EXPLOITATION AND MISSING SERVICE OVERVIEW

CSE, HARMFUL SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR, MISSING, GANGS AND SERIOUS YOUTH VIOLENCE

Naomi Bannister, Exploitation and Missing Safeguarding Manager

Islington Council

WHAT IS EXPLOITATION?

Exploitation

CSE

Harmful

Sexual

Behaviour

Gangs &

Serious

Youth

Violence

Trafficking

/Modern

Slavery

• ‘The action of treating someone unfairly in order to benefit’

• ‘Making use of a situation to gain unfair advantage’

Exploitation

CSE

Harmful

Sexual

Behaviour

Gangs &

Serious

Youth

Violence

Trafficking

/Modern

Slavery

Missing

DEVELOPING A PROFILE

In Islington, we identify and collate data through:

• Islington CSC data (i.e. performance data analysis (hazards and missing episodes), strategy meeting minutes, Return Home Interviews)

• MPS systems data (intelligence, merlin reports-missing, gangs matrix information)

• Other police force data shared with MPS (i.e. BTP reports, drug related arrests outside of London)

• Information shared across the multi-agency partners

• Information shared directly by staff practitioners across the partnership

MISSING

Missing:

Anyone whose whereabouts cannot be established and where the circumstances are out of character or the context suggests the person may be subject of crime or at risk of harm to themselves or another.

Absent:

A person is not at a place where they are expected or required to be

Away from Placement Without Authorisation:

Sometimes a looked after child may be away from their placement without authorisation. While they are not missing, they may still be placing themselves at risk (e.g. they may be at the house of friends where there are concerns about risks of sexual exploitation).

MISSING IN ISLINGTON

• 177 children went missing from home over 372 missing episodes

Missing From Home

• 161 children went missing from care or were recorded as away from placement without authorization over 1000 episodes (736 MFC and 264 APWA)

Missing From Care/Away

from placement without

Authorisation

The majority return within 24 hours

The majority aged 15,16 0r 17years

Boys are more likely to go MFC and MFH than girls

Roughly a third of all missing children are at risk of CSE

and/or Gangs/SYV

Those at risk of CSE and/or Gangs/SYV go missing for longer

periods and more frequently

CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN

ISLINGTON

Gangs &

groups

Online

Peer to Peer

• 145 Referrals last year

• Average of 22 young people

assessed as at CSE category

1,2 or 3 open to CSC and

Police per month

• On average, only 1 of the

22 young people is male

GANGS AND SERIOUS YOUTH VIOLENCE

13 of the 48

young people

identified as

at risk of

gangs/SYV

are female

In the majority

those identified by

CSC as at risk of

gangs/SYV are

more likely to

commit inquisitive

or drugs related

offences (rather

than violent

• 92 Referrals

• On average, 48 children and young people (38

under 18yrs and 10 over 18yrs) are open to

CSC and considered to be at risk of gangs/SYV

• On average 35 children and young people (12

under 18yrs and 23 over 18yrs) are open to

CSC and are considered a ‘gang nominal’ (as

on LBI matrix).

154 people on

the gangs

matrix, of

which 12 are

children under

18yrs of age

In the majority –

those identified in

exploitation data

are not on the

gangs matrix

COUNTY LINES:

Child or Adult from

London

Town or location

outside of

London

A name is given to the phone number used to purchase drugs.

This number is shared within the drug user community

Travels

Cuckooing: The taking

over of an address

usually belonging to a

vulnerable adult

(The location can be

referred to as a ‘bando’

or ‘trap house’)

COUNTY LINE ACTIVITY IN ISLINGTON:

Are known to CSC

Are Looked after Children

Have been reported missing

Have had a CSE hazard marker

Have had a gangs hazard marker

All

6

7

5

8

Police Scotland

All police force areas that all children and young people

have been linked to county lines activity in 2017Of the 11 children identified:

CONSULTATIONS

73 HSB Consultations

244 intel requests

81 GANGS/SYV Consultations

190 CSE Consultations

The 3 Specialist Workers for CSE, HSB and Gangs undertake consultations with front-line practitioners. Consultations include a specialist risk assessment, information and intel sharing and support to develop safety and intervention plans. The risk category is also initially agreed at the consultation along with the threshold for safeguarding response.

ü Earlier and more consistent risk identification ü Less strategy meetings ü A consistent safeguarding approach to threshold

decisions for children and young peopleü Better Intervention and Safety planningü Improved practitioner confidenceü Improved Police participation in safeguarding process

A

C

T

I

V

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T

Y

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P

A

C

T

STRATEGY AND MAPPING MEETINGS

To ensure quality oversight and a targeted response, Missing, CSE, HSB and Gangs/SYV strategy meetings are convened for complex exploitation cases, and chaired by the Exploitation and Missing Safeguarding Manager or a Specialist Social Worker. All Exploitation strategy meetings minutes are viewed by the Gangs and CSE Analyst

ü 14 children and their families that have been moved out of the borough through the gangs exit support scheme –coordinated through the strategy process.

ü 3 gang injunctions obtained by joint partnership working with the Police.

ü Improved multi-agency and disruption response to ASB and community based CSE and Gangs risk

ü In 3 care proceedings, specialist gangs strategy meetings minutes were presented to the court - and acknowledged by the judge to directly impact a positive outcome.

A

C

T

I

V

I

T

Y

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M

P

A

C

T

115 CSE Strategy Meetings

57 Missing Strategy Meetings

101 Gangs/SYV Strategy Meetings

17 HSB Strategy Meetings

7 Larger Scale Mapping Meetings

RESOURCES

The Specialist Workers have developed a number of direct work and professional support tools to support safeguarding and intervention work with children and families. This includes intervention programmes, resource libraries and multi-agency information sharing tools

ü Shared safety plans leading to more informed and timely response from police and emergency services when missing children located

ü Reduction in CSE/HSB risk for children and young people

ü Children reporting feeling more involved in the safety planning and intervention process.

ü Improved practitioner skill level

A

C

T

I

V

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T

Y

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M

P

A

C

T

Online safety guidance for

social workers

HSB home safety plan

Impact of CSE worksheet for

c&yp

Adolescents at Risk

Audit tool

Pre-adolescent HSB

intervention and assessment programme

‘consent generator’ worksheets for c&yp

Pre-adolescent HSB

intervention and assessment programme

Resources data base

CSE specialist safety plans for

C&YP

BTP notification alert for missing children

Intervention plan templates

HSB family assessment template

DIRECT WORK WITH CHILDREN

The CSE and HSB Specialist Workers have undertaken both short and longer-term direct work interventions with children and families.

ü Specialist intervention has led to a direct reduction of CSE risk.

ü Improved attendance and engagement in education and employment across CSE and HSB

ü 3 children (aged 4-11yrs) have been diverted from charge for sexualised behaviour – through SIPP intervention and support.

ü Young people feeding back improved self-esteemü Reduction in missing episodesü Improved access to sexual health advice and STI

testing

A

C

T

I

V

I

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Y

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P

A

C

T

20 children and young people

received direct work intervention from the 2 specialist workers

5 family/carers received direct work intervention from 2 specialist workers

TRAINING AND AWARENESS

A considerable amount of specialist training across CSE, Gangs/SYV, Missing, Trafficking and HSB has been undertaken by the Specialist Intervention Workers and Manager. Over 60 training and awareness events have been held across the partnership; ranging from intensive 2 day training courses to one-off events and information sharing briefings.

ü Improved multi-agency participation in the safeguarding process

ü Improved response to HSBü Improved location of missing childrenü Improved practitioner skill level

A

C

T

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V

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Y

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P

A

C

T

330 partnership practitioners

325 Front-line practitioners

80 BTP Officers

96 Foster Carers

60 CAFCASS Workers

Parents year 7

induction

145 external

organization

Managers

Youth and

Community

Market Place

13 Practitioners trained to

undertake AIM Assessment and

Intervention

VAWG

Launch

Sexual Health

partnership event

BTP and SET CSE

Awareness Day

GROUP WORK

The Specialist Workers for CSE and HSB deliver targeted group work with children and young people around CSE and HSB.

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Y

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A

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T

1200 children have seen

Chelsea's Choice

10 children supported

through 1-1 work

3 disclosures and referrals to CSC

412 year 9 children have received 2 classes on health relationships and consent 390 children attended

targeted assembly presentations90% of the children agreed

that there understanding of consent had improved as a

result of the classes

85% of the children agreed that they had improved

understanding of exploitation and healthy

relationships

MOVING FORWARD

Develop the councils response to Modern Slavery / child trafficking

Develop an Exploitation and Missing Strategy and Action Plan (incorporating response to CSE, Missing, HSB, Gangs and SYV)

Review and re-structure the current strategic practice panels (i.e. MASE, BRONZE etc..) in-line with Exploitation and Missing focus

Reduction in CSC Specialist Workers requiring services to review specialist direct work allocations

Upskill the partnership and enable the community in response to exploitation risks (incl. county lines)

Upskill the partnership (focusing on education) to response to Harmful Sexual Behaviour risks.

Work with Y&C, Police and Early Help Services to ensure consistent response to C&P in schools.