- Child Exploitation
- Safeguarding Children at Child Sexual Exploitation Procedures and Practice Guidance
- County Lines
- Annual Report – Analysis of CSE In Croydon
- CSE Principles – The ALEXI Project with University of Bedfordshire
- Missing Children
- Annual Report – Missing
- Return Home Interview – Key Messages
- ‘See Us, Hear Us, Help Us’
- Runaway Helpline
- Safer London
- The Missing Project
- Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups
- Child Trafficking
Child Exploitation
Child Exploitation can come in different forms and often affects older children and young people.
- Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) – may involve in-Borough drug dealing, storing weapons or drugs for others, performing sexual acts on others under coercion, committing offences under coercion and county lines drug trafficking.
- Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) – may involve sexual exploitation through digital and social media, or through groups or gangs, older boyfriend or girlfriend or peers
If you consider a child or young person to be a risk a referral to the Single Point of Contact (SPoC) should be made.
In order to help you identify the level and area of risk use the Croydon Child Exploitation Screening Tool. Download and complete this form and include it in your referral to SPoC.
Croydon Child Exploitation Screening Tool (MACE Screening Tool)
Safeguarding Children at Child Sexual Exploitation Procedures and Practice Guidance
Croydon MACE Referral – Guidance
Croydon Child Exploitation Process and Referral to MACE – Flowchart
CSE London Operating Protocol June 2017
London Board Practice Guidance Safeguarding Children at Risk of CSE (January 2016)
It is important the when talking to young people who are being exploited or at risk of being exploited, that the right language is used. Use this guidance to help you – CSE Appropriate Language
For further resources, toolkits, guidance and research on preventing and responding to the exploitation of young people, take a look at the CSE Police and Prevention website
County Lines
County lines is a police term for urban gangs supplying drugs to suburban areas and market and coastal towns using dedicated mobile phone lines or ‘deal lines’. It involves child criminal exploitation (CCE) as gangs use children and vulnerable people to move drugs and money.
This guidance is primary aimed at front line staff who work with children, young people and potentially young adults.
Criminal Exploitation of children and vulnerable adults
Annual Report – Analysis of CSE In Croydon
This report looks at the developing patterns and behaviours in Child Sexual Exploitation, it should be read in-conjunction with the annual CSCB Missing Children annual Report Nov 15
A great deal has been accomplished strategically, culturally and developmentally, in Croydon over the past twelve months. The investigative model developed through Operation Raptor has now become a national model of excellence in working with CSE. MOPAC have recognised Croydon as a ‘sector leader’ in combating CSE and Safer London consider Croydon a flag ship borough in responding to CSE. Croydon Council supported a Congress focused on CSE which galvanised the community to respond to CSE.
If you would like to read more, please contact the CSCB for a copy of the report.
CSE Principles – The ALEXI Project with University of Bedfordshire
The participation strand of the Alexi Project included focus groups with young people in different Hub and Spoke projects, asking them about their experiences of CSE services. Working with a Young Researcher’s Advisory Panel, the project synthesized the messages into 10 principles for working with young people affected by CSE. The artist Una was then commissioned to illustrate the principles and have turned these principles into 10 postcards, that can be shared online and in print form with professionals.
Open the postcards in pdf here
Missing Children
CPCs – guidance for professionals – July 2018
DfE statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care
Effective Responses to children missing from home, school or care is an Ofsted Learning From Inspections Report following the inspection of several Local Authorities including Croydon. Published in 2016 it provides examples of challenge and good practice.
Annual Report – Missing
This reflective summary of the work carried out in Croydon during the period September 2015 to August 2016 details the response to missing children. Josies Story is told to help focus the reader on the real young people affected. There is also a section on the celebrations of the good work carried out by the partnership.
Missing Annual Report Mar 2017
Return Home Interview – Key Messages
Return Home Interviews – Key Message March 2016
‘See Us, Hear Us, Help Us’
A specially-commissioned film ‘See Us, Hear Us, Help Us’ featuring a local young person talking about her own experiences of sexual exploitation was shown for the first time at the Croydon Congress Meeting on 26 November 2015. The film commissioned by Croydon Council portrays the devastating impact that this issue has on people’s lives.
At the Croydon Congress delegates were asked to support the ‘Say Something if you See Something’ Campaign jointly run by Croydon Council, the Metropolitan Police and the London Safeguarding Children Board. Speakers called on professionals and members of the community to work together to raise awareness and stop child sexual exploitation. Delegates made pledges on behalf of their organisations as to what steps they planned to take. This included:
- Taxi firms committing to train staff to look for warning signs
- Taxis displaying helpline numbers
- Head teachers including exploitation in the sex education curriculum
- Charities to promote their services
- Young people will look out for signs of their friends being exploited
- Young people to support friends if they see a problem.
The discussions and recommendations put forward at the Croydon Congress have formed the basis of a follow up report which was presented to Croydon’s Cabinet on 22 February 2016.
Runaway Helpline
The Runaway Helpline has been supporting young people for many years and is run by the UK charity Missing People.
Contact by Freephone 116000, TXT 116000 or email 116000@runawayhelpline.org.uk.
Download the Runaway Helpline poster or information for professionals.
Download the #SaySomething poster.
Safer London
The Safer London has produced a report giving an overview and analysis of Croydon’s CSE profile.
Safer London – CSE Final Report May 2015
The Missing Project
Croydon has a high volume of missing young people, the borough has one of the largest statistics in the country. To tackle this issue a partnership project has been set up between Croydon Council, Safer London and the NSPCC to support children and young people who go missing. The project provides return home interviews for all children under 18 who are reported missing. When carried out by a charity worker these interviews can be very effective in learning the details of the child’s missing episode and what future support can be put in place. The project also provides 1:1 support and advocacy for young people aged 11 – 18 years, along with consultation and support for professionals and parents/carers.
The Missing Project will be carrying out targeted education programmes in schools and training around the issue for professionals. The aim of the project is to reduce missing episodes for vulnerable young people and reduce the possibility of them coming to any future harm. For further information on the project and how to refer in please contact Emily Wareham at 07734955899 emily.wareham@croydon.gov.uk and for information on Return Home Interviews contact Peter Swann at 07834498372, peter.swan@nspcc.org.uk.
Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups
This Inquiry provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of the scale and nature of sexual exploitation of gangs and groups and practice responses to this issue.
“If only someone had listened” Final Report November 2013
An up to date checklist of ‘warning signs and vulnerabilities’ can be viewed in Appendix 3 on page 108.
