As a practitioner if you are worried about a child in relation to possible exploitation then you need to complete the Child Exploitation Risk identifying tool. The LSCP website has a vast amount of information around process and guidance in relation to safeguarding children so please utilise this.
Emerging/Low risk
- On completion of the tool the child may be identified as low/emerging risk. If low then please consider early intervention, what support can the family benefit from? What will parents consent to? Will they agree to an early help plan and who is best to lead this? We always need to ensure full communication with parents and carers; do they understand the risks and concerns? Are they protective?
- Consider what third sector agencies would benefit the child or family e.g. Basis, St Giles, Catch, Getaway Girls.
- Also consider a referral into child focussed MACE Multi-Agency Child Exploitation Framework (leeds.gov.uk)
- This is a multi-agency meeting which considers children vulnerable to and at risk of exploitation. The meeting will consider children regardless of whether or not they are open to services. The referral needs to be completed and sent to CHSMace@Leeds.gov.uk
- Share INTEL-as noted above it is imperative that we share information when we are concerned around a child being at risk. This can include nicknames of drugs dealers, areas children are associating in, names of buildings or businesses that children are spending time in etc.
- Best practice is that we always include family in discussions and decisions, please ensure that you share your concerns with the child’s parents, include them in next steps and help them to feel empowered and supported to be as protective as possible.
- Who has the best relationship with the child? Read the Best Practice section above and consider who the child trusts and will talk to. If a relationship hasn’t yet been established, then who is best placed to build this?
- Be strength focussed; every child has interests and skills, use these to tap into positive activities and relationships which will help create resilience and safety.
Medium/Moderate risk
- Consider all steps for low/emerging.
- If a child is at moderate/medium risk of exploitation then a referral into children's social work services is required.
- Following the completion of a child exploitation risk matrix, if the risk to the child is identified as medium/high, the duty and advice team should be contacted by phone on the duty and advice professional’s number- 0113 376 0336. The team will complete a case discussion over the phone with the referrer and request a copy of the completed risk matrix in order to review the information and confirm next steps.
- Please ensure the above steps have also been explored i.e. talk to parents, consider support services and who the child will open up to.
- At the front door a social worker will explore the exploitation risk tool and whether or not this needs to be assessed by a social worker in an area team. They are likely to speak to parents and to consider what protective steps can be taken prior to statutory intervention.
- If the child is allocated a social worker then they will complete a child and family assessment alongside a child exploitation assessment. This will allow for a better understanding of risk and for safety planning to be explored.
- When children are at risk of exploitation, and supported by a social worker, there may be Vulnerability and Risk Management Meetings (VRMPs) these will be chaired by a social work Team Manager and will unpick the exploitation risks and what protective steps can be taken.
Significant/high risk
- Please consider all steps for emerging and moderate.
- If a child is assessed as high risk then this means they are actively being exploited or multiple indicators suggest they are being exploited. This amounts to risk of significant harm and therefore the child should have a social worker. If the family is not consenting to social work intervention, then a strategy meeting will need to take place.
- CVET police (exploitation team) will allocate an officer to all high risk cases who will attend the VRMP meetings and be a point of contact for the child and professionals.
- If child is being exploited then we need to complete a National Referral Mechanism.
Disruption tactics:
While steps need to be taken to increase the safety of a child we should also be focussing efforts as a multi-agency group onto the perpetrators of the exploitation.
Disruption:
- For full details of legislation and legal orders available please read the pdf document: Child exploitation disruption toolkit (publishing.service.gov.uk)
- Do not underestimate the power of positive activities for a child. They will improve self-esteem and create new friendships.
- Child Abduction Warning Notices (CAWNs) can be issued by the police to disrupt contact between any potential abductor over the criminal age of responsibility and a child or young person where the child is aged under 16 years (or under 18 years if they are under local authority care).
- Gathering intelligence and sharing this with the police-either through the allocated CVET officer, through 101 or PIP.
- Utilising Modern Slavery legislation.
- Injunctions.
- Curfews
- Buddy tags (voluntary)
- Safety planning with the family
- Tracking the child’s phone/location
- Internet safety-setting restrictions, limiting time on devices
- Work with the school: children on reduced timetables or excluded are at increased risk of exploitation, therefore we need to promote and increase their time in education.
- Referral to MACE or Serious Youth Violence Area Meetings (Project Shield)
- Identify support for the child through a third sector agency or support service e.g. The Safe Project, Chapeltown Youth Development Centre, Catch, Basis, St Giles Trust, Getaway Girls, Forward Leeds.
Risk Outside of the Home (ROTH)
When a child is at significant risk of harm due to extra-familial harm such as exploitation then we can use the ROTH pathway.
The ROTH pathway allows for a Section 47 (child protection) process to be followed in a way that addresses the contextual risks of harm to the child, and therefore avoids blame and stigma on the parents/household.
A social worker and their team manager will hold a strategy meeting and Section 47 enquiries that will identify the child is at risk of harm due to exploitation. On the basis that the risk is outside of the home and parents are protective, then the risk can be addressed through an Initial Child Protection Conference through the ROTH pathway.
Parents are treated at Protective Partners within the ROTH meaning they can provide reports for the meeting, and they should be treated as a partner working towards reducing the risks to the child. The parent can be supported by the Safe Project to complete their Protective Partner report for the meeting.
ROTH conferences should feel different to a traditional ICPC in that they are focusing on harm away from the family home and will need to explore contextual actions to address this. This includes inviting the right people to the meeting in order to address issues within the community and/or peer groups. For Childrens Social Work Services please see:
practitioner-guide-to-risk-outside-the-home-child-protection-process.pdf (trixonline.co.uk)
Exploitation /Risk outside the home pathway
The information below helps to explain the different processes available for when a child is at risk of exploitation and/or serious youth violence.
Emerging / reducing risk
If there is an emerging risk a referral may be required to early help services or the front door. Dependent on the level of risk, early help services may be able to support the family or a referral to social care services may be required.
If it is felt that Early Help Services can support the family, support for the family can be provided to schools, safer schools officers, clusters, Family Hubs, and other early help services. These services can contact the front door for advice or if the risk level increases.
Practitioners can use the protective partner Practitioners toolkit to help them assess the young person's situation and level of risk. If risk escalates or practitioners need advice on risk, Early Help services can speak to the Front Door.
Moderate or significant risk of harm
A referral to the front door may be required, the front door will make an assessment, and a case will be referred to area social work services.
A notification is sent to the youth violence locality meeting (Project Shield).
From here, the decision will be made as to what level of intervention is required based on the risks posed to the child/young person.
This could include:
- Strategy meeting/ section 47 enquiries for individual children.
- Child in Need (CIN) plan which underpinned with exploitation risk assessment.
- Initial Child Protection Conference (ICPC) - if a child is at significant risk outside of the home do you ROTH (risk outside the home) ICPC should be requested or reviewed.
- Children looked after - referral should be made from that the child looked after social worker.
For Child in Need, Child Protection or Children Looked After referrals, a referral will be made to locality meeting (project shield) for advice support/updated support.
Project Shield Area Meeting
These are area meetings are based in the East, West or South areas of the city.
Objectives/Aims of the meeting are:
- Share information regarding offending behaviour /vulnerabilities/risks.
- Develop multi- agency action plan that responds to the child/young person needs and maximise third sector and community involvement.
- For Children and Young People on Child Protection or Child in Need plans this can assist in developing the aspects of the plan that address youth violence.
Information in relation to Project Shield
Project Shield has daily meetings which focus on:
- Police information from previous 24 hours is reviewed by police and partners.
- Ensuring that all information is appropriately responded to.
This is then discussed at the:
Guiding a New Generation Meeting (GANG) City Wide Meeting
Objectives/Aims
- Intelligence sharing / Safeguarding meeting.
- Ensuring multi agency plan is joined up and coordinated and the gang / exploitation issues are well understood.
- Referrals taken up to age 24.
- Includes child/young person to be mapped in relation to urban street gangs and those that are hard to reach.
Multi-agency Child Exploitation (MACE)
Child level and Contextual
Helps to support practitioners working with vulnerable children and young people and can be accessed at any level of risk. MACE will share information, analyse risk, consider connectivity and develop plans to assist the person making the referral. There should be evidence of a graduated approach before referring to MACE, this means evidence that there has already been suitable engagement with the child/young person/family and an assessment of needs has taken place. This may be from completing either, Protective Partner toolkit or Early Help Part 1 Me and my family.
Child level
- Children are at low and emerging risk
- Social work cases where risk is not reducing
Contextual
Referrals from anywhere or any meeting regarding geographical areas or concern or patterns of behaviour that are identified. This meeting focuses on making specific areas of the city safer.
Summary
Working with extra-familial risks can be challenging, but it’s important to follow your safeguarding processes and complete any necessary assessments. Take the time to build trust with the child and involve their parents. Remember the processes in Leeds: consider a MACE referral, consider the Area Youth Violence meetings through Project Shield, Vulnerability and Risk Management Plans (VRMP) for cases open to a social worker, Risk outside the Home (ROTH) for children at significant risk of extra familial harm. Ensure your CE assessment/toolkit is up to date and has been shared with the right people. Share intelligence when appropriate Partnership Intelligence Portal | West Yorkshire Police
Disruption of the perpetrators groups and locations needs to be pursued by the multi-agency group and always consider using the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) - see National referral mechanism guidance - GOV.UK
Be consistent, trauma-informed, and child-centred, and ensure the child has access to positive activities. Keep your assessments updated and share information when needed, making use of available training and support. Social workers can request a consultation with the Safe Project to explore exploitation issues. Access training through the LSCP website and PALS. Always follow your internal safeguarding processes.