£2m scheme to protect children at risk of exploitation

Schools are to get support to tackle child criminal or sexual exploitation through a new government scheme.

The new ‘Tackling Child Exploitation Support Programme, backed by £2m, is designed to improve how different local areas respond to child exploitation – such as gang, ‘county lines’ drug dealing, online grooming, sexual exploitation, trafficking or modern slavery. It will help equip professionals involved in the protection of young people to identify those most at risk from dangers in their communities and online

Every council in England will be able to apply for bespoke support from the scheme to tackle specific threats in their area, bringing social workers, police forces, schools, health services and charities together to improve how they respond to cases of exploitation, and learn from what works.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said: "Being safe at school and having a stable home life is the best form of protection for the children as they grow up – but we know that those who are the most vulnerable, are the most at risk of exploitation of those who want to take advantage of them.

"We are all united in cracking down on those who try to lead vulnerable young people down a dangerous path, and the threats they face are multiple and complex. We must make sure that we work together and this new approach to better support teachers, police and health professionals will improve the expertise and guidance available to all those who care for and educate young people."

The programme will be led by a team of academics and experts led by Research in Practice, together with The Children’s Society and the University of Bedfordshire. They will consult widely with the sector to make sure the support available reflects local priorities and needs, building on the strong work already underway.

The scheme is likely to include support from staff with expertise in tackling particular areas of exploitation; help for areas to assess their needs, strengths and weaknesses in responding to exploitation threats; and online learning materials based on the best available evidence from research.

It will also include support to create strategies and improving data collation so that councils and safeguarding partners can respond more effectively to concerns.  Research projects in local areas may be set up to build a better knowledge base about threats to children outside their family home.