Safeguarding Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation

he sexual exploitation of children and young people has been identified throughout the UK, in both rural and urban areas … It robs children of their childhood and can have a serious long-term impact on every aspect of their lives, health and education. It damages the lives of families and carers and can lead to family break-ups…. Children who are sexually exploited are the victims of sexual abuse and should be safeguarded from further harm. Sexually exploited children should not be regarded as criminals and the primary law enforcement response must be directed at perpetrators who groom children for sexual exploitation. (p 4)

Any child or young person may be at risk of sexual exploitation, regardless of their family background or other circumstances. This includes boys and young men as well as girls and young women. However, some groups are particularly vulnerable. These include children and young people who have a history of running away or of going missing from home, those with special needs, those in and leaving residential and foster care, migrant children, unaccompanied asylum seeking children, children who have disengaged from education and children who are abusing drugs and alcohol, and those involved in gangs (p 17). (Safeguarding Children and Young people from Sexual Exploitation, 2009).

Child sexual exploitation takes different forms - from a seemingly 'consensual' relationship where sex is exchanged for attention, affection, accommodation or gifts, to serious organised crime and child trafficking. Child sexual exploitation involves differing degrees of abusive activities, including coercion, intimidation or enticement, unwanted pressure from peers to have sex, sexual bullying (including online), and grooming for sexual activity. There is increasing concern about the role of technology in Sexual Abuse, including via social networking and other internet sites and mobile phones. The key issue in relation to child sexual exploitation is the imbalance of power within the 'relationship'. The perpetrator always has power over the victim, increasing the dependence of the victim as the exploitative relationship develops.

Many children and young people are groomed into sexually exploitative relationships but there are other forms of coercion. These vulnerabilities can be exploited by perpetrators meaning that some young people are encouraged to exchange sexual acts for rewards such as drugs, alcohol, money or gifts. Others may use the child's situation regarding lack of accommodation or money as a result of homelessness and experiences of poverty as an opportunity by others to sexually exploit them. Some young people have been bullied and threatened into sexual activities by peers or gangs which is then used against them as a form of extortion and to keep them compliant.

Children and young people may have already been sexually exploited before they are referred to children's social care; others may become targets of perpetrators whilst living at home or during placements. They are often the focus of perpetrators of Sexual Abuse due to their vulnerability. All staff and foster carers should therefore create an environment which educates children and young people about child sexual exploitation, involving relevant outside agencies where appropriate. They should encourage them to discuss any such concerns with them, another member of staff, or with someone from a specialist child sexual exploitation project, and also feel able to share any such concerns about their friends.

Staff and foster carers should receive training on child sexual exploitation, and therefore be aware of the key indicators of child sexual exploitation. They include:

Health

• Physical symptoms (bruising suggestive of either physical or sexual assault);
• Chronic fatigue;
• Recurring or multiple sexually transmitted infections;
• Pregnancy and/or seeking an abortion;
• Evidence of drug, alcohol or other substance misuse;
• Sexually risky behaviour.

Education

• Truancy/disengagement with education or considerable change in performance at school.

Emotional and Behavioural Issues

• Volatile behaviour exhibiting extreme array of mood swings or use of abusive language;
• Involvement in petty crime such as shoplifting, stealing;
• Secretive behaviour;
• Entering or leaving vehicles driven by unknown adults;
• Reports of being seen in places known to be used for sexual exploitation, including public toilets known for cottaging or adult venues (pubs and clubs).

Identity

• Low self-image, low self-esteem, self-harming behaviour, e.g. cutting, overdosing, eating disorder, promiscuity.

Relationships

• Hostility in relationships with staff, family members as appropriate and significant others;
• Physical aggression;
• Placement breakdown;
• Reports from reliable sources (e.g. family, friends or other professionals) suggesting the likelihood of the young person being sexually exploited;
• Detachment from age-appropriate activities;
• Associating with other young people who are known to be sexually exploited;
• Known to be sexually active;
• Sexual relationship with a significantly older person, or younger person who is suspected of being abusive;
• Unexplained relationships with older adults;
• Possible inappropriate use of the Internet and forming relationships, particularly with adults, via the Internet;
• Phone calls, text messages or letters from unknown adults;
• Adults or older young people loitering outside the home;
• Persistently missing, staying out overnight or returning late with no plausible explanation;
• Returning after having been missing, looking well cared for in spite of having no known home base;
• Missing for long periods, with no known home base;
• Going missing and being found in areas where they have no known links.

Please note: Whilst the focus is often on older men as perpetrators, younger men and women may also be involved and staff should be aware of this possibility.

Social Presentation

• Change in appearance;
• Going out dressed in clothing unusual for them (inappropriate for age, borrowing clothing from older young people).

Family and Environmental Factors

• History of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse; neglect; domestic violence; parental difficulties.

Housing

• Pattern of previous street homelessness;
• Having keys to premises other than those known about.

Income

• Possession of large amounts of money with no plausible explanation;
• Acquisition of expensive clothes, mobile phones or other possessions without plausible explanation;
• Accounts of social activities with no plausible explanation of the source of necessary funding.

This list is not exhaustive.

Staff and foster carers should be aware that many children and young people who are sexually exploited do not see themselves as victims. In such situations, discussions with them about concerns should be handled with great sensitivity. Seeking prior advice from specialist agencies may be useful. This should not involve disclosing personal, identifiable information at this stage.

In assessing whether a child or young person is a victim of sexual exploitation, or at risk, careful consideration should be given to the issue of consent. 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 activity including sexualised touching;
• Sexual activity with a child under 16 is also 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;
• 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;
• Legally consent requires a person to have Choice, Freedom and Capacity. If a person done not have either of these then it is ‘Non-consensual’ sex and thus should be viewed as rape whatever the age of the victim;
• If the victim is incapacitated through drink or drugs, or the victim or his or her 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.

The child sexual exploitation training staff and foster carers receive should also include what information should be given to the police in such cases, for example vehicle registration numbers, names, physical descriptions. It may also include what action staff should take in the case of suspected sexual or physical abuse in order to protect potential evidence, which may be useful in the case of an alleged perpetrator being prosecuted.

A significant number of children and young people who are being sexually exploited may go Missingfrom home or care, and education. Some go missing frequently; the more often they go missing the more vulnerable they are to being sexually exploited. If a child does go missing, the Children Missing from Home or Care Procedure should be followed.

Independent Return Interviews with the child or young person can help in establishing why they went missing and the subsequent support that may be required, as well as preventing repeat incidents. Information gathered from return interviews can be used to inform the identification, Referral and Assessment of any child sexual exploitation cases and competed return interview forms should be forwarded to TVP Misper officer.

See Initial Contacts and Referrals Procedure.

Where a member of staff or foster carer is concerned that a child or young person is currently being or at risk of, sexual exploitation, they should contact the allocated social worker, or in their absence the social work team manager at the earliest opportunity. If neither can be contacted or no response is received, they should contact the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), children’s social care. Staff or foster carers should also contact the police, if they are concerned a crime has been, or may be, committed. The use of the MKSCB CSE screening tool will be able to help with quantifying CSE concerns and can guide the referrer in outlining clearly their fears regarding the child’s safety. The screening tool should never be seen a s a tick box exercise and must be used as an aid to outlining and analysing the risks for the child.

If, following Assessment, the social worker and their manager decide action needs to be taken to protect the child, the Milton Keynes Together Procedures will be instigated.

• If the child /YP is open to Thames Valley Police (TVP) CSE officer, then the social worker continues to liaise and update TVP CSE Officer as required. However if the child/YP is not open to TVP CSE Team then worker must complete the MKLSCB Screening tool. If after this assessment it is identified that TVP need to become involved then a referral must be made to TVP by calling 101 and requesting an ‘CP Occurrence’ this will ensure concerns are passed directly to the appropriate department for assessment;
• Any CSE indicators that do not reach a high threshold or are not viewed as significant in their own right to warrant a referral should be re-reviewed if CSE concerns persist. Consultation with team manager or CSE team can occur, and if these risks are substantiated then a referral must be made to TVP following the procedure outlined above;
• CSE case needs to be ‘Flagged’ on ICS after consultation with team manager and reviewed on a regular basis. All CSE cases need to have had a SOS Mapping with management overview. The case is then regularly reviewed through supervision with a SOS Safety plan providing the initial risk assessment;
• All CSC staff should be sharing CSE intelligence to FIHMiltonKeynes@thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk using the Buckinghamshire Partners Intelligence Submission Form. All information shared must be in accordance with UK Government guidance ‘Information sharing Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers’ (2015).

If a social worker requires checks to be made against a person of concern then information to be sought via the TVP officers attached to MASH using current protocols. Foster carers should also contact their social worker / fostering agency at the earliest opportunity, or for advice if they first want to discuss their concerns.

If the child or young person is not deemed to be in need, the social worker should consider onward referral to relevant agencies. This should include liaison with the member of staff or foster carer who made the referral.

Staff from statutory agencies and voluntary sector organisations together with the child or young person, foster carers, and his / her 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. Advice should be sought from the nearest specialist service which works with children and young people were it is suspected that a child is being sexual exploited. A referral should be made as appropriate, if the child or young person is in agreement.

For children who are Looked After issues 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.

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. For young people who are Looked After, this should be incorporated into their Pathway Plan. 

The police and criminal justice agencies lead on the identification and prosecution of perpetrators. All practitioners, however, have a role in gathering, recording and sharing information with the police and other agencies, as appropriate and in agreement with them.

Staff and foster carers should bear in mind that sexual exploitation often does not occur in isolation and has links to other crime types, including:

• Child trafficking (into, out of and within the UK);
• Domestic Abuse;
• Sexual violence in intimate relationships;
• Grooming (both online and offline);
• Abusive images of children and their distribution (organised abuse);
• Organised sexual abuse of children;
• Drugs-related offences (dealing, consuming and cultivating);
• Gang-related activity;
• Immigration-related offences;
• Domestic servitude.

Where alleged perpetrators are arrested and charged with offences against children or young people, allocated staff and foster carers should ensure they are supported throughout the prosecution process and beyond. Specialist agencies should be involved in supporting the child or young person, as required. This may include using special measures to protect them when giving evidence in court for example. Independent Sexual Violence Advisers or specialist voluntary sector services, if available, may also have an important role to play.

The Child Sex Offender Review (CSOR) Disclosure Scheme is designed to provide members of the public with a formal mechanism to ask for disclosure about people they are concerned about, who have unsupervised access to children and may therefore pose a risk. This scheme builds on existing, well established third-party disclosures that operate under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA).

Police will reveal details confidentially to the person most able to protect the child (usually parents, carers or guardians) if they think it is in the child’s interests.

The scheme has been operating in all 43 police areas in England and Wales since 2010. The scheme is managed by the Police and information can only be accessed through direct application to them.

If a disclosure is made, the information must be kept confidential and only used to keep the child in question safe. Legal action may be taken if confidentiality is breached. A disclosure is delivered in person (as opposed to in writing) with the following warning:

• 'That the information must only be used for the purpose for which it has been shared i.e. in order to safeguard children;
• The person to whom the disclosure is made will be asked to sign an undertaking that they agree that the information is confidential and they will not disclose this information further;
• A warning should be given that legal proceedings could result if this confidentiality is breached. This should be explained to the person and they must sign the undertaking’ (Home Office, 2011, p16).

If the person is unwilling to sign the undertaking, the police must consider whether the disclosure should still take place.

Child Sexual Exploitation: Definition and Guide for Practitioners (DfE, February 2017)

Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation: Progress Report - gives an update on action the government is taking to deal with child sexual exploitation.

Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation: A Resource Pack for Councils - includes case studies

Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse

Barnardo's - Child Sexual 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.

Child Sexual Abuse - The Children's Commissioner

Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) for the 21st Century, Brook, PSHE Association and Sex Education Forum, 2014

The Foundations of Abuse: A thematic assessment of the risk of child sexual abuse by adults in institutions, CEOP, 2013

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) website

The sexual exploitation of children: it couldn’t happen here, could it?, Ofsted, 2014

Information sharing: Advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers, HM Government

Click here to view Appendix 1: Child Exploitation Indicator Tool.