How can we support children who might be being exploited?
Many children who become involved in exploitation would have had missed opportunities for diversion and intervention, so it’s always encouraged to try and speak to the child firstly, and very honestly, about what your concerns are, and why you have them.
Many services listed below can be accessed via self-referral.
- You're able to report concerns directly to COMPASS
Depending on the level of need, and in most examples - intervention will require consent from parents and carers, and the child themselves. However, we'll recommend to the lead professional and referrer a number of potential solutions, including:
- Early help
- Substance Misuse Support from With You
- Exploitation support from Climb
- Child sexual exploitation support from The Branch Project
- Safety planning with the family
- Sharing police intelligence (where appropriate) with parents/carers to directly help safeguard children
- Accessing the Child Exploitation Directory for lots of other available services
- Distribute and understand child exploitation leaflets for your community
- Understanding support for parent/carers child exploitation leaflet
- TREES Newsletter to understand themes, news, hotspots, services and trend
- Distribute the child exploitation leaflet designed for young people
Depending on the level of exploitation, we'll work with you and agencies to work towards disrupting and mapping out the exploitation to stop it, and safeguard children. To do this, we might do some of the following:
- Issuing of a child abduction warning notice (CAWN) to adults who are potentially exploiting young people
- West Mercia Police may carry out proactive arrests or speak to individuals and administer exploitation warning notices
- We may hold a formal ‘exiting gang strategy meeting’ which will look at robust disruption techniques to end the exploitation
- Agencies may speak to associates and friends to understand whether they too are being exploited
- The police may pursue a slavery and trafficking risk order (STRO) or a slavery and trafficking prevention order (STPO) against adults who continue to exploit children
- The police may seek gang injunction orders against individuals to prevent reoffending and harm