Child Sexual Exploitation
Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse:
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse. Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children (Working Together to Safeguard Children).
Child sexual exploitation takes many different forms. It can include contact and non-contact sexual activities and can occur online or in person, or a combination of each. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology (Working Together to Safeguard Children).
What marks out sexual exploitation from other forms of child sexual abuse is the presence of some form of exchange, for the victim and/or perpetrator or facilitator. It is critical to remember the unequal power dynamic within which this exchange occurs and to remember that the receipt of something by a child/young person does not make them any less of a victim. It is also important to note that the prevention of something negative happening can also fulfil the requirement for exchange.
The perpetrator always holds some kind of power over the victim, increasing the dependence of the victim as the exploitative relationship develops. Whilst age may be the most obvious, this power imbalance can also be due to a range of other factors including gender, sexual identity, intellect, physical strength, status and access to economic or other resources.
Child sexual exploitation is never the victim's fault, even if there is some form of exchange: all children and young people under the age of 18 have a right to be safe and should be protected from harm.
Any child or young person may be at risk of sexual exploitation, regardless of their family background or other circumstances. Child sexual exploitation can occur in all communities and amongst all social groups and can affect girls and boys. Young people can also be sexually exploited by other young people. All practitioners should work on the basis that it is happening in their area.
Sexual exploitation causes harm to children and young people, including significant damage to their physical and mental health. It can also have profound and damaging consequences for their family, including siblings (who may also be at risk of abuse).
Sexual exploitation has links with other forms of crime, for example, domestic violence and abuse, online and offline grooming, the distribution of abusive images of children, criminal exploitation and child trafficking. The perpetrators of sexual exploitation are often well organised and use sophisticated tactics. They may target areas where children and young people gather, use parties to create networks for abuse or use technology to organise both online and offline abuse.
Children and young people can be moved from one place to another to be sexually exploited. They can also be sexually exploited by people with whom they feel they have a relationship, e.g. a boyfriend / girlfriend. In these circumstances there may be an overlap with other forms of abuse, and practitioners should decide on the best way to work with the child to keep them safe.
When working with children who are being sexually exploited, it is important to consider who else in their circle of contacts (including siblings) may also be at risk.
When children experience, or are at risk of, sexual exploitation the relationship between their needs and vulnerabilities, the harm they are experiencing and the risk posed by the abuser[s] can create a dynamic and complex situation for the child and the practitioner. It is important that practitioners receive the supervision, support and training required to work with the child and that leaders and managers provide effective oversight and supervision of frontline practice.
Anyone who has regular contact with children is in a good position to notice the changes in behaviour and physical signs that may indicate involvement in sexual exploitation. It is important to try and identify children at risk of harm from sexual exploitation at the earliest opportunity.
Some children may be more vulnerable, for example, children with special needs, those in residential or foster care, those leaving care, migrant children, unaccompanied asylum seeking children, victims of forced marriage and those involved in gangs, but all children are potentially at risk and practitioners should be careful about making assumptions as to who the victims or perpetrators may be.
Identifying cases of child sexual exploitation is a difficult task, children rarely self report that they are being sexually exploited, and due to the nature of the grooming methods used by their abusers, often do not recognise that they are being abused. Once they are being sexually exploited, threats from their abusers and fear of repercussions or being partly blamed for their own abuse can make it difficult for young people to seek help.
There is a risk that well-publicised criminal trials can lead to stereotyping of people who may be at risk of child sexual exploitation and prevent the identification of victims. All children are at risk, and for some children there may be additional barriers to them disclosing abuse or seeking help, including young people who identify as LGBTQ+, boys and young men, children and young people with a disability or those from BME communities.
Practitioners should be aware of the key indicators of child sexual exploitation. More importantly, they should also remain open to the fact that child sexual exploitation can occur without any of the following risk indicators being obviously present:
- Unexplained money or gifts;
- Going missing (for short or long periods), or during the course of the school day;
- Being distressed or withdrawn on return;
- Disengaging from existing social networks;
- Secrecy around new associations;
- Additional mobile phones or concerning use of technology;
- Sexual health problems/ unplanned pregnancies;
- Disclosure of rape/sexual assault (and reluctance to report);
- Changes in temperament/emotional wellbeing;
- Drug or alcohol misuse;
- Involvement in criminal activity;
- Secretive behaviour;
- Unexplained physical injuries.
These indicators are not exclusive to child sexual exploitation. Some may be explained by normal adolescent development and associated changes in behaviour; some might be explained by other types of abuse including that the child is being criminally exploited.
While the presence of a number of these indicators should prompt questions around the possibility of child sexual exploitation, practitioners should remain open to the potential for other explanations and be curious about what is happening in the child's world. Children will often demonstrate their distress through external behaviours as a way of communicating to the outside world that something is wrong.
Sometimes, particularly with boys, this distress may be displayed through aggressive, harmful or challenging behaviour in school or at home including, running away, misusing substances or displaying harmful sexual behaviour. Young people's offending behaviour should be understood in the context of wider issues and experiences, such as previous abuse or trauma, which may include experiences of being subject to child sexual exploitation and/or exploiting other children.
Many children and young people are groomed into sexually exploitative relationships. Some young people may be sexually exploited through informal economies that involve the exchange of sex for rewards such as drugs, alcohol, money, gifts or accommodation. Often young people are bullied, coerced and threatened into sexual activities by peers or gang members and this is then used against them as a form of extortion and to keep them compliant.
The College of Policing identifies a number of methods which are used by abusers to coerce a child:
- Giving presents – especially during the grooming phase;
- Offering food treats;
- Giving rewards such as mobile phone top-ups / credit;
- Giving the child or young person attention;
- Offering false promises of love and/or affection;
- Offering false promises of opportunities – e.g., modelling, photography, acting;
- Supplying alcohol;
- Drugs – either supplying drugs to facilitate exploitation, and/or young person being sexually exploited as a means of paying off drug debt;
- Constructing situations whereby a young person must pay off debt;
- Mental manipulation;
- Blackmail;
- Fear;
- Physical violence.
Grooming is rarely a linear process, and the methods used by abusers will vary considerably both in the time they take to groom children and in the tactics they use in order facilitate the abuse. Some of these methods are also used in other forms of child exploitation.
Due to the nature of the grooming methods used by abusers, it is very common for children and young people who are sexually exploited not to recognise that they are being abused.
A child cannot consent to their own abuse. It is important to bear in mind that:
- A child under the age of 13 is not legally capable of consenting to sex (it is statutory rape) or any other type of sexual touching;
- Sexual activity with a child under 16 is an offence;
- It is an offence for a person to have a sexual relationship with a 16 or 17 year old if they hold a position of trust or authority in relation to them. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 has extended the definition of Position of Trust within the Sexual Offences Act 2003 section 22A to include anyone who coaches, teaches, trains, supervises or instructs a child under 18, on a regular basis, in a sport or a religion. It is against the law for someone in a position of trust to engage in sexual activity with a child in their care, even if that child is over the age of consent (16 or over);
- Where sexual activity with a 16 or 17 year old does not result in an offence being committed, it may still result in harm, or the likelihood of harm being suffered;
- Non-consensual sex is rape whatever the age of the victim;
- If the victim is incapacitated through drink or drugs, or the victim or their family has been subject to violence or the threat of it, they cannot be considered to have given true consent; therefore offences may have been committed;
- Child sexual exploitation is therefore potentially a child protection issue for all children under the age of 18 years and not just those in a specific age group.
Practitioners must also consider other factors which might influence the ability of the person to give consent, e.g. learning disability / mental ill health.
Although they may sometimes appear to be making an informed choice, young people cannot and do not 'choose' abuse or exploitation. Recognising the underlying factors that can exacerbate risk will help practitioners understand and interpret apparent 'choices' and avoid the danger of apportioning blame.
Online child sexual exploitation can be particularly challenging to identify and respond to. Technology allows perpetrators to be in contact with multiple potential victims at any one time. It also offers a perception of anonymity, for both children and young people and perpetrators, making it easier to say and do things online that they wouldn't do offline. This eases the grooming process and facilitates more rapid sexualisation of perpetrator approaches to potential victims.
Where exploitation does occur online (through the exchange of sexual communication or images, for example) these can be quickly and easily shared with others. This makes it difficult to contain the potential for further abuse and presents significant challenges around content removal. Online abuse is further complicated by the fact that it can transcend national borders.
See the Online Safety Procedure or contact CEOP for more information. Follow the Referral Procedure if you are concerned a child is at risk of harm.
With effect from 29 June 2021, section 69 Domestic Abuse Act 2021 expanded so-called 'revenge porn' to include threats to disclose private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress.
"Child-on-child abuse is any form of physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse, and coercive control exercised between children, and within children's relationships (both intimate and non-intimate), friendships, and wider peer associations.
Child-on-child abuse can take various forms, including (but not limited to): serious bullying (including cyberbullying), relationship abuse, domestic violence and abuse, child sexual exploitation, youth and serious youth violence, harmful sexual behaviour and/or prejudice-based violence including, but not limited to, gender-based violence.
Online child-on-child abuse is any form of child-on-child abuse with a digital element, for example, sexting, online abuse, coercion and exploitation, child-on-child grooming, threatening language delivered via online means, the distribution of sexualised content, and harassment."
(Child on Child Abuse Toolkit - Farrer & Co).
It is important to consider the context in which any child-on-child abuse is taking place, as this will inform the best to approach working with and supporting the child. You may need to refer to guidance on other forms of abuse such as domestic violence and abuse, harmful sexual behaviour, involvement in gangs and criminal exploitation.
The Review of Sexual Abuse in Schools and Colleges (Ofsted) identified substantial levels of sexual harassment and online sexual abuse for both girls (90%) and boys (nearly 50%). Significantly, this did not always appear to be recognised by the school or college. Sometimes sexual bullying in schools and other social settings can lead to the sexual exploitation of young people by their peers, or young women and young men who have themselves been exploited can be coerced into recruiting other young people to be abused.
Sexual exploitation also occurs within and between street gangs, where sex is used in exchange for safety, protection, drugs and simply belonging. This can result in children both experiencing child sexual exploitation and perpetrating it at the same time. Children who perpetrate child sexual exploitation require a different response to adult perpetrators. They should be referred to Children's Social Care Services and a multi-agency Strategy Meeting convened to consider both their involvement as a potential perpetrator but also any abuse and unmet needs they may have experienced themselves (see Harmful Sexual Behaviour Procedure).
A significant number of children and young people who are being sexually exploited may go missing from care, home, and education. Some go missing frequently; the more often children go missing the more vulnerable they are to being sexually exploited or other forms of exploitation including criminal exploitation.
If a child does go missing, the Children Missing from Care, Home and Education Procedure should be followed.
(See County and City CSE Flowcharts in Additional Resources).
Where a practitioner believes a child may be or has been sexually exploited, a Referral should be made to MASH in the County and Child and Families Direct in the City where the risk will be assessed and prioritised with relevant information collated from Police, Health, Education and other relevant Agencies. The case will be passed to the appropriate team for assessment.
When a case is already open to Children's Social Care, concerns regarding CSE are to be referred to the allocated Social Worker.
It is helpful for partner agencies to complete the CSE Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Tool (or their own CSE Risk Assessment Tools where applicable) as far as possible when referring CSE concerns to MASH (County) or Child and Families Direct (City) or the allocated Social Worker when a case is already open.
In cases of immediate harm, referrals to children's social care should not be delayed pending completion of risk assessments.
The Team Manager/Children's Social Care (CSC) will record a clear decision stating whether the case is considered as:
S17 - when a child is considered in need of support and initial assessments suggest the risk can be managed outside the child protection process. For example a child is going missing, associating with unidentified older friends and has unexplained money/gifts or the exploitation is very limited and online only, parents are protective and engaging with support.
Or S47 - when a child is deemed in need of protection and has suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm, for example a child has been groomed by an older person(s) or there has been attempted or actual contact, including sexual, with older person(s); the alleged perpetrator is local and may still be in contact with the child, parents may be supportive but unable to protect their child. CSC will hold a Strategy Discussion with the Police, Health and other relevant agencies to agree S47 enquiries.
Where parents/carers are deemed unprotective or present a risk to the child, the S47 decision is likely to result in an Initial Child Protection Conference.
This decision is made in consultation with the Team Manager, CPC CSE lead (County)/CSE Coordinator (City) and Children's Services Managers. The need for an additional stand-alone CSE Risk Strategy meeting will be determined by the needs of each case.
Refer to: NSCP/NCSCP Interagency Safeguarding Children Procedures.
If a child requires a medical examination as part of the S47 enquiry, this must be arranged through the East Midlands Children and Young People Sexual Assault Service (EMCYPSAS).
Where immediate action is required, CSC and the police will act to secure the child's immediate safety. This may include removing the child from the home of a person who is exploiting them, in this instance, professionals should not underestimate the power of perpetrators to locate the child. Where LA placements are required, carers require experience in building trusting relationships and skills in containing young people.
Secure accommodation may be considered in extreme circumstances, if children are at grave risk of Significant Harm.
Children's Social Care will complete the CSE Risk Assessment Tool for all children considered at risk of CSE. The completion of the Risk Assessment may inform the decision making and whether to deem a case S17 or S47.
The CSE Risk Assessment Tool should be completed as soon as possible and no later than 10 working days from allocation. In all cases it should be completed prior to either the CSE Strategy Meeting or the ICPC as applicable.
The CSE Risk Assessment Tool should be completed to reflect the level of risk at the time of the incident rather than the reduced risk once the activity has been disrupted or stopped.
N.B. While it is helpful to gain the views of the child and parents/carers, this should not delay the completion of the CSE Risk Assessment Tool. County CSC complete the Mosaic CSE Risk Assessment and Child and Families Direct (City) complete the CSE Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Tool.
Social Workers must discuss CSE Risk Assessment Tools with Medium or High outcomes with the Team Manager and the CPC CSE lead (County), or the CSE Co-ordinator (City), to agree convening a Child Sexual Exploitation Strategy Meeting (where a decision has been made not to proceed to ICPC).
When Social Workers complete CSE Risk Assessment Tools with Low outcome continue to have concerns about the risk of CSE, they must discuss these cases with the Team Manager and the CPC CSE lead (County) or the CSE Co-ordinator (City).
Social Workers and professionals should be aware that protective parents do not negate the risk of CSE or the need for services to address CSE, including holding a CSE Strategy meeting.
CSE Risk Assessments should be revised as new information becomes available; they can be completed to show progress/reduced risk.
The Child Sexual Exploitation Strategy Meeting
(N.B. When CSE is managed through the Child Protection process, the below applies in order to fully assess and address the CSE Risks. The Core group should agree the detailed Child Protection Plan to address the CSE risk between review conferences).
Is a multi-agency meeting to share information, agree the level of risk and vulnerability and support required and make safety/ disruption plans.
A CSE Strategy meeting should be convened when:
- A child has been sexually exploited; or
- There is an ongoing police investigation re CSE; or
- There is evidence a child is at risk of being sexually exploited.
Requests for a CSE Strategy meeting should be made to the CPC CSE lead in the County and the SE Co-ordinator in the City (see above)
The CSE Strategy Meeting should be convened within 5 working days from the point of agreement with the CPC CSE lead in the County and the CSE Co-ordinator in the City that a CSE Strategy meeting is required.
The CSE Strategy Meeting will be chaired by a Child Protection Co-ordinator (County) or an Independent Reviewing Officer (City).
Invites should be sent to:
- Parents/carers and the child;
- The MASH Police for attention of the Sexual Exploitation Unit, include the completed CSE Risk Assessment Tool;
- Education;
- Health including GU Health;
- Children's Society (County) or NSPCC (City); and
- Any other professionals involved with the child.
The child and their parents/carers should be actively encouraged and supported to attend the CSE Strategy meeting. The allocated Social Worker should prepare the child and family for attendance at the meeting.
Should the child and or their parents/carers not attend the meeting, reasons for their absence or exclusion (in exceptional circumstances) should be clearly recorded. The outcome of the meeting will be relayed by the Social Worker to the child and parents/carers immediately following the meeting, this may be in conjunction with the parent or a professional with a good relationship with the child. This should be explicitly agreed in the meeting and recorded as part of the Action Plan. There should also be a recorded discussion as to any potential risks to the young person arising from the sharing of this information and a plan as to how any risk is mitigated.
Social Workers are required to complete a CSE Report to inform the CSE Strategy meeting.
In the County the CSE Report proforma is sent to the Social Worker by cpconf when the date of the CSE Strategy Meeting is agreed.
In the City the CSE coordinator will review all CSE risk assessment tools to agree the threshold for a strategy meeting is met. Once the strategy meeting is arranged, the Social Workers will ensure the toolkit is shared with all relevant agencies and this forms the basis of the strategy meeting.
Each meeting should clearly state, with rationale:
- The type of exploitation being experienced by the child;
- The child's view of the situation;
- Whether any other children are potentially at risk;
- Whether the young person has any special needs, significant health conditions or learning difficulties;
- The level (low, medium, high) of risk of exploitation the child is exposed to;
- How arrangements to keep the child safe will be co-ordinated with the police investigation; and
- The meeting's view of the child's level (low, medium, high) of vulnerability based on the information provided to the meeting;
- Where possible, the perpetrators should be identified, and full details provided, this may require a confidential slot;
- Also see above.
Each initial CSE meeting should develop a CSE Action and Safety/Disruption plan for review at subsequent meetings. The plan should be SMART and address the police investigation, support for the child and family, safeguards for the child and disruptions of the CSE.
Review meetings are booked in complex situations, for example when more than one child or perpetrator is involved, the exploitation is not fully understood or is ongoing. The CSE Action and Safety/Disruption plan must be updated at each meeting.
Once the concerns giving rise to the CSE Strategy meeting are addressed and the required support is in place, the meeting can agree the CSE Action and Safety/Disruption plans will be managed through ongoing Child in Need; Child Protection or Looked After processes.
In cases where there is no ongoing Children's Social Care process, the Social Worker must ensure children are referred to and are given every opportunity to participate in direct CSE prevention work through The Children's Society (County) and NSPCC (City), this may require an EHAF.
This meeting is attended by representatives from Children's Social Care, Police, Health including Sexual Health and Public Health, Education, Family Service, District Councils and The Children's Society.
The meeting is held monthly to have oversight of those children who are on the Police CAROSE, subject to CSE strategy meetings or thought to require oversight, particularly where there is a high risk or a concern that existing plans may not be decreasing the level of risk. Where appropriate to provide scrutiny, challenge and guidance.
The meeting serves to triangulate information about children at risk, perpetrators and places of concern, it agrees levels of risk and makes recommendations aimed at reducing the risk.
Up to date information is provided by the Social Worker and those partner Agencies involved with the child.
Where cases are discussed agreed actions are agreed with partner agencies. A case note will be placed on the child's social care file to reflect actions agreed.
Cases are rag rated and tracked until rated 'green'.
Concerns about locations and perpetrators can be submitted to the police through Operation Striver forms and will be considered at the Concerns Network Meeting. Any concerns about an identified child should be referred to Children's Social Care.
This is a multi-agency meeting held bi-monthly to share intelligence relating to suspected CSE with the aim of disrupting potential CSE activities.
The meeting is attended by Children's Social Care, Police, Health including Sexual Health and Public Health, Education, Family Service, Local Authority and Private Sector Residential Care and The Children's Society.
The information submitted by professionals to the Police on Operation Striver forms is shared with partner agencies and Police share general intelligence relating to CSE.
Professionals attending ensure relevant information is appropriately shared in their team/organisation in the context of individual cases.
See Operation Striver form: Striver Information Form.
The Home Office has published a Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit which sets out many of the tools useful for police and other safeguarding professionals to disrupt the sexual and criminal exploitation of children and young people and sets out best practice in information sharing and multi-agency working as well as intelligence and evidence gathering.
Effective early information sharing and intelligence gathering can:
- Help build a coherent picture of risk sources and potential targets for abuse;
- Identify and support a child's needs at the earliest opportunity; reducing the duration of harm and escalation to more serious abuse;
- Help identify and understand the links between different forms of exploitation and hidden, or related, crimes;
- Identify locations being used for the purposes of exploitation;
- Identify networks or individuals who pose a risk to children;
- Provide evidence in applications to the court for civil and criminal orders;
- Enable quicker risk assessment of a potential victim of trafficking; and
- Assist in the development of effective safety plans.
Raising awareness of child sexual exploitation with the wider community including parents and carers as well as public services such as transport and recreation and the business community is important and helps in developing an understanding of the local risks and patterns of offending. Schools have a crucial role in prevention by educating young people to understand the risks especially when young people are involved in developing prevention and awareness resources
Help should be provided in a timely, flexible and ongoing manner. Children and their parents / carers should feel part of the solution and confident they will be believed. Practitioners need to be child focused and adopt a strengths-based, outcomes-focused approach when working with the family.
When specific concerns are identified about child sexual exploitation, it is vital that children and young people receive the services they need, delivered in a way that recognises the complexity of their situation and maximises the likelihood of engagement.
The support / interventions needed will vary according to the individual child/young person, and could encompass preventative / resilience building work or recovery-based interventions.
Work with children and young people who are at risk of or have experienced child sexual exploitation needs to be handled in a sensitive and understanding way.
Practitioners from statutory agencies and voluntary sector organisations together with the child, foster carers, and their family as appropriate, should agree on the services, which should be provided to them and how they will be coordinated. The types of intervention offered should be appropriate to their needs and should take full account of identified risk factors and their individual circumstances. This may include, for example, previous abuse, missing incidents, involvement in gangs and groups and/or child trafficking. Health services provided may include sexual health services and mental health services.
Referrals for support and awareness raising should be made as appropriate and if the child is in agreement, to The Children's Society (County) or NSPCC (City).
For children who are Looked After, concerns raised, and actions planned should be incorporated into the child's Care Plan and Placement Plan and reviewed as part of the Looked After Child Review.
Therapeutic services are available for those children deemed to require this level of support; referrals can be made to The Children's Society (County) or IMARA (City).
Because the effects of child sexual exploitation can last well into adulthood, support may be required over a long period of time. In such circumstances, effective links should be made between children and adult services and statutory and voluntary organisations.
This should be incorporated into the Pathway Plan of children who are Looked After.
Some children and young people will not see themselves as victims, nor want support or intervention. If this is not approached with sensitivity and understanding of the victim's viewpoint, they may be further isolated from the help they need.
Building positive relationships and trust with victims is an essential part of helping to reduce the risk of harm and creating safe spaces for disclosure. Many victims are only able to disclose after the provision of support, months or even years down the line.
If the child continues to have contact with the perpetrator, this should not be misinterpreted as an informed choice or an indication of absence of harm or rejection of support but recognised as part of the complex power dynamic of the abusive relationship, similar to that in some situations of domestic violence and abuse.
Support and services put in place need to be coordinated across all agencies, and it can be helpful to ask the child to identify a key professional who is known and trusted by them and who can be the main point of contact. All support plans must build upon the resources and strengths available to a young person including an understanding of the risks and protective factors in schools, peer groups and local neighbourhoods.
It is important to understand the impact of abuse and trauma on children and young people and the need to work at their pace. Children need to feel confident that they can be protected from harm and that there is a future for them beyond the abuse. There are no quick fixes. Avoid making assumptions about the child and their needs. They may not be ready yet to engage with therapeutic or educational interventions.
Where criminal proceedings are ongoing, special consideration needs to be given to managing the support required for a victim and their family before and during the court process. A victim care strategy should be developed to meet their needs.
In cases of child sexual exploitation, the risk of harm to children is generally external or in the community. Parents and carers are often traumatised and under severe stress. Siblings can feel alienated and their self-esteem can be affected.
Family members (including siblings) can themselves suffer serious threats of abuse, intimidation and assault at the hands of perpetrators.
Where assessment shows it is safe and appropriate to do so, parents and families should be regarded as a part of the solution. As long as they are not a source of risk, parents and carers (and children and young people's wider support networks) offer a very important protective resource.
Parents and carers are usually the people who spend most time with their children, know them best, love them and are invested in their well-being.
Practitioners should adopt a strengths based approach and seek to engage parents as safeguarding partners, empowering them about how to support and protect their child and working with them to enhance protective factors around the child or young person. This might include:
- Helping parents to strengthen their relationships with their children, particularly in understanding teenage development and what makes their child vulnerable;
- Helping parents to obtain a better understanding of child sexual exploitation including the different forms abuse, the grooming process, online abuse etc.);
- Helping parents to understand how their children may respond to trauma and the behaviours they display;
- Being non-judgemental and respectful;
- Giving parents and carers enough information to help them to protect their children;
- Enabling and empowering parents (for example, let them know what type of information to record about suspects and how to share this with the police and Children's Social Care);
- Consider whether there are any barriers to prevent parents accessing support;
- Be mindful when organising the logistics of meetings and explain to them the processes and possible outcomes. This also applies to police investigations.
Child Sexual Exploitation: Definition and Guide for Practitioners (DfE, February 2017) - definition and a guide for practitioners, local leaders and decision makers working to protect children from child sexual exploitation.
Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (GOV.UK)
Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse
Barnardo's - Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation - resources and research on Child Sexual Exploitation.
Child Sexual Exploitation: Practice Tool (2017) (open access) - further background information about child sexual exploitation and additional commentary around some of the complexities of practically responding to the issue.
NSPCC Report Remove Tool - The tool enables young people under the age of 18 to report a nude image or video of themselves which has appeared online. The Internet Watch Foundation will review these reports and work to remove any content which breaks the law.
Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation - Policing and Prevention has a number of resources that may be useful for professionals when working with children and young people, their families and communities including more in depth views of some particular themes and issues identifies in this chapter.
Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit – GOV.UK. The toolkit sets out many of the tools useful for police and other safeguarding professionals to disrupt the sexual and criminal exploitation of children and young people and sets out best practice in information sharing and multi-agency working as well as intelligence and evidence gathering.
Modern Slavery Human Trafficking Centre (MSHTU)
Responding to Child Sexual Exploitation – College of Policing
Child Sexual Abuse – The Children's Commissioner
PACE - PACE works alongside parent, carers of children who are - or at risk of being - sexually exploited by perpetrators external to the family.
Tackling Child Exploitation: Resources Pack (Local Government Association)
Last Updated: July 15, 2024
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