Worried about a child?
Children's Advice & Support Service (CASS):
0121 303 1888
Children's Advice & Support Service (CASS):
0121 303 1888
What is Criminal Exploitation?
Criminal exploitation (CE) is a form of child abuse where children and young people are manipulated and coerced into committing crimes.
What is Child Sexual Exploitation?
Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is a type of sexual abuse. When a child or young person is exploited they’re given things like gifts, drugs, money, status and affection, in exchange for performing sexual activities. Children and young people are often tricked into believing they’re in a loving and consensual relationship. This is called grooming. They may trust their abuser and not understand that they’re being abused.
Visit the NSPCC website for more information.
EMPOWER U Exploitation and Missing Hub Service
The Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership supports the Child Exploitation Regional Screening Tool. The screening tool includes both criminal exploitation and child sexual exploitation and is available to all practitioners working with children and young people.
When completing the screening tool, practitioners are asked to take into consideration Right Help, Right Time, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 and Keeping Children Safe in Education. Both the latter documents specifically refer to the broader issues around exploitation and taking a contextual safeguarding approach.
The screening tool and guidance can be accessed via the links below:
Once completed, the screening tool should be attached to a Request for Support Form and submitted to the Children’s Advice and Support Service via e-mail.
The combined CSE and CE procedures has brought together two separate procedures into one and looks to ensure that practitioners and wider agencies are aware of the referral process and underlying principles within the EMPOWER U hub. This document should be read in conjunction with the Hub service offer and the Local Partnership Delivery Groups (LPDG) processes.
Partners will problem-solve the issue and decide what action is needed, this could include:
The See Me Here Me Campaign was launched in June 2014, by Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Coventry, Birmingham and Solihull Councils along with West Midlands Police and other partners, to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation.
The Campaign follows the development of the See Me Hear Me framework, which sets out how agencies across the West Midlands work together to prevent, respond to and support victims.
The framework was developed by the seven councils, West Midlands Police and partner organisations, including Barnardos and PACE and is based on recommendations from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.