Lynkco Child Protection Manual (EN)

What is exploitation? Are you concerned about changes in a child’s behaviour in your care? Have you noticed that they may be feeling under pressure from influences from outside the home? Understanding that the child could be being exploited can be distressing, complex and but help and support is available. Exploitation is a form of abuse, it occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child, young person or adult into any activity that results in an advantage for the perpetrator. Specific types of Exploitation include Sexual Exploitation , Criminal Exploitation , and Financial Exploitation . Who does it affect?

Exploitation can happen to any young person from any background, in any part of the country - including Shropshire. However, children who are either SEND, in care, fostered, adopted or in supported accommodation are at greater risk of this happening. The young person often isn’t aware that they are a victim, as exploiters are very clever in the way they manip- ulate the young person into trusting them. What are the signs?

New friendship groups, who may be older in age Engaging in sexual activity, including exchanging indecent images Missing episodes, when you don’t know their whereabouts or the child will not disclose where they’ve been Receiving gifts & rewards, including drugs, alcohol, food & clothing Increased secretiveness, particularly around phone use Disengagement from school, hobbies & family Use of drugs or alcohol, perhaps without the means to afford this A decline in mental health, possibly becoming more aggressive Possession of a weapon, and/or committing low level crimes

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What can carers & providers do to help?

Discuss differences between healthy and unhealthy friendships and relationships Stay alert to any changes in behaviour which may indicate that they are feeling under pressure Carefully monitor any episodes of staying out late or not returning home - call the police to report your child missing if you do not know where they are Be aware of who they are spending time with and encourage them to keep in touch by texting you when they are out in the community Talk openly to your child about keeping safe and listen calmly if they confide in you Regularly check the young person’s possessions for drugs and any unexplained money or gifts Install online safety features and apps on their devices Check in with parents of their friends Be cautious of any older friends or friendships where there appears to be a power imbalance Check in with school or college to see if they have noticed any changes in behaviour Making words matter Being mindful of the language we use to describe a child or their behaviour is very important.

Blaming children and using terms such as “prostituting themselves” “making poor choices” or “putting themselves at risk” puts the responsibility at the feet of children, rather than the perpetrators of exploitation. More information can be found here.

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Report concerns about a young person Shropshire’s TREES (Together Reducing & Ending Exploitation in Shropshire) Team are based within Children’s Services. We are committed to identifying young people who are at risk of exploitation, and supporting professionals and families to reduce these risks. It is recognised that these risks are out in the community, rather than within the family home. This is what is known as Contextual Safeguarding .

We can offer social care support to families where appropriate, or we can signpost to another support service such as a substance use service, early help or diversionary activities - with the aim of disrupting exploitation and reducing the risks going forward. Call 0345 678 9021 or 0345 678 9040 if out of office hours Report concerns about CE in your community Information about perpetrators and locations of concern is crucial to help us build up a picture of Child Exploitation in Shropshire, and allows West Mercia Police and Children’s Services to work together to safeguard children and make our communities a safer place to live. If anyone is at risk of immediate harm:

Call 999 To share non-urgent information: Call 101 or visit the “Tell Us About” section on www.westmercia.police.uk To report information anonymously: Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org Come and have a chat with us If you have exploitation concerns (online safety included) we hold consultation sessions on Tuesday afternoons which are open to any professionals who want advice. To book a 30 minute timeslot, visit https://shorturl.at/P6DRh We also have a useful website where you can access our CE risk assessment tool, quarterly newsletter, and other resources: Child exploitation | Shropshire Council

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