As a practitioner if you are worried about a child in relation to possible exploitation then you need to complete the Child Exploitation Risk identifying tool. The LSCP website has a vast amount of information around process and guidance in relation to safeguarding children so please utilise this.
Emerging/Low risk
- On completion of the tool the child may be identified as low/emerging risk. If low then please consider early intervention, what support can the family benefit from? What will parents consent to? Will they agree to an early help plan and who is best to lead this? We always need to ensure full communication with parents and carers; do they understand the risks and concerns? Are they protective?
- Consider what third sector agencies would benefit the child or family e.g. Basis, St Giles, Catch, Getaway Girls.
- Also consider a referral into child focussed MACE Multi-Agency Child Exploitation Framework (leeds.gov.uk)
- This is a multi-agency meeting which considers children vulnerable to and at risk of exploitation. The meeting will consider children regardless of whether or not they are open to services. The referral needs to be completed and sent to CHSMace@Leeds.gov.uk
- Share INTEL-as noted above it is imperative that we share information when we are concerned around a child being at risk. This can include nicknames of drugs dealers, areas children are associating in, names of buildings or businesses that children are spending time in etc.
- Best practice is that we always include family in discussions and decisions, please ensure that you share your concerns with the child’s parents, include them in next steps and help them to feel empowered and supported to be as protective as possible.
- Who has the best relationship with the child? Read the Best Practice section above and consider who the child trusts and will talk to. If a relationship hasn’t yet been established, then who is best placed to build this?
- Be strength focussed; every child has interests and skills, use these to tap into positive activities and relationships which will help create resilience and safety.
Medium/Moderate risk
- Consider all steps for low/emerging.
- If a child is at moderate/medium risk of exploitation then a referral into children's social work services is required.
- Following the completion of a child exploitation risk matrix, if the risk to the child is identified as medium/high, the duty and advice team should be contacted by phone on the duty and advice professional’s number- 0113 376 0336. The team will complete a case discussion over the phone with the referrer and request a copy of the completed risk matrix in order to review the information and confirm next steps.
- Please ensure the above steps have also been explored i.e. talk to parents, consider support services and who the child will open up to.
- At the front door a social worker will explore the exploitation risk tool and whether or not this needs to be assessed by a social worker in an area team. They are likely to speak to parents and to consider what protective steps can be taken prior to statutory intervention.
- If the child is allocated a social worker then they will complete a child and family assessment alongside a child exploitation assessment. This will allow for a better understanding of risk and for safety planning to be explored.
- When children are at risk of exploitation, and supported by a social worker, there may be Vulnerability and Risk Management Meetings (VRMPs) these will be chaired by a social work Team Manager and will unpick the exploitation risks and what protective steps can be taken.
Significant/high risk
- Please consider all steps for emerging and moderate.
- If a child is assessed as high risk then this means they are actively being exploited or multiple indicators suggest they are being exploited. This amounts to risk of significant harm and therefore the child should have a social worker. If the family is not consenting to social work intervention, then a strategy meeting will need to take place.
- CVET police (exploitation team) will allocate an officer to all high risk cases who will attend the VRMP meetings and be a point of contact for the child and professionals.
- If child is being exploited then we need to complete a National Referral Mechanism.
Disruption tactics:
While steps need to be taken to increase the safety of a child we should also be focussing efforts as a multi-agency group onto the perpetrators of the exploitation.
Disruption:
- For full details of legislation and legal orders available please read the pdf document: Child exploitation disruption toolkit (publishing.service.gov.uk)
- Do not underestimate the power of positive activities for a child. They will improve self-esteem and create new friendships.
- Child Abduction Warning Notices (CAWNs) can be issued by the police to disrupt contact between any potential abductor over the criminal age of responsibility and a child or young person where the child is aged under 16 years (or under 18 years if they are under local authority care).
- Gathering intelligence and sharing this with the police-either through the allocated CVET officer, through 101 or PIP.
- Utilising Modern Slavery legislation.
- Injunctions.
- Curfews
- Buddy tags (voluntary)
- Safety planning with the family
- Tracking the child’s phone/location
- Internet safety-setting restrictions, limiting time on devices
- Work with the school: children on reduced timetables or excluded are at increased risk of exploitation, therefore we need to promote and increase their time in education.
- Referral to MACE or Serious Youth Violence Area Meetings (Project Shield)
- Identify support for the child through a third sector agency or support service e.g. The Safe Project, Chapeltown Youth Development Centre, Catch, Basis, St Giles Trust, Getaway Girls, Forward Leeds.
Risk Outside of the Home (ROTH)
When a child is at significant risk of harm due to extra-familial harm such as exploitation then we can use the ROTH pathway.
The ROTH pathway allows for a Section 47 (child protection) process to be followed in a way that addresses the contextual risks of harm to the child, and therefore avoids blame and stigma on the parents/household.
A social worker and their team manager will hold a strategy meeting and Section 47 enquiries that will identify the child is at risk of harm due to exploitation. On the basis that the risk is outside of the home and parents are protective, then the risk can be addressed through an Initial Child Protection Conference through the ROTH pathway.
Parents are treated at Protective Partners within the ROTH meaning they can provide reports for the meeting, and they should be treated as a partner working towards reducing the risks to the child. The parent can be supported by the Safe Project to complete their Protective Partner report for the meeting.
ROTH conferences should feel different to a traditional ICPC in that they are focusing on harm away from the family home and will need to explore contextual actions to address this. This includes inviting the right people to the meeting in order to address issues within the community and/or peer groups. For Childrens Social Work Services please see:
practitioner-guide-to-risk-outside-the-home-child-protection-process.pdf (trixonline.co.uk)
The above diagram shows concentric circles with young person at the centre, followed by family, peer group, school and community. The right hand side shows reference to social media which can span all of these domains.
The above flow chart helps to explain the different processes available for when a child is at risk of exploitation and/or serious youth violence.
Summary:
- Working with extra-familial risk is hard, there are no easy answers.
- Follow your safeguarding processes and complete the exploitation assessment/toolkit.
- Be open minded and take time to build a relationship with the child.
- Include parents.
- Remember the processes in Leeds:
- consider a MACE referral, consider the Area Youth Violence meetings through Project Shield, VRMP meetings for cases open to a social worker, ROTH for children at significant risk of extra familial harm.
- Contextual MACE is for themes, locations and perpetrators.
- Disruption of the perpetrators groups and locations needs to be pursued by the multi-agency group.
- Always consider a National Referral Mechanism (NRM)
- Relationship based working and being open minded is the way forwards.
- Be tenacious, consistent, trauma informed, and child focussed.
- Do not underestimate the importance of positive activities for the child.
- Ensure your CE assessment/toolkit is up to date and has been shared with the right people.
- Share intelligence when appropriate Partnership Intelligence Portal | West Yorkshire Police
- Social workers can request a consultation with the Safe Project to explore exploitation issues.
- Access training through the LSCP website and PALS.
- Always follow your internal safeguarding processes.