Harm can come from outside the family. Children and adults are drawn in slowly and may not realise that they are being used.
Grooming
Grooming is building trust with a person, and often with their family or carers, in order to harm or exploit them later. It may be done in person or online. Signs of grooming include gifts, money or phones the person cannot explain, a new "friend" who is older, secrecy, and a person being cut off from their family.
Child sexual exploitation (CSE)
CSE is a form of child sexual abuse. A child receives something (gifts, drugs, money, status, affection) in exchange for sexual activity, or is forced or tricked into it. A child under 16 cannot consent. A child of 16 or 17 may appear to agree, but may still be exploited, and is still a child.
Child criminal exploitation (CCE)
CCE happens when a child is made to commit crime: carrying drugs or weapons, shoplifting, moving cash. The child is a victim, even if they seem to take part willingly or have a record.
County lines
County lines is a form of criminal exploitation in which gangs use phone lines to move and sell drugs from cities to other areas, often using children and vulnerable adults. Signs include:
- missing from home or school, or unexplained absences;
- new phones, cash, clothes or trainers;
- rail or coach tickets, or travel to areas they have no reason to visit;
- injuries, fear, or debt to others;
- an adult's home being taken over by others. This is called cuckooing.
Rail, taxi, hotel, fast food, retail and leisure workers are often the people who see these signs. Pass them to your safeguarding lead. If a child or adult is in danger now, call 999.
Modern slavery
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 covers slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking. Victims are often adults, but children are trafficked too. Signs include: no control of their own passport or pay, living at the workplace, fear, signs of injury, and someone else speaking for them.
Concerns are passed to the police. A person can be referred into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the UK system for identifying and supporting victims, by a trained first responder. Most staff report to their safeguarding lead, who knows the route. The Modern Slavery Helpline is 08000 121 700.
Online harm
Four groups of risk are often described:
- content: harmful, violent, sexual or hateful material;
- contact: harmful contact with others, such as groomers;
- conduct: bullying, sharing nude images, pressure to send them;
- commerce: scams, gambling, and financial exploitation.
Sharing a nude image of a person under 18 is a crime, even if the person in the picture sent it themselves. Staff must not look at, copy, forward or delete such an image. Tell your safeguarding lead at once. Sextortion, in which someone threatens to share images unless money is paid, is a growing risk to teenagers. A child can ask for an image to be removed using Report Remove from Childline and the Internet Watch Foundation.
The Online Safety Act 2023 puts duties on online services to protect users, but it does not remove your own duty to report what you see.
Key points
- Exploited children and adults are victims.
- Know the signs of county lines and cuckooing.
- Modern slavery includes forced labour and trafficking.
- Never view, copy or forward an indecent image of a child. Report it.