Child Exploitation (CE) Guidance and Resources

Child exploitation appropriate use of language guidance for professionals, seeks to provide guidance to professionals on the appropriate use of language when discussion children and their experience of exploitation in a range of contexts. 

Child Exploitation Appropriate Use of Language Guidance (Child Society)

Language matters - use of language in child sexual abuse and exploitation practice from Barnardos - this guide is for anyone working in the field of child sexual abuse and exploitation. Those working with children and families or those working in influencing, fundraising or communications. 

Language matters (Barnardos)

This toolkit has been developed to support frontline practitioners to safeguard children and young people under the age of 18 from sexual and criminal exploitation.  Additionally, the toolkit sets out supportive information to assist information sharing and multi-agency working as well as intelligence and evidence gathering and profiling.  It is vital that people working in frontline roles effectively identify exploitation of children and work together proactively with other agencies to disrupt offending, and safeguard victims.  

Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit (GOV.UK)

The National Police Chief's Council have developed a National Philomena Protocol form and guidance. 

Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership has adopted this national form so that when a child is placed in another local authority area, a copy of their Philomena Protocol form can go with the child to their new accommodation. This is to ensure quality information is passed to their new carers. The form can then be updated, in consultation with the social worker, with details of their new placement and any contextual risks. If that child subsequently goes missing, this process ensures that the new carers have quality information about the child that can inform any missing child risk assessment to ensure an appropriate policing response. If your partnership decides to adopt the National form, they would appreciate being informed so that they can keep a record.

Philomena Protocol Form Guidance.pdf (PDF, 165.15KB)

National Philomena Protocol Form.docx (DOCX, 407.73KB)

If you are worried about a child/young person experiencing child exploitation, please complete the vulnerability checklist, which you can find within the Child Exploitation procedure (16. Appendices – Appendix 1: Vulnerability Checklist). You will you need to complete a Single Contact Form and upload your vulnerability checklist upon completion of the Single Contact Form and submit to Cumberland Safeguarding Hub.

You may want to seek guidance from the Youth Connect Team – you can do this by emailing cerar@cumbria.gov.uk.

Causeway have developed an Exploitation Risk Checker, which has been created in partnership with a team of Lived Experience Consultants, who themselves are survivors of modern slavery and exploitation. 

Individuals can use the Risk Checker to answer a series of questions to see if they, or somebody they know, may be in a situation, or at risk, of criminal or sexual exploitation. The Exploitation Risk Checker can be accessed in the following link: Exploitation Risk Checker | Causeway Charity

Please note that if you, or someone you know, think they are being exploited, please contact Cumberland Safeguarding Hub: Report a concern about a child.

If you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger, please contact the Police immediately on 999. 

Children face a number of barriers in communicating about sexual abuse, such as feelings of fear, shame, guilt and responsibility, not having the language to communicate their concerns, or not recognising what has happened to them as abuse. It is the job of the adults around them to learn how to listen, understand and support them.

The CSA Centre have updated their 'Communicating with Children' guide to give anyone working with children accessible guidance in talking about concerns of child sexual abuse, including where children are unable to verbally communicate their experiences. It shows professionals how to speak with children who use a variety of communication styles, including neurodivergent children, disabled children, and children whose first language is not English.

Contextual Safeguarding is an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people’s experiences of significant harm beyond their families. It 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. Therefore, children’s social care practitioners need to engage with individuals and sectors who do have influence over/within extra- familial contexts, and recognise that assessment of, and intervention with, these spaces are a critical part of safeguarding practices. 

Contextual Safeguarding, therefore, expands the objectives of child protection systems in recognition that young people are vulnerable to abuse in a range of social contexts.

Watch a video explaining contextual safeguarding

You can also read Contextual Safeguarding website for more information

The University of Bedfordshire also has a Contextual Safeguarding programme that is currently engaging in a number of projects that explore systems change in children’s services, the nature of and responses to extra familial harm, contextual interventions in peers, schools and communities, and sector engagement.

Read more on the University of Bedfordshire website

Take a look at our online procedure manual for CSCP Child Exploitation (including Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Criminal Exploitation)

Download the CSCP Child Exploitation Parent Leaflet

Short Films for Practice - CSE Research

These 12 films are aimed at anyone who wants to access learning from the latest research on child sexual exploitation (CSE), in a short accessible form.

The films share the findings of a range of studies undertaken by researchers in ‘The International Centre: Researching Child Sexual Exploitation, Violence and Trafficking’ at the University of Bedfordshire, as well as drawing on wider CSE literature.

• 10 Key facts about child sexual exploitation
• Child sexual exploitation - a social model of consent
• Peer on Peer child sexual exploitation
• Gang associated sexual exploitation and violence
• Safeguarding teenagers from sexual exploitation and violence outside the home
• What young people affected by sexual exploitation have told us about the support they want from you
• Raising community awareness of child sexual exploitation
• Parents as partners in safeguarding children from sexual exploitation
• Managing child sexual exploitation workers in multi-agency teams
• Making justice work for victims and witnesses in child sexual exploitation cases
• Multi-dimensional safety for children in care affected by sexual exploitation
• Successful reintegration for separated children 

• Happy Ending? The dangers of on-line grooming
• Exploitative Relationships: Spotting Sexual Exploitation
• Poster: Social Media Dangers
• Child Exploitation Awareness Day 2023 - NWG Awareness Raising Video - this short video was launched as part of the 2023 Child Exploitation Awareness Day 

Child Sexual Exploitation - How Public Health can support prevention and intervention: literature search - Public Health England (PHE) has published a literature search to identify the latest international research about effective interventions to prevent child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation.

Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham (1997 - 2013) - Information relating to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham 

Support Services for Cumbrian parents of victims of child exploitation

CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION (Cumbria Police) - Cumbria Police guidance on spotting the signs of child sexual exploitation.

PACE - PACE helps parents across the UK understand what is happening to their child and how parents are the prime agents in helping their child exit exploitative relationships.

BIRCHALL TRUST - The Birchall Trust provide a free confidential counselling service for male and females, children, young people and adult survivors of recent or historic rape and sexual abuse. The services is also available for partners, relatives and friends who want to talk about the effects of rape and sexual abuse in order to support their loved one.

VICTIM SUPPORT - Victim Support Core Community Service provides a free confidential support service which includes emotional support, practical help and advocacy across the county.  This services is available to parents/guardians of children/young people who have been victims of CSE/SA.

SAFETY NET - Safety Net is a free and confidential service, offering information and counselling to anyone who has been affected by rape, exploitation, sexual and domestic abuse at any time in their lives across Cumbria. . We understand that the road to recovery is different for everyone, our specialist trauma-informed team is with you every step of the way. For further details on the services above, please click here

HARMFUL SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR SUPPORT SERVICE - run by SWGfL in partnership with the Marie Collins Foundation, is now available to safeguarding professionals across England and provides the tools to equip and empower practitioners to address the alarming normalisation of harmful sexual behaviour in children and young people. The telephone and email support, which is funded by the Home Office and developed in collaboration with the Department for Education, is available Monday – Friday, 8am to 8pm. Call: 0344 255 0623  |  Email: hsbs@swgfl.org.uk

Child Exploitation Strategy

Child Exploitation Champions Network

Cumberland Safeguarding Children Partnership has developed a Child Exploitation Champions Network. 

The Cumberland Safeguarding Children Partnership aims for each organisation signed up to the partnership to have a Child Exploitation Champion. 

The purpose of the Child Exploitation Champion role is to: 

• Be a key contact for staff within an organisation/department to go to for support and advice in relation to child exploitation
• be a key contact for CSCP to share updates, resources and examples of good practice. Keep up to date with local arrangements, such as how and who to share concerns about child exploitation with and referral processes
• To provide advice and signposting in relation to the CERAR process and pathways
• To raise awareness, disseminate resources and information in relation to child exploitation within their organisation
• For those who wish to undertake CSCP Child Exploitation Train the Trainer course and become a designated trainer for their organisation
• To identify gaps in provision/practice and feed this back to the CSCP through Child Exploitation Forums/Network Meetings
• Keep up to date with local policy and procedures in relation to child exploitation which is supported by the CSCP

For more information please refer to the