitation of children and adults at risk can have life-changing impacts on victims and their families. However, it is often not recognised, and many victims go without the support they need, including where the exploitation is linked to money laundering.

This guidance is aimed at frontline professionals and organisations who work with children and adults at risk. The guidance is intended to enable practitioners to recognise and respond to financial exploitation linked to money laundering so that victims, and potential victims, can get the protection and support they need.

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Crime Stoppers - Understanding Child Financial Exploitation (CFE)

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Crime Stoppers - Understanding Child Financial Exploitation (CFE)

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Here you will find information about spotting the signs of CFE and how children can report this anonymously if they feel they have been affected.

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What is Child Financial Exploitation?

Child Financial Exploitation, sometimes referred to as 'money muling', is the term used to describe the action of using a young person's bank account to move money obtained from illegal sources.

Through the process of money laundering, criminals will introduce the proceeds of their crimes into the banking system as a way of attempting to disguise its origin, making it appear as though it has come from a legitimate source.

Laundering the proceeds of crime is a criminal offence under The Proceeds of Crime Act (2002) and carries a maximum prison sentence of up to 14 years.

Spot the Signs

Watch Gabi's story below to find out about the signs to spot:

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Explore our comprehensive guide on Child Financial Exploitation (CFE) to safeguard children's financial well-being. Gain insights, resources, and expert knowledge on identifying, preventing, and addressing CFE. Empower yourself to protect children's financial security with Crimestoppers UK.

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The Children's Society - What is Financial Exploitation (Bank Accounts)

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The Children's Society - What is Financial Exploitation (Bank Accounts)

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Financial exploitation can take many forms, but this page focusses on the practice of using a child’s bank accounts (or online wallets) to hold, transfer, or hide funds or assets for the purpose of exploitation.

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Financial exploitation can happen to any child, from any background. It takes many forms, including exploitation within families and care placements as well as outside the home. A growing concern across the country involves criminals approaching children and young people online through gaming and social media platforms, and in places like shops and cashpoints with offers of quick cash and fake job opportunities, only to use and control their bank accounts to commit fraud and launder money from organised crime.

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Criminals are approaching young people on and offline to use them to control their bank accounts to commit fraud and launder money from organised crime.

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This section contains websites and resources to provide professionals with more understanding of Child Financial Exploitation, which is a form of Child Criminal Exploitation.

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LGfL - Safeguarding from Child Criminal Exploitation - Dates for 2026

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LGfL - Safeguarding from Child Criminal Exploitation - Dates for 2026

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By the end of the session you will be familiarised with:

Definitions and types of CCE linking to relevant legislation and guidance (eg. County lines, gangs, knife crime/serious youth violence and money mules)

The grooming process - signs and indicators of exploitation

Professional curiosity - How to make the judgement call

How schools can avoid victim blaming

Addressing taboos - 'it wouldn’t happen here’ attitudes

Examples of what schools can do to effectively prevent and respond to exploitation – linking to relational practice and trauma informed practice

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This series of expert insight films helps those working and volunteering with children and young people to understand what child criminal exploitation is, recognise the signs and respond effectively.

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This series of expert insight films helps those working and volunteering with children and young people to understand what child criminal exploitation is, recognise the signs and respond effectively.

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The five videos have been developed to complement our resources on county lines and child criminal exploitation.

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Child criminal exploitation: expert insight videos | NSPCC Learning

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This series of expert insight films helps those working and volunteering with children and young people to understand what child criminal exploitation is, recognise the signs and respond effectively.

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'Sextortion' - sexually coerced extortion

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'Sextortion' - sexually coerced extortion

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Why language matters:

‘Sextortion’ refers to a form of blackmail that involves the threat to distribute intimate, sexual images of someone unless that person meets certain demands.¹ Demands might include paying money, sending more images or videos, performing sexual acts or staying in a relationship

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Why language matters: why we should rethink our use of the term ‘sextortion’ | NSPCC Learning

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Using the term ‘sextortion’ risks minimising the harm caused and doesn’t reflect the complexity and variety of the issues experienced.

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National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) - County Lines Awareness Video

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National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) - County Lines Awareness Video

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A 10 minute video created in partnership with Sketchups discussing the County Lines methodology and how this is impacting Children and Vulnerable adults, Partners, Law Enforcement and society.

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National County Lines Coordination Centre

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Running the Lines - Evans Story (video 2)

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Running the Lines - Evans Story (video 2)

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This video (4:30 mins), created by Fearless, shows an interview with 'Evan' one year after the police raid we see at the end of the first video. 'Evan' speaks openly about why he made the choices he did and how afraid he was.

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This video created by Fearless (10:34 mins)

Please be aware that this video contains knife imagery. This fictional film/character story explores how county lines drug gangs can exploit young people to run drugs. Beginning with just a simple text message, this video shows how quickly children can go from receiving gifts of new trainers and watches, to being forced to work in trap houses.

Please note: Suitable for 11 years and over; however, this film contains references to drug dealing and threats of violence that younger viewers might find upsetting

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This web site includes useful information retained from the previous local safeguarding children board and updated content will be added as it becomes available.

From this site, you can access training, policies and guidance, resources, learning from practice, news and useful contacts.

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The Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership provides the safeguarding arrangements under which the safeguarding partners and relevant agencies work together to coordinate their safeguarding services. The partnership is responsible for identifying and responding to the needs of children in Nottinghamshire, commissioning and publishing local child safeguarding practice reviews and providing scrutiny to ensure the effectiveness of the safeguarding arrangements.

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Child criminal exploitation: expert insight videos | NSPCC Learning

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This series of expert insight films helps those working and volunteering with children and young people to understand what child criminal exploitation is, recognise the signs and respond effectively.

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ESHAW Hub Padlet Evaluation - 2025-2026 

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ESHAW Hub Padlet Evaluation - 2025-2026 

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The Education, Safeguarding, Health and Wellbeing (ESHAW) Hub are always looking for feedback about how the Team has supported schools and partners so far, and how we can continue to support schools and partners in the future.

We have created a variety of online Padlets to help colleagues from our schools and partners find relevant and reliable information and quality resources for a range of different topics and themes from our team's remits.

We would appreciate it if you could complete this short evaluation form, please, so that we can understand whether the Padlets have been helpful for you and so we can understand whether there is anything that we can do differently to further improve the Padlets in the future. It would be helpful to know which Padlets you've accessed, what you've used them for and if there's anything you feel is missing.

The form should only take a few minutes to complete but will provide valuable feedback to our Team and our managers.
Your feedback will be anonymous, unless you choose to enter your name/email address.

Thank you.

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YJS work with children aged between 10-18 with the aim of preventing offending and re-offending. As well as those children instructed by the court to work with YJS, they offer support to children on a voluntary basis. Interventions are delivered on a one-to-one, or as part of a group. Interventions are varied and tailored to meet the individual needs of the child; the aim is to steer children away from crime and anti-social behaviour, helping them make the most of their lives.

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As part of the 'My Futures' programme we work with children and young people aged 10-18 years on a voluntary basis. The aim of the programme is to steer children and young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour, helping them make the most of their lives.

Workers offer support to children and young people that is individual to them, and what they think they need. This could be on their own or as part of a group. We can also provide mentoring support for young people who need additional support to help them make better choices for them and their future.

We work closely with other agencies such as schools, children's social care, health, police and the youth service to make sure that we are working together to support children and young people in their community.

Our work

Our work is varied and intervention is tailored to the needs of the child or young person and what they need to help them stay out of trouble. This could be working with children and young people to develop a skill, helping to get them back into education, training or employment, working through a problem, or just being there as someone to listen.

Over a five-week period, 12 young people attended the Mill Adventure base, taking part in activities such as; abseiling, outdoor climbing, tunnelling, Jacob's ladder, free fall and zip wire. Whilst they had fun, they were also developing essential skills in communication and team-work, in addition to doing something constructive and building positive relationships.
What children and young people told us...
"I learned more about myself, comparing other skills, confidence, trying new things that I wouldn't have done on my own or with family, friends, opportunity because of money."

"I enjoyed it because of the group all working together and supporting each other no matter where someone was from."

"I was anxious, nervous but after I got to know them it was ok."

"I enjoyed doing the activities and its better than just talking with people all the time."

Who is suitable for the My Futures youth support programme

It is for children and young people aged 10-18, who are wanting help and support to make better decisions and make the most of their lives.

Referrals are considered for children and young people based on the following areas of concern;

The young person is engaging in, or at risk of engaging in, anti-social behaviour or behaviour which could lead to police involvement.

There are concerns relating to the young person being involved in, or at risk of being involved in, acts of aggression/violent behaviour and/or using knives/weapons.

There are concerns about their use of social media which places either themselves or others at a risk of harm.

There are concerns about the young person's thinking and behaviour which harmfully impact on their relationships (e.g. discriminatory attitudes and beliefs).

Concerns are being raised in relation to the young person's risk of being or becoming involved in serious youth violence (SYV) or / and child criminal exploitation (CCE)

There exists other concerning or worrying behaviour which, unaddressed, may lead to police involvement.

If you are unsure about whether a referral is appropriate, please contact the early help unit for advice and guidance.

How to make a referral to the programme

We welcome referrals from across all partner agencies and can be made by calling the youth justice service duty officer on 0115 804 2888.

If you are a parent or guardian and have concerns about a child or young person and want to discuss making a referral, please contact the early help unit for advice and guidance:

If you are a young person and are wanting support please contact the Early Help Unit or access Notts Help Yourself which may provide you with some important information and advice.

If a young person is in immediate danger or at risk of harm a safeguarding referral should be made to the multi agency safeguarding hub ( MASH).

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As part of the 'My Futures' programme we work with children and young people aged 10-18 years on a voluntary basis. The aim of the programme is to steer children and young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour, helping them make the most of their lives.

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YJS work with children aged between 10-18 with the aim of preventing offending and re-offending. As well as those children instructed by the court to work with YJS, they offer support to children on a voluntary basis. Interventions are delivered on a one-to-one, or as part of a group. Interventions are varied and tailored to meet the individual needs of the child; the aim is to steer children away from crime and anti-social behaviour, helping them make the most of their lives.

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As part of the 'My Futures' programme we work with children and young people aged 10-18 years on a voluntary basis. The aim of the programme is to steer children and young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour, helping them make the most of their lives.

Workers offer support to children and young people that is individual to them, and what they think they need. This could be on their own or as part of a group. We can also provide mentoring support for young people who need additional support to help them make better choices for them and their future.

We work closely with other agencies such as schools, children's social care, health, police and the youth service to make sure that we are working together to support children and young people in their community.

Our work

Our work is varied and intervention is tailored to the needs of the child or young person and what they need to help them stay out of trouble. This could be working with children and young people to develop a skill, helping to get them back into education, training or employment, working through a problem, or just being there as someone to listen.

Over a five-week period, 12 young people attended the Mill Adventure base, taking part in activities such as; abseiling, outdoor climbing, tunnelling, Jacob's ladder, free fall and zip wire. Whilst they had fun, they were also developing essential skills in communication and team-work, in addition to doing something constructive and building positive relationships.
What children and young people told us...
"I learned more about myself, comparing other skills, confidence, trying new things that I wouldn't have done on my own or with family, friends, opportunity because of money."

"I enjoyed it because of the group all working together and supporting each other no matter where someone was from."

"I was anxious, nervous but after I got to know them it was ok."

"I enjoyed doing the activities and its better than just talking with people all the time."

Who is suitable for the My Futures youth support programme

It is for children and young people aged 10-18, who are wanting help and support to make better decisions and make the most of their lives.

Referrals are considered for children and young people based on the following areas of concern;

The young person is engaging in, or at risk of engaging in, anti-social behaviour or behaviour which could lead to police involvement.

There are concerns relating to the young person being involved in, or at risk of being involved in, acts of aggression/violent behaviour and/or using knives/weapons.

There are concerns about their use of social media which places either themselves or others at a risk of harm.

There are concerns about the young person's thinking and behaviour which harmfully impact on their relationships (e.g. discriminatory attitudes and beliefs).

Concerns are being raised in relation to the young person's risk of being or becoming involved in serious youth violence (SYV) or / and child criminal exploitation (CCE)

There exists other concerning or worrying behaviour which, unaddressed, may lead to police involvement.

If you are unsure about whether a referral is appropriate, please contact the early help unit for advice and guidance.

How to make a referral to the programme

We welcome referrals from across all partner agencies and can be made by calling the youth justice service duty officer on 0115 804 2888.

If you are a parent or guardian and have concerns about a child or young person and want to discuss making a referral, please contact the early help unit for advice and guidance:

If you are a young person and are wanting support please contact the Early Help Unit or access Notts Help Yourself which may provide you with some important information and advice.

If a young person is in immediate danger or at risk of harm a safeguarding referral should be made to the multi agency safeguarding hub ( MASH).

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As part of the 'My Futures' programme we work with children and young people aged 10-18 years on a voluntary basis. The aim of the programme is to steer children and young people away from crime and anti-social behaviour, helping them make the most of their lives.

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Online grooming crimes against children increase by 89% in six years.

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Online grooming crimes against children increase by 89% in six years.

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More than 7,000 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded by police last year (2023/24) – up 89% since 2017/18 when the offence first came into force.

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Online grooming crimes against children increase by 89% in six years

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As online grooming crimes rise to record levels, we’re calling for toughened rules from Ofcom and stricter laws from the UK government.

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Amanda Radley -Blog - Beyond the victim/offender binary.

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Amanda Radley -Blog - Beyond the victim/offender binary.

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Amanda contributed to a TCE learning event centred on exploring the tension around classifying young people as either victims or offenders. An interesting read.

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Beyond the victim/offender binary - Tackling Child Exploitation

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‘Beyond the victim/offender binary’ is an asset related to Programme Blogs on the Tackling Child Exploitation website.

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Access resources, lesson plans, videos and teacher guidance - please review prior to deciding what to share with your children - context of your provision and setting is important.

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Access resources, lesson plans, videos and teacher guidance - please review prior to deciding what to share with your children - context of your provision and setting is important.

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All Lesson Resources – Not In Our Community – Protection against exploitation

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It's Not OK: teaching resources about positive relationships

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It's Not OK: teaching resources about positive relationships

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It's Not OK helps children and young people recognise concerning behaviour and identify characteristics of positive relationships. The lesson plans, films and accompanying activities cover what behaviour to look out for and how to respond to it.

It's Not OK reinforces the importance of building and maintaining positive relationships and recognising and responding to behaviour relating to:

online safety

grooming

sexting

harmful sexual behaviour

child sexual abuse

child sexual exploitation.

The films have a suggested lesson plan with activities for young people to complete to help them understand the issues that are raised.

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It's Not OK: online teaching resources | NSPCC Learning

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Videos and lesson plans for children and young people aged 11+ covering positive relationships, how to recognise concerning or abusive behaviour and what to do.

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Not In Our Community is developed and continually improved with young people, including survivors, to help us protect ourselves and friends from grooming and sexual or criminal exploitation.

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Not In Our Community is developed and continually improved with young people, including survivors, to help us protect ourselves and friends from grooming and sexual or criminal exploitation.

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Now in our seventh year, we co-produce resources and stories based on real life events for use on social media and in schools / other groups where young people hang out. Our approach telling it like it really is helps thousands of young people understand how grooming and exploitation works so that they can better protect themselves, spot the warning signs amongst friends and know who they can go to for help.

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Year 6 – Not In Our Community – Protection against exploitation

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Access resources, lesson plans, videos and teacher guidance - please review prior to deciding what to share with your children - context of your provision and setting is important.

# data[].attributes.subject
Access resources, lesson plans, videos and teacher guidance - please review prior to deciding what to share with your children - context of your provision and setting is important.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
All Lesson Resources – Not In Our Community – Protection against exploitation

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We are the only UK charity providing a lifeline to those affected by a disappearance or thinking of going missing. For support call or text 116 000

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Missing People offers a lifeline for the 170,000 people who run away and go missing each year. We also provide support for family and friends.

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The NSPCC is a 'go to' website for all aspects of child safeguarding. This particular link takes readers to further information, advice and support on aspects of child exploitation.

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"The Lighthouse has been a little bit of refuge."
Parent in London

W hen a child has experienced sexual abuse , they and their family are often left to navigate finding the right support for their child alone. From health care professionals, social workers, therapists and the police - this frequently means the child has to re-tell and re-live their experience with each agency or professional, risking being re-traumatised by the process .

The Lighthouse is based on the international Child House ( Barnahus ) model, established in Reykjavik in 1998. This model is child-centred, allowing medical and sexual health professionals, counsellors, therapists, and the police to work together under one roof - guiding children, young people and their families through their journey of recovery, helping them access the support they need at every step, including the court process.

"I only have to tell the story once."
Child using The Lighthouse in London

In London, where The Lighthouse is based, research has identified a "significant unmet need" for emotional and health support for children who have experienced sexual abuse. Those who do sometimes have to wait months to receive therapy and the support they need. One study found that 8 in 10 adolescents who experienced sexual abuse had mental health problems 4-5 months after the assault. That is why it is so important children get the help they need when they need it.

In 2019/20, The Lighthouse received 321 referrals, meaning approximately 1 in 2 children in North Central London who reported sexual offences were referred there for support. The Lighthouse team were able to accept 258 of those through this difficult time.

"I like the way I can talk and be advised and listened to. I can also talk about what I'd like to talk about."
Child using The Lighthouse in London

"I don't know how my family would have got through this trauma without this service. Truly amazing."
Parent in London

The Mayor of London's Office for Policing and Crime is evaluating t he Lighthouse and has published 3 reports to date, with a final report due in S ummer 2021.

We believe every child should have the support they need after facing sexual abuse. Being a partner in The Lighthouse has shown us the difference a Child House can make for young people who've experienced abuse and we're pleased that funding for The Lighthouse in London has been extended to March 2022.

"Think it's a great service dedicated to young people and their families. Should have more around the UK"
Parent in London

Given the success of The Lighthouse in London, we'll advocate nationally for the benefits of this model and campaign to have new sites funded and built across the UK.

With support from government and commissioners, we can make the Child Houses model an integral part of the support and services available to children who've experienced abuse.

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If you're worried about sexual exploitation, we have information and advice to protect and help children and young people.

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Barnardos support thousands of children and young people who have experienced sexual abuse. They also provide support to their families, and to people working with children, such as social workers and teachers, through consultation and training. Learn more about child sexual abuse (CSA) and child sexual exploitation (CSE) from their experts who work in this area.

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It's important that all adults know how to spot the signs of child abuse and exploitation, and how to do something about it. Understandably children can find it very difficult to talk to adults about the harm they are experiencing and may not even recognise that what's happening to them is abuse or exploitation. They may not always show any outward physical signs of abuse, but there are some things to look out for, including emotional or behavioural signs.

Some things you may notice in your child are:

physical signs, such as unexplained injuries, sexually transmitted infections or urinary tract infections

changes in emotion, such as increased fear, anxiety or anger or being less able to regulate their emotions

issues with their mental health, emotional wellbeing or self-esteem

changes in behaviour, such as suddenly becoming withdrawn or isolated, or distrusting others

changes in their usual habits such as eating, use of internet/ gaming, phones or friendships

having more sexual knowledge or displaying more sexualised behaviour than is developmentally appropriate for their age

discomfort with sex and their body

having things such as money, phones, expensive clothes or other items, when you don't know how they have bought them

being away from home or school where you don't know where they are

This is not an exhaustive list of the signs of abuse and exploitation. Abuse can also be indicated by the inappropriate and controlling behaviour of the person abusing. Environmental factors, such as the child having more needs that are going unmet, should also be considered as it may make them more at risk of abuse. If you have any concerns about your child, speak to them about their safety and wellbeing or to a professional who can support you.

Read our advice about talking to your child about their safety and wellbeing.

Barnardo's hosts the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre) which has produced a template to support professionals working with children to identify the signs and indicators of sexual abuse and build a picture of their concerns.

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Learn more about child sexual abuse (CSA) and child sexual exploitation (CSE) from our specialists.

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Supporting and working alongside those who spend most time with children and young people is key to the safeguarding process. It is important to consider how, as professionals, we ensure that parents, carers and professionals feel appropriately supported in order to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people.

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Supporting and working alongside those who spend most time with children and young people is key to the safeguarding process. It is important to consider how, as professionals, we ensure that parents, carers and professionals feel appropriately supported in order to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people.

19 pages

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Supporting and working alongside those who spend most time with children and young people is key to the safeguarding process. It is important to consider how, as professionals, we ensure that parents, carers and professionals feel appropriately supported in order to achieve the best outcomes for children and young people.

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Ivison Trust (formerly Pace) is here to support families affected by criminal and sexual exploitation.

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We work with parents and carers of children who are at risk of being exploited by perpetrators. We offer guidance and training to professionals.

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Helping parents and carers protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.

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Parents Protect helps parents and carers protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation by providing child safety resources.

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Support for survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

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Support for survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

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Maggie Oliver Foundation provide emotional and legal support through a person-centred approach to survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

The Foundation also provides support for men (18+) who have experienced any form of sexual violence in their past or as an adult. We understand that men who have been sexually assaulted may experience some of the same effects of sexual assault as women, but they may face other challenges that are more unique to their experience.

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The Maggie Oliver Foundation - Helping Surivors of Abuse

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The Maggie Oliver Foundation is a UK-based charity, set up with the focus of helping survivors of abuse transform their pain into power, and fighting for justive.

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Barnardo's Real Love Rocks - updated resources for Primary, Secondary and SEND

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Barnardo's Real Love Rocks - updated resources for Primary, Secondary and SEND

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Real Love Rocks is a ground-breaking education and awareness raising programme developed by Barnardo’s Safer Futures Trauma Services. Promoting children and young people’s rights to healthy, consensual and safe relationships with peers, partner, their family and across their community is at the heart of this.

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Healthy Relationships & Exploitation

Educational Resources

We are extremely excited to share with you that the Safer Futures CSE team has been working hard updating and refreshing both the Primary and Secondary Real Love Rocks Healthy Relationships and Exploitation Education Resources: with new trauma informed content covering Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), Radicalisation and the world online, in addition to an update of existing content, making it more relevant to our children and young people of today.

We know that you were keen to see us produce a SEN resource - we listened closely to your feedback and are pleased to announce this is now in development too!

​

We are very thrilled to announce that the new Primary, Secondary, and SEN Real Love Rocks Resources will be available in late Summer 2021, pre-order your copies now!!

Our resources have been developed with young people - making our resources current, relevant, and engaging... by young people for young people. We have also been liaising with trauma specialists, frontline practitioners, SEN leads, teachers, schools, colleges and universities and have included up-to date guidance and legislation in all our resources.

We are also currently re-developing our website...watch this space!

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We are extremely excited to share with you that the Safer Futures CSE team has been working hard updating and refreshing both the Primary and Secondary Real Love Rocks Healthy Relationships and Exploitation Education Resources: with new trauma informed content covering Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), Radicalisation and the world online, in addition to an update of existing content, making it more relevant to our children and young people of today.

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The National Referral Mechanism (NRM)  - Referral process for modern slavery

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The National Referral Mechanism (NRM)  - Referral process for modern slavery

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The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is a framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery and ensuring they receive the appropriate support.

Modern slavery is a complex crime and may involve multiple forms of exploitation. It encompasses:

human trafficking

slavery, servitude, and forced or compulsory labour

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Cookies are required to use this service – GOV.UK

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We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

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In this section you will find information on the Nottinghamshire County and Nottingham City Child Exploitation Strategy 2024 - 2026.

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In this section you will find information on the Nottinghamshire County and Nottingham City Child Exploitation Strategy 2024 - 2026.

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NSCP Child Exploitation Strategy 2024-2026

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NSCP Child Exploitation Strategy 2024-2026

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Our aim - to create a single whole system response, working in partnership to reduce child exploitation and extra familial harm and protect our communities. All partners understand that anyone under 18 facing these harms, or causing harm to others, must be seen and treated as children and young people first and foremost and our success in tackling child exploitation and extra-familial harm is evaluated against this foundational Principle.

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This form does not replace your safeguarding procedures. Op Striver form should be completed if you have concerns regarding a young person at risk of exploitation.

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Police CaRE team ppt - click on the image to access the ppt.

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Police CaRE team ppt - click on the image to access the ppt.

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This ppt provides information on the structure of the new CaRE team within Nottinghamshire Police, as well as details of the process when information from Op. Striver forms are received.

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in this section you will find information in relation to:

Nottinghamshire Police CARE team (Children At Risk of Exploitation) the team structure and their aims and objectives underpinned by the 4 ‘P’ framework.

Operation Striver - a route to submit soft intelligence about people, places and activities in relation to exploitation - this is not a replacement for safeguarding policies and procedures. Please note that if a child is at risk of immediate harm contact the Police on 999 and report to MASH without delay.

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In this section you will find links to useful toolkits, some of which have bee produced in partnership with other team across NCC. They include:

Harms Outside the Home - a tool for schools and settings - understanding and mitigating potential harms outside of the home.

Foundations of Identity - a tool for schools and settings - understanding and supporting the ongoing positive development of a young person's identity.

Understanding Behaviour in Schools - a relationship based approach to inclusion.

CSE disruption toolkit - Disruption tactics for those working to safeguard children and young people under the age of 18 from sexual and criminal exploitation.

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The Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Taskforce has created guidance on appropriate language for multi-agency professionals to use when talking about child exploitation and abuse.

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The Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Taskforce has created guidance on appropriate language for multi-agency professionals to use when talking about child exploitation and abuse.

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The guide sets out: the impact of victim blaming language; key considerations when speaking with people who have experienced exploitation and abuse; and terms that should be avoided

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Appropriate Language Guide | The Hydrant Programme

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Child-on-Child Abuse - the nature and prevalence of abuse between children clearly remains of serious concern and preventing and tackling it must continue to be a key priority for schools and colleges.

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Child-on-Child Abuse - the nature and prevalence of abuse between children clearly remains of serious concern and preventing and tackling it must continue to be a key priority for schools and colleges.

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Please note - This document was drafted to align with KCSIE 2023. Since there were no material changes in KCSIE 2024 it remains as published but has been reviewed for compliance. The next review will accommodate the changes due in KCSIE 2025.

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Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) 2025

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Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) 2025

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KCSiE 2025 states that: All staff should be aware of systems within their school or college which support safeguarding, in a child centred and co-ordinated approach, and these should be explained to them as part of a staff induction. This includes: 'policy and procedures to deal with child-on-child abuse' and the safeguarding response to children 'who are absent from education, particularly on repeat occasions and/or prolonged periods'.

All staff should know what to do if a child tells them they are being abused, exploited or neglected'.

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Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

Details

This guidance applies to all schools and colleges and is for:

headteachers, teachers and staff

governing bodies, proprietors and management committees

It sets out the legal duties you must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 in schools and colleges.

All school and college staff should read part 1 of this guidance. Part 1 of the guidance is also available as a standalone document.

Statutory guidance sets out what schools must do to comply with the law.

Where the guidance states schools and colleges should do something, you should follow this unless you have a good reason not to.

'Regulated activity in relation to children: scope' describes work that a barred person must not do. We have also published guidance on disqualification under the Childcare Act 2006.

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Statutory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding children and safer recruitment.

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A different approach to supporting students who might otherwise be excluded.

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Report: 'When no one's interested in us, the gangs take their chance'

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Report: 'When no one's interested in us, the gangs take their chance'

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Children across Wales are being left vulnerable to exploitation by gangs, according to a Senedd report.

The Children, Young People and Education Committee lists a number of missed opportunities to stop organised crime groups taking advantage of children.

The inquiry heard from young people who had been criminally exploited, who shared their experiences of inconsistent support in schools, and broken promises from overworked professionals.

The Children on the Margins report published today makes 23 recommendations that can begin to fix these problems immediately.

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‘When no one’s interested in us, the gangs take their chance’

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The Education, Safeguarding, Health & Wellbeing Hub (ESHAWH) have created an A-Z directory of support services, safeguarding information tools and prevention guidance including RSHE resource recommendations.

This Padlet is for school professionals, early years and childcare providers.

The Padlet can be accessed here: NCC ESHAW Hub Directory (padlet.com)

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Exploited - resource for supporting children 14+

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Exploited - resource for supporting children 14+

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Please note in order to download this resource you will need to create an account with CEOP which is free to access.

The Exploited film and accompanying lessons aim to help young people understand healthy and mutually respectful relationships; including what healthy and unhealthy features look like in both online and offline contexts and how to report concerns of abuse.

This resource is an update to one of our most utilised and popular resources, with a new film and lesson plans. The updated resource features three lessons centred on a situational film following teenage characters and explores abusive relationships including blackmail, coercion and sexual exploitation in parallel with two characters depicting the qualities of a healthy relationship.

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Exploited resource from NCA’s CEOP Education features three lessons for KS4, centered on a situational film following teenage characters and explores abusive relationships including blackmail, coercion and sexual exploitation in parallel with two characters depicting the qualities of building a healthy relationship.

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The Children's Society - County Lines and Criminal Exploitation Toolkit

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The Children's Society - County Lines and Criminal Exploitation Toolkit

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This toolkit hopes to address some gaps in knowledge and offer suggestions for supporting young people who are at risk of, or being trafficked for the purpose of criminal exploitation.

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There is currently no legal definition of 'county lines' or 'criminal exploitation', and very little guidance. Currently, the criminal exploitation of children and young people is often not fully understood by services working with them, which can impact on the response that a child or young person receives.

Trafficking and criminal exploitation are forms of abuse and therefore should be afforded a safeguarding response. Often the visible symptoms of this abuse are responded to, meaning that many children and young people receive a criminal justice response, while their safeguarding needs are overlooked.

According to the recent National Crime Agency briefing on County Lines Violence, Exploitation and Drug Supply, two in three police forces reported that the exploitation of children and young people was identified in relation to county lines activity. One in four police forces reported that children and young people involved in county lines were experiencing sexual abuse. However the latest report also acknowledged that, although the exploitation of children and young people continues to be reported, the true scale of abuse remains an intelligence gap in many parts of the country.

Criminal exploitation interlinks with a number of multiple vulnerabilities and offences, including the child or young person being exposed to, and/or being victim of, physical and emotional violence, neglect, sexual abuse and exploitation, modern day slavery and human trafficking, domestic abuse and missing episodes.

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County lines and criminal exploitation toolkit

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This toolkit hopes to address some gaps in knowledge and offer suggestions for supporting young people who are at risk of, or being trafficked for the purpose of criminal exploitation.

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Brings together documents and promotional material related to the government’s work to end modern slavery.

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Brings together documents and promotional material related to the government's work to end modern slavery.

National referral mechanism

The national referral mechanism is used to identify and refer potential victims of modern slavery and make sure they receive appropriate support.

Duty to notify

Specific public authorities have a duty to notify the Secretary of State of any person identified in England and Wales as a suspected victim of slavery or human trafficking.

Transparency in supply chains

Certain commercial organisations must publish an annual statement setting out the steps they take to prevent modern slavery in their business and their supply chains. This is a requirement under Section 54 (Transparency in Supply Chains) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Research and publications

On 31 July 2014, the Home Office launched a modern slavery marketing campaign to raise awareness that slavery exists in the UK.

This modern slavery campaign material has been developed in collaboration with partners (such as charities, the police and frontline staff) to support the nationwide campaign to end modern slavery.

Independent child trafficking advocates

Interim statutory guidance for early adopter sites where Independent Child Trafficking Advocates (ICTAs) will be implemented.

Training

Government modern slavery statements

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Brings together documents and promotional material related to the government's work to end modern slavery.

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The National Referral Mechanism (NRM)  - Referral process for modern slavery

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The National Referral Mechanism (NRM)  - Referral process for modern slavery

# data[].attributes.body
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is a framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery and ensuring they receive the appropriate support.

Modern slavery is a complex crime and may involve multiple forms of exploitation. It encompasses:

human trafficking

slavery, servitude, and forced or compulsory labour

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Cookies are required to use this service – GOV.UK

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We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

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To address the criminal exploitation central to county lines, government responses have come to rely on modern slavery policies, including the Modern Slavery Act 2015 which sets out both a defence for those who have committed offences (including for drugs) while enslaved, and a prosecution tool for individuals accused of human trafficking, slavery and servitude.

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This section contains further information and research in the field of criminal exploitation, including any podcasts, webinars etc

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This resource has been developed by a SEND practitioner at Newark Orchard Special School

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Listen to the blog

Read the blog
From the NSPCC'S Library and Information Service specialists
When you hear the words 'recruited' or 'working' you probably think about legal, safe employment. However, these terms are used by those who groom and coerce children and young people into criminal activity such as moving money and drugs. When these terms are also used by the wider public and by safeguarding professionals it can reinforce this idea of 'working' and legitimise child criminal exploitation (CCE).

Terms like 'recruited' and 'working' also mask the harm caused by child criminal exploitation. They imply that the child or young person is responsible for, and in control of, the situation they are in. These perceptions can then prevent children and young people from receiving the protection, help and support they need.

The language doesn't reflect the harm caused

Learning from case reviews shows that professionals don't always recognise safeguarding concerns when working with young people who are experiencing criminal exploitation. In some cases, this was exacerbated by the language professionals used to discuss and record information about young people's lives.
> Learn more about the impact of victim-blaming in our Child sexual exploitation: learning from case reviews briefing
Those seeking to exploit children often do so through a process of grooming. This involves perpetrators gaining a child or young person's trust in order to control and force them to take part in criminal activity. This can happen in person and online, including through 'professional' adverts designed to appeal to young people on social media platforms. Children and young people are also sometimes coerced into encouraging their friends or peers to take part in criminal activity.

This process of grooming is sometimes called being 'recruited.' However, the term 'recruited' fails to reflect the premeditated manipulation involved. It also masks the power and control that perpetrators seek to exert over children and young people.
> Learn more about recognising the signs of grooming
Not all children experiencing child criminal exploitation are groomed and some children experience being trafficked or forced into modern slavery. Children experiencing child criminal exploitation are often described as 'working', however in reality, children and young people are forced to undertake activity that is criminal.
> Find out more about protecting children from trafficking and modern slavery
Children involved in criminal activity are at risk of, and potentially experience, abuse and other harms. This can include being made to sleep in residences taken over for drug distribution, being threatened with or actually experiencing violence, being at risk of arrest and having the safety of friends and family threatened.

The language reinforces the idea that the child or young person has chosen to be involved in criminal activity

Terms like 'working' focus solely on the actions of the young person, suggesting that they are freely choosing to be involved in criminal activity. They adultify the child, feeding into the perception of them as 'streetwise' and 'grown up' rather than as a child who needs a safeguarding response. 'Working' and similar language fails to reflect the manipulation, pressure and coercion used by perpetrators of child criminal exploitation. For example, some children who have been exploited experience high levels of threat and blackmail.

Victim-blaming language that focuses solely on a young person's actions and involvement in criminal activity can also lead professionals to perceive the young person first and foremost as a perpetrator of crime. Criminalising rather than protecting young people can result in opportunities for support and intervention being missed.,

Use language that children are comfortable with and that helps them talk about their experiences

Children and young people often aren't aware that they are being exploited. They may not relate to language like 'being groomed' or 'targeted' as they think it is their choice to be 'working'. They may also be distressed by language like 'criminal exploitation'. This can be because they are afraid that by acknowledging that a crime has been committed against them, they will be responsible for getting other people in trouble. They might also be scared that they will be seen as a 'snitch'.,

Young people have their own terms to describe their lives and experiences of criminal exploitation. It's useful to be aware of and curious about the language young people use. This can create opportunities for discussion, giving children and young people the space to explore their thoughts, feelings and experiences of child criminal exploitation.

Using child-centred language, validating children and young people's experiences and building relationships with them can help you identify other potential risks. However, it's still important to clearly communicate your concerns and talk about the characteristics of exploitation and the different ways it can occur.

Use language that clearly describes the safeguarding concerns the child is experiencing

When a child or young person has experienced criminal exploitation, many different agencies, such as the police, education and children's services, may be involved. Agencies should focus on a safeguarding response rather than a criminal justice response.

In written and verbal communications, it's important to use common terms and language that clearly describes what has happened. For example, instead of saying the child 'has been recruited by' or 'is working for a gang,' say 'the child has experienced criminal exploitation' or 'been groomed' or 'been targeted to distribute drugs'.

It's also important that professionals from different agencies understand the level of risk surrounding a child and the type of intervention required. Using terms like 'working' and 'recruited' in professional practice doesn't communicate the level of risk or harm a child is experiencing.

By using clear language when talking about child criminal exploitation, professionals working with a child can build an accurate picture of their experience and identify support that meets their needs. Avoiding terms like 'recruited' and 'working' and re-framing how we talk about child criminal exploitation can help professionals recognise the exploitation and help young people better understand what has happened to them.
References

Taylor, D. (2023) Children's Commissioner for England (2019) Ofsted (2018) Jay, A. et al. (2024) Barnardo's (2022) Children's Commissioner for England (2019) Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) (2020) Brodie, I. (2022) Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) (2020) Jay, A. et al. (2024) Maxwell, N. et al (2019) Brodie, I. (2022) Maxwell, N. et al (2019) Brodie, I. (2022) Barnardo's (2022) Havard, T. (2022) 'Professional adverts' for county lines ensnaring children on Instagram and Snapchat The Guardian, 28 February. [Accessed 31/05/2024].
Keeping kids safe: improving safeguarding responses to gang violence and criminal exploitation (PDF). London: Children's Commissioner for England.
Protecting children from criminal exploitation, human trafficking and modern slavery: an addendum (PDF). London: Ofsted.
Shattered lives, stolen futures: the Jay review of criminally exploited children (PDF). Watford: Action for Children.
Language matters: use of language in child sexual abuse and exploitation practice (PDF). [London]: Barnardo's.
Keeping kids safe: improving safeguarding responses to gang violence and criminal exploitation (PDF). London: Children's Commissioner for England.
Rescue and response county lines project supporting young Londoners affected by county lines exploitation (PDF). London: Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC).
Tackling child exploitation support programme: child exploitation: definition and language (PDF). Totnes: Research in Practice.
Rescue and response county lines project supporting young Londoners affected by county lines exploitation (PDF). London: Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC).
Shattered lives, stolen futures: the Jay review of criminally exploited children (PDF). Watford: Action for Children.
A systematic map and synthesis review of child criminal exploitation (PDF). [Cardiff]: Cardiff University.
Tackling child exploitation support programme: child exploitation: definition and language (PDF). Totnes: Research in Practice.
A systematic map and synthesis review of child criminal exploitation (PDF). [Cardiff]: Cardiff University.
Tackling child exploitation support programme: child exploitation: definition and language (PDF). Totnes: Research in Practice.
Language matters: use of language in child sexual abuse and exploitation practice (PDF). [London]: Barnardo's.
Serious youth violence: county lines drug dealing and the Government response (PDF). London: House of Commons Library.

Key points

Terms like 'working' and 'recruited' can minimise the exploitation a child or young person is experiencing and hide the true nature of the abuse and harm.

Children may not be aware that they are experiencing criminal exploitation and may not relate to or engage with the language professionals use. Use language that children are comfortable with. This can help them to talk about their experiences and help you clearly communicate concerns.

Move away from terminology used by people who exploit children and use language that focuses on the harm the child has experienced. This can help everyone working with the child discuss and identify the right level of support needed.

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Why language matters: how using terms like 'recruited' and 'working' minimise children's experiences of criminal exploitation | NSPCC Learning

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By using clear language when talking about child criminal exploitation, professionals working with a child can build an accurate picture of their experience and identify support that meets their needs.

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Please note -

BLUE posts signify Government guidance

This padlet is intended for use by professionals working with children, young people and their families within Nottinghamshire. Some information may still be of relevance to professionals who work outside of this area.

Each column is titled for ease of search

Click on the website link or photograph to open the web page/document

Use the search bar at the top right corner of the page or scroll right to see all topics.

Scroll down each column to find additional links/information, some of which may be useful to share with others as guided by the intended audience in the column titles and descriptions.

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This section contains resources providing parents/carers and the wider family with the key information and will enable them to have the conversations at home and know the facts for themselves so they can also make informed decisions. Providing families with the details of services to contact if they worried about their child and exploitation

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This section contains websites and resources for professionals to use when working with children with special educational needs and disabilities. Prior viewing of videos to ascertain the suitability of the content for your child or particular cohort is recommended. Some resources may have a financial cost attached. You may also find appropriate resources in the 'Primary' and 'Secondary' areas of this padlet which can be used or adapted.

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This section contains websites and resources for professionals to use when working with secondary age children. Prior viewing of videos to ascertain the suitability of the content for your child or particular cohort is recommended. Some resources may have a financial cost attached.

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This section contains websites and resources for professionals to use when working with primary age children. Prior viewing of videos to ascertain the suitability of the content for your child or particular cohort is recommended. Some resources may have a financial cost attached.

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Barnardo's Real Love Rocks - updated resources for Primary, Secondary and SEND

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Barnardo's Real Love Rocks - updated resources for Primary, Secondary and SEND

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Real Love Rocks is a ground-breaking education and awareness raising programme developed by Barnardo’s Safer Futures Trauma Services. Promoting children and young people’s rights to healthy, consensual and safe relationships with peers, partner, their family and across their community is at the heart of this.

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Healthy Relationships & Exploitation

Educational Resources

We are extremely excited to share with you that the Safer Futures CSE team has been working hard updating and refreshing both the Primary and Secondary Real Love Rocks Healthy Relationships and Exploitation Education Resources: with new trauma informed content covering Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), Radicalisation and the world online, in addition to an update of existing content, making it more relevant to our children and young people of today.

We know that you were keen to see us produce a SEN resource - we listened closely to your feedback and are pleased to announce this is now in development too!

​

We are very thrilled to announce that the new Primary, Secondary, and SEN Real Love Rocks Resources will be available in late Summer 2021, pre-order your copies now!!

Our resources have been developed with young people - making our resources current, relevant, and engaging... by young people for young people. We have also been liaising with trauma specialists, frontline practitioners, SEN leads, teachers, schools, colleges and universities and have included up-to date guidance and legislation in all our resources.

We are also currently re-developing our website...watch this space!

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We are extremely excited to share with you that the Safer Futures CSE team has been working hard updating and refreshing both the Primary and Secondary Real Love Rocks Healthy Relationships and Exploitation Education Resources: with new trauma informed content covering Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), Radicalisation and the world online, in addition to an update of existing content, making it more relevant to our children and young people of today.

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a new and exciting resource around the issues of exploitation ...

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a new and exciting resource around the issues of exploitation ...

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Lawrence is a college student with dreams of becoming a rapper. Struggling with financial hardships, he contemplates a path of crime. He quickly learns that every choice carries its own weighty consequences. As Lawrence delves deeper into the underworld, he discovers that certain actions have far-reaching implications.

​

With each twist and turn, navigate Lawrence through increasingly perilous situations, plunging deeper into a world of danger and uncertainty. As the drama unfolds and the dangers intensify, your decision can change his life forever

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Free child exploitation educational resource (Year 7 & 8)

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Free child exploitation educational resource (Year 7 & 8)

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The Catch On resources support the Child Exploitation (CE) Lesson for KS3 with links to curriculum outcomes from the PSHE Association Programme of Study for PSHE Education (Key Stages 1–5).

Catch On contains a suite of options for a single lesson or series of lessons exploring the topic of grooming and exploitation.

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Appropriate Language in Relation to Child Exploitation

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Appropriate Language in Relation to Child Exploitation

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This document seeks to provide guidance to professionals on the appropriate use of language when discussing children and their experience of exploitation in a range of contexts. These include when speaking directly with or discussing children, within recording and case management systems and when delivering relevant training or other learning interventions.

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This guidance provides you with an introduction into contextual safeguarding and child exploitation, the definitions of child criminal exploitation, indicators and the closely linked issues. You will also understand the children social care protocols

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Click here to view Child Criminal Exploitation: Nottinghamshire County Council Guidance and Procedures (April 2020). See Local Resources for the...

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This section includes further resources and information which may be helpful in supporting you to identify and respond to children who are being criminally exploited

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What Parents Need to Know About Grooming | NSPCC

These pages, created by the NSPCC, provide information on what the different types of grooming there are - including the signs and effects. It provides details on how to prevent and report grooming, and what support there is for parents, children and young people.

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Children and young people can be groomed online or in the real world, by a stranger or by someone they know. If you’re worried about a child, we have advice to help.

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This section will help you to understand more about grooming including what it is and how you can support children.

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This section provides you with information which you will find helpful in understanding what county lines is- including definitions, how you can support children. You will also find information about the NRM reporting mechanism.

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The National Referral Mechanism (NRM)  - Referral process for modern slavery

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The National Referral Mechanism (NRM)  - Referral process for modern slavery

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The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is a framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery and ensuring they receive the appropriate support.

Modern slavery is a complex crime and may involve multiple forms of exploitation. It encompasses:

human trafficking

slavery, servitude, and forced or compulsory labour

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This section will show links to statutory guidance, definitions and toolkits linked to Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE). Included is guidance on Modern Day Slavery and Trafficking, which are often the laws used to prosecute those involved in moving children for the purpose of county lines.

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Shattered lives, stolen futures: The Jay Review of Criminally Exploited Children

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Shattered lives, stolen futures: The Jay Review of Criminally Exploited Children

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This review by Action for Children pulls together the experiences of parents, children and practitioners who have all been touched in some way by child criminal exploitation, and offers discusses what a new system designed with the explicit purpose of tackling the criminal exploitation of children should look like.

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Tens of thousands of children and young people are at risk of being exploited across the UK - groomed, coerced and threatened into a life of violence, criminalisation and abuse. A new approach is needed to end this crisis.

In response to this crisis, Action for Children launched the Jay Review of Criminally Exploited Children in November 2023. Our aim was to learn from what's working well to protect children from exploitation and determine what more can be done.

"I slept with one eye and one ear open for years and years."
Vicky, parent

The Review was chaired by Professor Alexis Jay CBE, chair of the Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection and former chair of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. Professor Jay was supported by Simon Bailey CBE QPM, the former Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary and a member of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel from 2021-2024, and Charles Geekie KC, a barrister specialising in areas of the law relating to children and a Trustee of Action for Children.

Evidence was given by 70 organisations or individuals, including young people, parents and mentors with lived experience of exploitation. A wide range of practitioners and senior leaders have contributed - from children's services, education, local government, charities, inspectorates, academia and the police and youth justice systems across the UK, including the Children's Commissioners from all four nations.

The facts of criminal exploitation paint a stark picture: thousands of children and young people across the country are controlled and manipulated by criminal gangs, while countless more are at risk. The toll on these young lives is immeasurable, leading to serious physical harm, long-term trauma and criminalisation. Children are paying with their freedom, their childhoods and their lives.

Key lessons

As we listened to those with lived experience, to professionals and to experts from across the four nations of the UK, a number of key lessons stood out:

The absence of a clear and consistent definition of the criminal exploitation of children is a barrier to protecting and supporting them.

Existing legislation and criminal processes are not fit for purpose and are leading to vulnerable children being failed.

Too many exploited children are treated as criminals rather than victims and do not receive a child protection response.

The lack of data on exploitation makes it more difficult to identify, prevent and respond to it.

School is an essential protective factor in children's lives but education providers do not always have the right tools to identify and support children at risk.

Local safeguarding arrangements are not always effective in supporting children at risk of extra-familial harm (or harm outside their family home), including exploitation.

Early intervention is essential to prevent and disrupt exploitation but a decade of funding cuts in early intervention services has restricted the ability of services to respond.

Serious, preventable harm to children is being caused by a lack of national leadership. There is no consistent strategy, leadership and focus from central government on tackling criminal exploitation as an urgent and preventable crisis.

In 2023, 7,432 referrals relating to children were made to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery and criminal exploitation, an increase of 45% since 2021.

We recommend that the four nations of the UK work together to create a new approach designed with the explicit purpose of tackling the criminal exploitation of children. This should be built on three pillars:

A single, cohesive legal code designed to tackle the criminal exploitation of children. The criminal exploitation of children should be given a statutory definition within UK law with a consultation held with young people and families to develop corresponding guidance. Specific legislation should be drawn up for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland covering child abuse through exploitation and create a new criminal offence. And new powers should be given to the police and criminal justice system to identify and sanction exploiters.

Coordinated policy and practice at a local and national level. The UK government should take the lead in developing a national strategy for preventing the criminal exploitation of children. Exploitation must be recognised as a distinct category of child protection in all four nations with a new pathway for protecting children from risk outside the home and local safeguarding arrangements must be robust and well-funded. A welfare-first approach should be taken in the management of offences committed by exploited young people.

Investment, research and whole-system learning. Investment and funding for early intervention and prevention services for exploited young people must be specific, increased and ring-fenced. Data and information collection must be standardised to allow for identification of young people at risk and disruption of perpetrators, with a new cross-border protocol for sharing data between the four nations.

"Do I want to lose my freedom or do I want to be dead? I don't want none of that. I want to be alive. I want to be living. I want to have a family."
Danny, young person with experience of exploitation

Support our work near you

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Shattered lives, stolen futures: The Jay Review of Criminally Exploited Children

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Tens of thousands of children and young people are at risk of being exploited across the UK - groomed, coerced and threatened into a life of violence, criminalisation and abuse.

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Here you will find the Knives and Weapons, Reducing Drug and Alcohol Use, HOTH and Gang & Gang Associated Violence Padlets.

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Just for Kids Law Report: Excluded, exploited, forgotten

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Just for Kids Law Report: Excluded, exploited, forgotten

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A new report by Just for Lids Law highlights how vulnerable children are being excluded from school for behaviour resulting from being criminally exploited by gangs and drugs traffickers.

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Childhood criminal exploitation and school exclusions - Russell Webster

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Just for Kids Law on vulnerable children excluded from school for behaviour linked to criminal exploitation.

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Publication: The Common (Mis)interpreting of Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)

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Publication: The Common (Mis)interpreting of Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)

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Experienced exploitation practitioners will be well aware of the complex nature of CCE; This article was written by Hallam Walker-Smart, as a result of witnessing common themes with practitioners and those on the outskirts of CCE work. Often due to their interpretation of exploitation, practitioners can struggle to engage victims of CCE.

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PUBLICATIONS

The team at Stronger People C.I.C actively contributes to the creation of academic literature, framework and best practice in the areas of child criminal exploitation and youth development. We are heavily involved in ongoing academic research in the field of CCE and constantly work towards developing and improving best practices around youth exploitation & intervention framework.

See some of our publications and contributions below; feel free to get in contact for additional works, articles or for contributions to work.

Featured article

Author: Hallam Walker-Smart

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Publications related to youth development and reducing child exploitation.

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Disruption tactics for those working to safeguard children and young people under the age of 18 from sexual and criminal exploitation.

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Disruption tactics for those working to safeguard children and young people under the age of 18 from sexual and criminal exploitation.

Documents

Details

This toolkit has been developed to support frontline practitioners to safeguard children and young people under the age of 18 from sexual and criminal exploitation. This includes social workers, police officers, housing officers, education staff, healthcare staff, charity staff, and others.

Additionally, the toolkit sets out supportive information to assist information sharing and multi-agency working as well as intelligence and evidence gathering and profiling.

Everyone who engages with children has a part to play in tackling child exploitation, not just those with statutory powers. It is important that all those who engage with children recognise and advocate for the use of available statutory powers, even where it may only be police or local authorities who can put them in place.

When using this toolkit, all practitioners should have as their primary focus:

the experiences of the victims involved

the views of the victims

the impact any chosen approach may have on them

the risk of further harm to them, possible future victims or the wider community

This toolkit is focused on child exploitation, although some of the tools listed can be used to disrupt exploitation of adults too.

The government continues to review and adjust legislation to strengthen the criminal justice system, therefore some tools referenced in this toolkit may change based on alterations to their legislative basis. Where this is currently likely to occur, caveats have been added in the document. Any updates to the legislation referenced in this toolkit is available online at Legislation.gov.uk.

Thank you for your feedback

Report a problem with this page

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Disruption tactics for those working to safeguard children and young people under the age of 18 from sexual and criminal exploitation.

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Find out how children are being targeted and groomed by buying them takeaway food

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Pace UK - Video for parents - Child exploitation - would you know the signs?

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Pace UK - Video for parents - Child exploitation - would you know the signs?

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Parents are often the first to notice that their child is being exploited. It is so important to act quickly and intervene early if you suspect your child is being exploited. Listen to some parents whose children have been exploited talk about the changes they noticed in their child.

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Child exploitation - would you know the signs?

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ITV news - Parents lift the lid on the damage county lines does to families

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ITV news - Parents lift the lid on the damage county lines does to families

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They're violating my child. I actually want to go rip their faces off." "I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy." These are just some of the words of a group of parents who feel compelled to speak out after their children became caught up county lines gangs - where children or vulnerable people are groomed and controlled into selling drugs by organised crime groups.

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Parents lift the lid on the damage county lines does to families | ITV News

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Live Safe - Anywhere Kids: Exploitation - Year 6

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Live Safe - Anywhere Kids: Exploitation - Year 6

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Start - 02:48 minutes - Criminal Exploitation

02:49 - 04:53 minutes - Sexual Exploitation

04:54 - End - Summary

Criminal Exploitation and summary suitable for Year 6. Depending on the cohort, the sexual exploitation section may not be appropriate. Please use your discretion.

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Live Safe

What is criminal exploitation?

It's when you're asked or forced to do criminal things for someone else.

At first you may feel part of a group, or even a family, but over time you'll be told that there's no other option, that you owe someone, owe money or should do things out of loyalty.

Criminal exploitation can involve you moving drugs, sometimes hidden in your body, around your local area or even travelling across the country (this is known as County Lines). You could also be made to sell drugs, transport weapons or carry out other criminal activities, like assaulting people and stealing.

Important things to know

Victims of criminal exploitation are groomed, sometimes by being given money, attention, gifts and promises of a better life.

Victims may feel part of a group or a family so more are willing to help do dangerous things.

Victims often don't feel that they're at risk and it's not until it is too late that they realise just how bad things are for them.

Victims might find themselves doing things they know are wrong, dangerous or uncomfortable, like lots of travelling or hiding drugs inside their body.

What does it mean for me

What does it mean for me?

Even if you haven't committed a fatal crime yourself, you could be arrested for being associated with the gang that did. It's called Joint Enterprise. Do you want to go to jail for something you didn't directly do?

Being forced to commit crimes through child criminal exploitation will get you in trouble with the law, and a criminal record will stick with you for the rest of your life.

Being in a gang can mean being linked to crime like trafficking, drug dealing and violence.

No parent or grandparent would ever want their child to go to prison, get injured or killed. Your choices affect them too.

Your family and friends' safety could be at risk. Think if something were to happen to them.

You may be forced to do things that you don't want to, as well as being a risk to your physical wellbeing, this could affect your mental health.

Getting involved with a gang can have a long-term impact on your education and employment, which can seriously damage your future.

As well as the threat of blackmail and emotional abuse, you're at high risk of physical harm, rape and sexual abuse.

Running in these types of circles can bring you closer to abusing drugs and alcohol, which can cause serious physical and mental harm.

What are the signs of being criminally exploited

What are the signs of being criminally exploited?

Having new things that you don't understand how they got

Having lots of money all of a sudden

Using drugs and/or alcohol and often being hungover

Signs of unexplained physical harm, such as bruising

Carrying a weapon

Having new friends or partners (who might be a lot older) and ignoring old friends

Secrecy around their phone and potentially new phone

Being shady about what they are up to, or alternatively boating about a new gang, money or experience

I need help and support

I need help and support
Spend time with friends who aren't in gangs
It sounds pretty simple but that's because it is. Even if you're not doing gang activity yourself, being around these types of people makes it more likely for you to slip into dangerous and illegal activity.
Talk to someone you trust
It doesn't have to be your parents. But if you can, chat to them. Or a teacher, a youth worker, or trusted person you look up to in the community. It may make you feel nervous but trust us, they'll be happy you reached out.
Find something positive to focus on
Sport, music, art - doing something you love, and that gives you a positive focus, can lead to some pretty great things. Like building new skills, making new friends, and paving the way for a career.

Quick Escape

Live Safe is a space for information and support on staying safe in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Manage consent

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Gang activity advice & support | LiveSafe

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Learn the facts about gang culture and violence and how it can impact your life, plus get support on how to stay away and live safely.

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Live Safe - Criminal exploitation and gangs. Advice for parents and carers

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Live Safe - Criminal exploitation and gangs. Advice for parents and carers

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Child criminal exploitation (CCE) is when young people are manipulated by gangs and criminals into committing crimes, like holding onto or selling drugs, carrying weapons and committing theft or burglary. County lines is the most common type of activity, where young people are recruited to distribute drugs from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

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What is child criminal exploitation?

Child criminal exploitation (CCE) is when young people are manipulated by gangs and criminals into committing crimes, like holding onto or selling drugs, carrying weapons and committing theft or burglary. County lines is the most common type of activity, where young people are recruited to distribute drugs from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

A young person may be caught up in CCE and not even realise it, because to them being part of a gang feels like being with their friends. They feel important, protected and respected.

Some young people are also made to feel like they have no choice but to commit these crimes, and they'll be scared to speak out about what is happening.

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Child criminal exploitation advice for parents | LiveSafe

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Child criminal exploitation (CCE) is when young people are manipulated by gangs and criminals into committing crimes, like holding onto or selling drugs, carrying weapons and committing theft or burglary. County lines is the most common type of activity, where young people are recruited to distribute drugs from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

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It was hard to escape - Safeguarding children at risk from criminal exploitation review

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It was hard to escape - Safeguarding children at risk from criminal exploitation review

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The literature review identified a range of risk factors which increase potential vulnerability to criminal exploitation including poverty, abuse, neglect, behavioural difficulties, school exclusions, special educational needs, drug use, children looked after and those with physical or mental health issues.

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The Children's Society - special educational needs and the risk of school exclusion

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The Children's Society - special educational needs and the risk of school exclusion

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Children with special educational needs are more likely to be excluded than other students. Exclusions put children at risk. Without proper support, young people can find themselves falling victim to people who want to exploit them.

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Children with special educational needs are more likely to be excluded than other students. Exclusions put children at risk. Without proper support, young people can find themselves falling victim to people who want to exploit them.

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Special educational needs and the risk of school exclusion

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Exclusions put young people at risk. Children with special educational needs are additionally vulnerable. They are also up to five times more likely to be excluded.

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Please refer to the 'support for primary / secondary age children' for an array of resources which may be differentiated to meet the needs of these children

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Please refer to the 'support for primary / secondary age children' for an array of resources which may be differentiated to meet the needs of these children

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Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership - Disabled Children

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Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Children Partnership - Disabled Children

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Many factors can made a disabled child more vulnerable to abuse than a non-disabled child of the same age. Safeguarding disabled children demands a greater awareness of their vulnerability, individuality and particular needs. It is also important to see the child in the context of the whole family and community supports that are present.

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Disabled Children

Contents

1. Definition

Children with a disability are children first and foremost, and deserving of the same rights and protection as other children. By definition, any child with a disability should also be considered as a child in need. A child can be considered to be disabled if he or she has significant problems with learning, communication, comprehension, vision, hearing or physical functioning including a learning difficulty or developmental delay. The child may also have a diagnosis from a medical professional.

2. Risks

Many factors can made a disabled child more vulnerable to abuse than a non-disabled child of the same age. Safeguarding disabled children demands a greater awareness of their vulnerability, individuality and particular needs. It is also important to see the child in the context of the whole family and community supports that are present.

Disabled children may be especially vulnerable to abuse for a number of reasons. Some disabled children may:

Be isolated and have limited contact with others;

Receive intimate care possible from a number of carers, which may increase the risk of exposure to abusive behaviour and make it more difficult to set and maintain physical boundaries;

Have an impaired capacity to resist or avoid abuse;

Have communication difficulties that may make it difficult to tell others what is happening and no support around their Speech and Language difficulties;

Be inhibited about complaining for fear of losing services; and/or not aware services are abusive;

Be especially vulnerable to bullying and intimidationnd more willing to accept bullying due to lack of recognition of those issues;

Be more vulnerable than other children to abuse by their peers.

Attitudes and discrimination can mean that only their disability is seen rather than the full picture.

Additional factors may be:

The child's dependence on carers could result in the child having a problem in recognising what is abuse. The child may have little privacy, a poor body image or low self-esteem;

Carers and staff may lack the ability to communicate adequately with the child and may not be trained appropriately to meet the needs of the child;

A lack of continuity in care or multidisciplinary working which leads leading to an increased risk that behavioural changes may go unnoticed;

Lack of access to 'keep safe' strategies available to others, and overprotective nurse of carers/services so the child or young person cannot identify what abuse is;

Disabled children living away from home and community are not seen daily by others outside of the organisation they live in. Iin poorly managed settings they are particularly vulnerable to over-medication, poor feeding regimes and toileting arrangements, issues around control of challenging behaviour, lack of stimulations and emotional support;

Parents'/carers' own needs and ways of coping may conflict with the needs of the child;

Pressure on family carers with limited support can be a risk factor for the disabled child;

Some adult abusers may target disabled children in the belief that they are less likely to be detected, evidence indicates a disabled child or young person is less likely to be seen as a reliable witness when they do disclose;

Signs and indicators can be inappropriately attributed to disability such as normalisation or over use of restraint. Issues around abuse and mental health issues may be ignored or not seen due to the focus on disability;

Services do not have the expertise to support a child with disabilities with other needs such as trauma, neglect etc.

Disabled children are less likely to be consulted in matters affecting them and as a result may feel they have no choice about whether to accept or reject sexual advances.

The UK Social Work Practice in Safeguarding Disabled Children and Young People report details some of the reasons why disabled children and young people are at greater risk and the reasons why, including where gaps in provision exist.

3. Indicators

In addition to the universal indicators of abuse/neglect, the following abusive behaviours must be considered:

Force feeding;

Unjustified or excessive physical restraint;

Rough handling;

Extreme behaviour modification including the deprivation of food medication, or clothing;

Misuse of medication, sedation, heavy tranquillisation;

Invasive procedures against the child's will;

Neglect of personal care needs;

Failure to accept child's disability. Deliberate failure to follow medically recommended regimes;

Non- compliance with programmes or regimes;

Failure to address ill-fitting equipment e.g. callipers, sleep boards which may cause injury or pain, inappropriate splinting;

Misappropriation/misuse of a child's finances;

Over protective parenting; limiting social activities.

4. Protection

Safeguards for disabled children are essentially the same as all other children:

Make it common practice to enable disabled children to make their wishes and feelings known in respect of their care and treatment;

Ensure that disabled children receive appropriate personal, health and social education (including sex education);

Make sure that all disabled children know how to raise concerns and give them access to a range of adults with whom they can communicate. This could mean using interpreters and speech and language support using the child's preferred method of communication, this may mean visiting a number of times;

Recognise and utilise key sources of support including staff in schools, friends and family members where appropriate;

Develop the safe support services that families want, and a culture of openness and joint working with parents and carers on the part of services;

Ensure that guidance on good practice is in place and being followed in relation to: intimate care; working with children of the opposite sex; managing behaviour that challenges families and services; issues around consent to treatment; anti-bullying and inclusion strategies; sexuality and safe sexual behaviour among young people; monitoring and challenging placement arrangements for young people living away from home.

5. Issues

Carers are relied upon (whether family or paid carers) as a source of information about disabled children and to interpret and explain behaviour or symptoms. Professional staff can potentially feel out of their depth in terms of knowledge of a disabled child's impairment, where the familiar developmental milestones may not apply.

Disabled children should not be left in situations where there is a high level of neglect or other forms of abuse, because a professional feels the parent, carer or service is 'doing their best'.

Carers will need to be challenged in the same way as carers of non-disabled children.

Where there are communication impairments or learning difficulties, particular attention should be paid to the communications needs of the child to ascertain the child's perception of events and his or her wishes and feelings.

The Children's Social Care Services and the Police should be aware of non-verbal communication systems and should contact suitable interpreters and facilitators.

Agencies must not make assumptions about the inability of a disabled child to give credible evidence, or to withstand the rigours of the Court process.

Each child should be assessed carefully and supported where relevant to participate in the criminal justice system when this is in their interests as set out in Achieving Best Evidence which includes comprehensive guidance on planning and conducting interviews with children and a specific section about interviewing disabled children.

Participation in all forms of meetings such as Child Protection Conferences and Core Groups must be encouraged and facilitated.

Intermediary support can be provided if a disabled child need support with communication at court or in a tribunal hearing.

Please see GOV.UK around how to access an intermediary service - HMCTS intermediary services.

6. Allegation of Abuse carried out by an Employee, Agency Worker, Volunteer or Student against a Disabled Child or Young Person

Disabled children come into contact with a wide range of carers, it is important that all staff are clear about the process that they should follow if they become aware of an allegation or concern which relates to an individual who works with children.

Where such concerns come to light they should be discussed with the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). The LADO contact details are as follows:

Nottinghamshire

Any concerns relating to staff or volunteers in schools should be discussed with the Safeguarding Children in Education Officer, who can be contacted on 01623 433433;

Concerns relating to staff/volunteers in all other settings should be discussed with the Safeguarding Children Manager for Nottinghamshire County Council, who can be contacted on 01159 773921.

Nottingham City

Any concerns relating to staff or volunteers in schools should be discussed with the LADO, who can be contacted on 0115 8764744;

Concerns relating to staff/volunteers in all other settings should be discussed with the for, who can be contacted on 0115 8764148.

The type of concerns which should be discussed with the LADO are those concerns that indicate an individual may have:

Behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child;

Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child;

Behaved in a way that indicates s/he may not be suitable to work with children.

It should be noted that the final bullet point includes types of behaviour that although not directed towards a child may give rise to concerns about an individual's suitability to work with children, e.g. a sexual offence against an adult.

7. Law

The Children Act 1989 s17(1) creates a general duty on children's services authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are 'in need'. So far as is consistent with this duty, children's services authorities must promote the upbringing of such children by their families.

The definition of 'children in need' is to be found at CA 1989 s17(10), which provides that a child is to be taken as 'in need' if:....

(c) he is disabled.

At subsection (11) the definition of 'disabled' for the purposes of CA 1989 Part III is given as follows:

'For the purposes of this Part, a child is disabled if he is blind, deaf or dumb or suffers from mental disorder of any kind or is substantially and permanently handicapped by illness, injury or congenital deformity or such other disability as may be prescribed'.

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Children with a disability are children first and foremost, and deserving of the same rights and protection as other children. By definition, any child with a disability should also be considered as a child in need.

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County Lines + Gangs PHSE Lesson plan (TES) - KS3 - There may be a small cost to access this resource, details available on the linked page.

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County Lines + Gangs PHSE Lesson plan (TES) - KS3 - There may be a small cost to access this resource, details available on the linked page.

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TWO HOUR LESSON Gangs, peer influence, drugs and county lines / Drugs Education PSHE lesson - all you need to know, from how how young people are pressured to join, the slang, the risks and the reality.

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TWO HOUR LESSON Gangs, peer influence, drugs and county lines / Drugs Education PSHE lesson - all you need to know, from how how young people are pressured to join, the slang, the risks and the reality. New video clip tasks now also added - interview with actual county line gangsters. This is a double, fully resourced PSHE lesson which introduces the concept of County Lines and how gangs exploit and groom young victims into joining the underground drugs networks, before exploring the reasons why young people join gangs and the consequences. Created for the new PSHE 2020-23 curriculum.

This resource pack includes a two hour long PowerPoint with accompanying worksheets, well differentiated activities, literacy focus tasks, clip tasks with three-way differentiated questions and information sheets.

The lesson has been left editable (so is adaptable for your PSHE planning) and is filled with engaging, well differentiated and fun activities. It is useful for PSHE, Citizenship or Tutor Time. As with all our lessons, you don't need any prior knowledge as all the information is included - you can just pick up and teach it.

Find more lessons on everything from RSE, misogyny, masculinity and Andrew Tate to jobs, consent, stereotyping, employment and careers, dating, love, drugs, alcohol, vaping, sleep, mental health and wellbeing, extremism, pornography, gender and transgender prejudice, racism, British Values, living in the wider world, sexual health, equality and diversity, STIs, contraception, sex and relationships and much more at our website.

You can find many more inexpensive and free PSHE, Citizenship and RE resources at my shop: MORE PSHE RESOURCES

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TWO HOUR LESSON Gangs, peer influence, drugs and county lines / Drugs Education PSHE lesson - all you need to know, from how how young people are pressured to join,

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Foundations of Identity - A tool for schools and settings

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Foundations of Identity - A tool for schools and settings

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Understanding and supporting the ongoing, positive development of a young persons identity.

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The Foundations of Identity Toolkit draws on various psychological theory bases and research within areas of positive mental health, wellbeing and identity. It has been developed under the premise

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Youth & Policing Education Hub: County Lines Lesson Plan - KS3 & 4

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Youth & Policing Education Hub: County Lines Lesson Plan - KS3 & 4

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OBJECTIVES

• To raise awareness about County Lines

• To build resilience against becoming involved in county lines operations

• To recognise the signs that someone may be involved in county lines

• To know how to get help

• To learn about what the police will do

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Alfie's Story - Lesson plans to accompany all 4 videos

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Alfie's Story - Lesson plans to accompany all 4 videos

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Lesson plans are recommended for age 12+, however videos may be more suitable for year 11 students. Please use your discretion.

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Not In Our Community - Protection against exploitation

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Alfie's Story Parts 1 and 2

The story follows Alfie's journey of criminal exploitation, how it can happen and the consequences It can have for all involved.

Continuing on from Alfie's Story Part 2, just when things were looking up for Alfie a new danger takes things to a whole new level as he becomes more entangled in the County Lines gang.

Continuing on from Alfie's Story Part 3, faced with extreme threats and violence after being criminally exploited, Alfie and his mum take matters into their own hands.

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The story follows Alfie's journey of criminal exploitation, how it can happen and the consequences It can have for all involved. Suitable for Year 7 and above. Film duration: 14 minutes approx.