Child exploitation comes in many forms, yet the patterns often remain the same. Child Exploitation is where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18.

Our safeguarding response to the harm that children and young people face beyond their families, requires a different approach. This approach, Contextual Safeguarding recognises that the different relationships that young people form in their neighbourhoods, schools and online can feature violence and abuse. Parents and carers have little influence over these contexts, and young people’s experiences of extra-familial abuse can undermine parent-child relationships.

It is essential for practitioners from across the partnership to engage with individuals and sectors who do have influence over and within these extra-familial contexts. The assessment of, and intervention in, these spaces are a critical part of safeguarding practices. Download the legal and policy framework for Contextual Safeguarding (Frimin and Knowles, 2020) to find out more. 

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Criminal exploitation has received considerable media coverage in the last year, with a focus on county lines activity. This is when individuals or groups use vulnerable children and adults to transport and sell illegal drugs, primarily from urban areas into market or coastal towns or rural areas, to establish new drug markets or take over existing ones. The use of phone lines as a way to distribute drugs gives this activity the name 'county lines'. Perpetrators may also use children to transport and hide weapons and to secure dwellings of vulnerable people in the area, so that they can use them as a base from which to sell drugs. This is called 'cuckooing'. 

County lines is about modern slavery, human trafficking and exploitation, alongside drug supply and violent crime. It is a highly lucrative illegal business model. The adults running these networks are removed from the front line activity of dealing – they exploit children who are at high risk transporting and selling drugs often many miles from home.

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There are high levels of violence and intimidation linked to this activity. Children can be very quickly groomed into criminal activity - often before parents or professionals realise what is happening. It is critical that practitioners working directly with children and vulnerable adults are aware of what county lines is, how to identify those at risk or involved in county lines exploitation and what action to take.

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Using the navigation arrow to the right, explore all the videos below to learn more about Child Exploitation and impact.