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Contents

1. Introduction and Key Principles
2. The Child
3. Important Information about Sexual Exploitation
4. Roles and Responsibilities of LSCBs and Individual Organisations
5. Preventing Sexual Exploitation
6. Managing Individual Cases
7. Identifying and Prosecuting Perpetrators

1. Introduction and Key Principles

Sexual exploitation of children and young people has been identified throughout the UK, in both rural and urban areas, and in all parts of the world. It affects boys and young men as well as girls and young women. It is a form of Sexual Abuse and can have a serious impact on every aspect of the lives of children involved.

It is a crime that knows no borders and, as indicated above, can be global in nature. Cross border cooperation is therefore crucial as it is possible that activity in one area may push perpetration across a border, together with the young victims.

Whilst it is not known how prevalent it is, sexual exploitation has become increasingly recognisable as practitioners gain more understanding of grooming and other methods of sexual exploitation and begin to take a proactive and coordinated approach to deal with it.

The sexual exploitation of children is described in the government guidance document as “involving exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where young people (or a third person or persons) receive ‘something’ (e.g. food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, affection, gifts, money) as a result of their performing, and/or another or others performing on them, sexual activities. It can occur through the use of technology without the child’s immediate recognition; e.g. being persuaded to post sexual images on the internet/mobile phones without immediate payment or gain. In all cases, those exploiting the child have power over them by virtue of their age, gender, intellect, physical strength and/or economic or other resources. Violence, coercion and intimidation are common, involvement in exploitative relationships being characterised in the main by the child’s limited availability of choice resulting from their social/economic and/or emotional vulnerability.”

Children involved in any form of sexual exploitation should be treated primarily as the victims of abuse and their needs carefully assessed; the aim should be to protect them from further harm and they should not be treated as criminals. The primary law enforcement response should be directed at perpetrators who groom children for sexual exploitation.

The government guidance requires agencies to work together to:

• Develop local prevention strategies;
• Identify those at risk of sexual exploitation
• Take action to safeguard and promote the welfare of particular children and young people who may be sexually exploited: and
• Take action against those intent on abusing and exploiting children and young people in this way

In doing so, the key principles should be:

• A child-centred approach. Action should be focussed on the child’s needs, including consideration of children with particular needs or sensitivities, and the fact that children do not always acknowledge what may be an exploitative or abusive situation
• A proactive approach. This should be focussed on prevention, early identification and intervention as well as disrupting activity and prosecuting perpetrators
• Parenting, family life, and services. Taking account of family circumstances in deciding how best to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people
• The rights of children and young people. Children and young people are entitled to be safeguarded from sexual exploitation just as agencies have duties in respect of safeguarding and promoting welfare
• Responsibility for criminal acts. Sexual exploitation of children and young people should not be regarded as criminal behaviour on the part of the child or young person, but as child sexual abuse. The responsibility for the sexual exploitation of children lies with the abuser and the focus of police investigations should be on those who coerce, exploit and abuse children and young people
• An integrated approach. Working Together to Safeguard Children sets out a tiered approach to safeguarding: universal, targeted and responsive. Within this, sexual exploitation requires a three-pronged approach tackling prevention, protection and prosecution
• A shared responsibility. The need for effective joint working between different agencies and professionals underpinned by a strong commitment from managers, a shared understanding of the problem of sexual exploitation and effective coordination by the Local Safeguarding Children Board

2. The Child

Any child or young person may be at risk of sexual exploitation, regardless of their family background or other circumstances.

Sexual exploitation results in children and young people suffering harm, and causes significant damage to their physical and mental health. It can also have profound and damaging consequences for the child’s family. Parents and carers are often traumatised and under severe stress. Siblings can feel alienated and their self-esteem affected. Family members can themselves suffer serious threats of abuse, intimidation and assault at the hands of perpetrators.

There are strong links between children involved in sexual exploitation and other behaviours such as running away from home or care, bullying, self-harm, teenage pregnancy, truancy and substance misuse.  In addition, some children are particularly vulnerable, for example, children with special needs, those in residential or foster care, those leaving care, migrant children, unaccompanied asylum seeking children, forced marriage and those involved in gangs.

The majority of sexually exploited children are hidden from public view. They are unlikely to be loitering or soliciting on the streets. Research and practice has helped to move the understanding away from a narrow view of seeing sexual exploitation as a young person standing on a street corner selling sex.

There is also often a presumption that children are sexually exploited by people they do not know. However evidence shows that this is often not the case and children are often sexually exploited by people with whom they feel they have a relationship, e.g. a boyfriend/girlfriend.

Due to the nature of the grooming methods used by their abusers, it is very common for children and young people who are sexually exploited not to recognise that they are being abused.  Practitioners should be aware that particularly young people aged 17 and 18 may believe themselves to be acting voluntarily and will need practitioners to work with them so they can recognise that they are being sexually exploited.

3. Important Information about Sexual Exploitation

Sexual exploitation can take many forms from the seemingly ‘consensual’ relationship where sex is exchanged for attention, accommodation or gifts, to serious organised crime and child trafficking.

What marks out exploitation is an imbalance of power within the relationship. The perpetrator always holds some kind of power over the victim, increasing the dependence of the victim as the exploitative relationship develops.

Technology can play a part in sexual abuse, for example, through its use to record abuse and share it with other like-minded individuals or as a medium to access children and young people in order to groom them. A common factor in all cases is the lack of free economic or moral choice.

Sexual exploitation has strong links with other forms of ‘crime’, for example, domestic violence, online and offline grooming, the distribution of abusive images of children and child trafficking. Many adults involved in prostitution describe difficult childhood experiences that include domestic violence, neglect, emotional abuse, disrupted schooling and low educational attainment.

The perpetrators of sexual exploitation are often well organised and use sophisticated tactics. They are known to target areas where children and young people gather without much adult supervision, e.g. parks or shopping centres or sites on the Internet.

4. Roles and Responsibilities of Local Safeguarding Children Boards and Individual Organisations

Work to tackle sexual exploitation should follow the same principles as addressing other forms of abuse or neglect.

The Government Guidance requires that all Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) should ensure their policies and procedures regarding sexual exploitation reflect their local areas. Particular procedures should specify:

• How to identify signs of sexual exploitation
• How professionals can seek help and advice on this issue
• How professionals should share information within government guidelines
• The establishment of Lead Professionals in the key agencies, the routes for referring concerns and how concerns about sexual exploitation relate to thresholds for referral to Children’s Social Care
• How professionals can work together to deliver disruption plans
• How professional can gather and preserve the integrity of evidence about perpetrators of sexual exploitation
• The process and possible responses for supporting children and young people identified at being at risk of sexual exploitation
• How to work with other local authority areas where children who have been sexually exploited are thought to have lived
• How to deal with issues relating to migrant children in situations which make them vulnerable to sexual exploitation
• How to manage situations of sexual exploitation through the use of technology such as the internet

LSCBs should ensure there is a dedicated lead person in each partner organisation with responsibility for implementing the government guidance and that work in its area with children and young people who have been or are likely to be sexually exploited is coordinated.

All organisations that provide services for, or work with children, need to have arrangements in place which fulfil their commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children by ensuring that:

• Safeguarding training and refresher training includes an awareness of sexual exploitation, how to identify the warning signs, together with the recording and retention of information and gathering evidence
• Their policies for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people are compatible with the LSCB policies and procedures
• Information sharing protocols are in place and working well so that relevant information is shared where this is in the best interest of the child

The specific roles and responsibilities of individual agencies in implementing the government guidance are set out in Chapter 4 of the guidance.

5. Preventing Sexual Exploitation

The effects of sexual exploitation are harmful and far reaching and Chapter 5 of the Government Guidance looks at measures that may assist a local prevention strategy.

Prevention means that the risk that children and young people will become victims of sexual exploitation by:

• Reducing their vulnerability
• Improving their resilience
• Disrupting and preventing the activities of perpetrators
• Reducing tolerance of exploitative behaviour
• Prosecuting abusers

Prevention measures will include the development of education and awareness raising programmes for children and young people so that they can make safe and healthy choices about relationships and sexual health, as well as for parents and carers (particularly those responsible for children living away from home) and people whose work places them in a position where they would notice and could report worrying behaviours (e.g. shopkeepers, park attendants and hostel managers) who are not traditionally regarded as part of the safeguarding community.

6. Managing Individual Cases

6.1 Identification of Risk and Possible Indicators

Anyone who has regular contact with children is in a good position to notice changes in behaviour and physical signs that may indicate involvement in sexual exploitation.

They should also know how to monitor online spaces and be prepared to request access reports where they are suspicious that a child is being groomed online.

The fact that a young person is 16 or 17 years old should not be taken as a sign they are no longer at risk of sexual exploitation.

The factors below are recognised as factors linked to sexual exploitation. It is not an exhaustive list and each indicator is not in itself proof of involvement. Concerns should increase the more indicators that are present. They are:

• Health – physical symptoms e.g. bruising, chronic fatigue, recurring or multiple sexually transmitted diseases; pregnancy and/or seeking an abortion; evidence of drug, alcohol or substance misuse; sexually risky behaviour
• Education – truancy; disengagement with education; considerable change in performance at school
• Emotional and behavioural development – volatile behaviour exhibiting extreme array of mood swings or use of abusive language; involvement in petty crime; secretive behaviour; entering or leaving vehicles driven by unknown adults
• Identity – low self-image; low self-esteem; self-harm; eating disorder; promiscuity
• Family and social relationships – hostility in relationship with parents, carers and/or other family members; physical aggressions towards parents, siblings, pets, teachers or peers; placement breakdown; detachment from age appropriate activities; association with other young people who are known to be sexually exploited; sexual relationship with a significantly older person; unexplained relationships with older adults (e.g. through letters, texts, internet links); staying out overnight or returning late with no plausible explanation; persistently missing or missing with no known home base; returning after having been missing looking well cared for with no known home base; going missing and being found in an area where the child has no known links
• Social presentation – change in appearance; leaving home in clothing unusual for the child e.g. inappropriate for age
• Parental capacity – family history of parental neglect or abuse
• Family and environmental factors – family history of domestic violence; pattern of homelessness
• 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
• Family’s social integration – reports that the child has been seen in places known to be used for sexual exploitation

Possible indicators specific to boys and young men are:

• Health – physical symptoms (e.g. bruising or sexually transmitted infections); drug or alcohol misuse; self-harm or eating disorders
• Education – truancy, deterioration of school work or part-time timetable
• Emotional and behavioural development – secretive e.g. about internet use; anti-social behaviour; sexualised language; sexually offending behaviour
• Family and social relationships – associating with other children and young people at risk of sexual exploitation; missing from home or staying out late; getting into cars of unknown people; contact with adults outside normal social group
• Identity – low self-esteem, poor self-image or lack of confidence
• Social presentation – wearing an unusual amount of clothing
• Income – social activities with no explanation of how funded; possession of abnormal amounts of money, gifts, new mobile phones, credit on mobile phone, number of SIM cards
• Social integration – frequenting known high-risk areas or going to addresses of concern; seen at public toilets known for cottaging; seen at adult venues

As in all cases, concerns that a child may be at risk of sexual exploitation should be discussed with a manager and/or designated professional for safeguarding and a decision made as to whether there should be a referral to Children’s Social Care.

The wishes and feelings of the child or young person should be obtained when deciding how to proceed but practitioners should be aware that perpetrators may have groomed the child’s responses and that the child may be denying what is happening.

Where an agency is fearful of losing the engagement of a child or young person by reporting their concern to Children’s Social Care, the agency should discuss this with Children’s Social Care to agree a way forward. Any decision not to share information or refer a child should be fully recorded.

See also Information Sharing and Confidentiality Procedure

6.2 Referral

Professionals who refer to (CSC) by telephone must submit their referral in writing within 48 hours. See Referrals Procedure, Section 7 - Making a Referral.

Children's Social Care must decide and record their proposed action within one working day of receiving the referral (See Referrals Procedure, Section 8, How Referrals will be Received). This decision should normally follow discussion with the referrer and other involved professionals, as well as the consideration of any background information already held by Children's Social Care.

Children's Social Care will inform the Children's Safeguarding and Reviewing Unit of the referral and agree their proposed action.

Where Children's Social Care decide to take no further action, this decision must be recorded and the referrer must be informed. Children's Social Care may decide with the referrer, that whilst there is no evidence of sexual exploitation, the child may still appear vulnerable and that an assessment under CAF (Common Assessment Framework) should be undertaken by the involved agencies, if one has not already been undertaken. The CAF procedure is set out on the Bradford Metropolitan District Council’s website.

The outcome of the referral will be:

• That the child appears to be a Child in Need and there are concerns about the child's health or development or any actual or potential harm which justify an Initial Assessment (which may be very brief, where the criteria for undertaking a Section 47 Enquiry is met) and/or
• That emergency protective action should be taken to safeguard the child/ren (this will usually be determined by immediate strategy discussions) or
• Where the child is already known and new information suggests the child is or may be suffering significant harm. That a Section 47 and/or a new or updated Core Assessment is required or
• That a referral to another agency and/or provision of advice and information and/or a CAF assessment be undertaken by a relevant agency, with  no further action  required by Children's Social Care

Children’s social Care (CSC) will inform the Children's Safeguarding and Reviewing Unit of the referral outcome.

See: Referral Procedure, Section 10, The Outcome of a Referral.

6.3 Section 17 Core Assessment

Where there are no substantiated concerns that the child may be suffering, or likely to suffer significant harm, but the Initial Assessment indicates that the child may be in need and vulnerable to sexual exploitation, a Core Assessment under Section 17 CA 1989 should be undertaken to more fully understand the child's needs and circumstances.

Team Around The Child Meetings - click here for explanation.

A child in need: Team around the Child (TAC) Meeting should be convened by (CSC). The purpose and remit of the meeting will be to agree and plan with the family and the involved agencies, what actions should be undertaken, by whom and what outcomes are required. This will include whether a plan for ensuring the child's future safety should be developed and implemented and whether services should be provided.

6.4 Strategy Discussion, Section 47 Enquiries and Core Assessment

The Role of Children's Social Care (CSC)

When a child is suspected of suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm, the Local Authority is required by S47 of the Children Act to make enquiries, to enable it to decide whether it should take any action to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child. See Section 47 Enquiries and Core Assessment Procedure.

Children’s Social Care (CSC) will convene a Strategy discussion, which must involve the Police, the referring agency, involved and relevant agencies and the medical consultant where a child is receiving hospital treatment and/or requires a medical examination.

The Children's Safeguarding and Reviewing Unit must be involved in the Strategy discussion and will advise on whether a Strategy Meeting needs to take place, as well as agreeing the Chair and attendance list. This decision will be informed by the available evidence, the complexity of the case, the view of the Police and whether there are a number of children and young people believed to be involved, as well as the identification of the abuser/s. See Strategy Discussions Procedure.

The Role of the Police

Throughout West Yorkshire, the Police involved with Child Sexual Exploitation include:

• The Child and Public Protection Unit (CPPU), who assist with interviewing child victims and investigating allegations of familial, organised and serious sexual abuse
• The Criminal Investigations Department (CID), who investigate allegations of grooming, including internet offences and sexual exploitation
• The Divisional Missing Person Coordinators, who assist with locating the missing young person and adopt a partnership problem solving approach to prevent young people from going missing again

The Police have the lead role in the investigation, detection and disruption of crime in relation to the abuse of children through sexual exploitation.

The Outcome of Section 47 Enquiries and the Core Assessment

The outcome of Section 47 enquires and the Core Assessment must be concluded, as set out under Section 47 Enquiries and Core Assessment Procedure.

The outcome of the Section 47 must be recorded and concluded under one of the following categories:

1. Concerns are substantiated and the child is judged to be at continuing risk of significant harm
   
   Where the agencies most involved judge that a child may continue to suffer, or be at risk of suffering, significant harm, CSC must convene a Child Protection Case Conference. See Initial Child Protection Conference Procedure.
2. Concerns are substantiated, but the child is not judged to be at continuing risk of significant harm
   
   The original concerns may have been substantiated but it is agreed between the involved agencies, the child and family, that a plan for ensuring the child's future safety and welfare can be developed and implemented, without a Child Protection Case Conference and Child Protection Plan being put in place. In these circumstances, CSC will convene a Team around the Child (TAC) Planning Meeting. This judgement requires careful consideration and can only be made by a suitable qualified social work manager, and in light of all relevant information obtained during the Section 47 enquires and a completed Core Assessment.
3. Concerns are not substantiated
   
   Section 47 enquires may not have substantiated the original concerns about the child being at risk of, or suffering, significant harm, but the child is identified as being in need and an appropriate plan and any required services put in place, to respond to any identified needs. In these circumstances, CSC will convene a Team around the Child (TAC) Planning Meeting.
4. Concerns are not substantiated
   
   No further action is required.

The Children's Safeguarding and Reviewing Unit must be informed of the outcome of the S47 and the Core Assessment.

In respect of outcomes listed under Point 2 and 3 above, a  child in need Team Around the Child (TAC) Planning Meeting should be convened by CSC at the end of the Section 47 enquires and the Core Assessment, to agree what actions should be undertaken, by whom and what outcomes are required for the child's health and development. This will include, whether a plan for ensuring the child's future safety should be developed and implemented and whether services should be provided.

6.5 Immediate Protection

Where immediate action to safeguard a child is required, it may involve removing the child from the home of a person who is exploiting them to a safe place. However, those working with children in these circumstances must never underestimate the power of perpetrators to find where the child is.

Such children will need placements with carers who have experience of building trusting relationships and skills at containing young people.

A decision to place a child or young person in secure accommodation should only be considered in extreme circumstances, when they are at grave risk of Significant Harm. In cases where the child is under the age of 13, the approval of the Secretary of State must be sought.

6.6 Intervention and Support

Agencies should recognise that there may be a strong relationship between the child and the coercer/abuser and it may be difficult for the child to break this relationship.

A strategy should therefore be developed, with the child and family wherever possible, to address the child’s needs and help him or her to move on from the exploitative situation. It could include specialist therapeutic support, mentoring to assist a return to education or employment, outreach work, help to secure appropriate health services, and assistance to develop a positive network of friends and relatives.

The particular circumstances of the child should of course be taken into account in developing the multi agency response and the plan for services should be tailored to meet their specific needs, e.g. whether they are Looked After and/or preparing to leave care, not receiving a suitable education, often missing from home or care, may have been trafficked and/or may be affected by gang activity.

Parents should be engaged in this process unless they are implicated in the sexual exploitation.

Annex C of the Government Guidance contains information (and a diagram) about service provision. This is intended to assist professionals to decide what types of intervention and supportive action will be required for children and young people at any given time.

7. Identifying and Prosecuting Perpetrators

Identifying, disrupting and prosecuting perpetrators is a key part of work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people from sexual exploitation.

While the police and criminal justice agencies lead on this, the support of all partners in gathering and recording information/evidence is vital. All those involved in caring for a child who is suspected to be at risk of sexual exploitation should continually gather, record and share information, as appropriate, to this end. Parents and carers should be encouraged and supported to do so, ensuring that information is recorded in such a way that it can be used by the Crown Prosecution Service and accepted in Court.

Where a young person wants and is able to be part of a prosecution, it is essential that they are supported through this process and after the prosecution has taken place. Many of the issues facing young victims and witnesses are addressed in a CPS 2006 Policy document on prosecuting cases involving children and young people as victims and witnesses.

There is a range of criminal offences that perpetrators may have committed, e.g. under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Immigration offences may also be relevant, as well as drugs offences, tax evasion or benefit fraud. Annex A of the Government Guidance sets out details of the legislative framework.

IMPACT Nominal Index (INI) is a new police-led information management system. It enables an investigator in one police force to identify which other police force holds relevant information on a given individual and is available to assist in the protection of children and young people from sexual exploitation.

In addition the National Offender Management Service, whose focus is the management and supervision of offenders, can assist to ensure that offenders are managed so as to protect children from sexual exploitation by maintaining awareness of the indicators set out in Section 6.1 of this chapter.

Footnote/Explanation - Team around the Child Planning Meetings

Where as Strategy discussions/meetings are convened under S47 of the Children Act 1989, Team around the Child Meetings are convened where an Initial Assessment has indicated that a child is a 'child in need', as defined under S17 of the Children Act 1989, but there are no substantiated concerns that the child may be suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm. The purpose of the meeting will be to agree with the family and involved/relevant agencies, what interventions and service (if any) should be provided  and to agree a plan,  including any further assessment.

End