Regional Procedures

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Using this Manual

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Shropshire Child Exploitation Directory.pdf

Child Exploitation in Shropshire - Leaflet for Care Providers.pdf

 child exploitation  in shropshire a guide for care providers 
 what is exploitation? are you concerned about changes in a child’s behaviour in your care? have you noticed that they may be feeling under pressure from influences from outside the home? understanding that the child could be being exploited can be distressing, complex and but help and support is available.  exploitation is a form of abuse, it occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or            deceive a child, young person or adult into any activity that results in             an advantage for the perpetrator. specific types of exploitation include  sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, and financial exploitation.  who does it affect? exploitation can happen to any young person from any background, in any part of the country - including shropshire.  however, children who are either send, in care, fostered, adopted or in supported accommodation are at greater risk of this happening. the young person often isn’t aware that they are a victim, as exploiters are very clever in the way they manip-ulate the young person into trusting them.  what are the signs? • new friendship groups, who may be older in age • engaging in sexual activity, including exchanging indecent images  • missing episodes, when you don’t know their whereabouts or the child will not disclose where they’ve been • receiving gifts & rewards, including drugs, alcohol, food & clothing • increased secretiveness, particularly around phone use • disengagement from school, hobbies & family • use of drugs or alcohol, perhaps without the means to afford this • a decline in mental health, possibly becoming more aggressive  • possession of a weapon, and/or committing low level crimes 
  discuss differences between healthy and unhealthy friendships and relationships  stay alert to any changes in behaviour which may indicate that they are feeling under pressure  carefully monitor any episodes of staying out late or not returning home - call the police to report your child missing if you do not know where they are  be aware of who they are spending time with and encourage them to keep in touch by texting you when they are out in the community  talk openly to your child about keeping safe and listen calmly if they confide in you  regularly check the young person’s possessions for drugs and any unexplained money or gifts  install online safety features and apps on their devices  check in with parents of their friends  be cautious of any older friends or friendships where there                appears to be a power imbalance  check in with school or college to see if they have noticed any changes in behaviour what can carers & providers do to help? making words matter being mindful of the language we use to describe a child or their behaviour is very important. blaming children and using terms such as “prostituting themselves” “making poor choices” or “putting themselves  at risk” puts the responsibility at the feet of children, rather than the perpetrators of exploitation. more information can be found here. 
 report concerns about ce in your community information about perpetrators and locations of concern is crucial to help us build up a picture of child exploitation in shropshire, and allows west mercia police and children’s services to work together to safeguard children and make our communities a safer place to live. if anyone is at risk of immediate harm: call 999 to share non-urgent information: call 101 or visit the “tell us about”  section on www.westmercia.police.uk to report information anonymously: call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org report concerns about a young person  shropshire’s trees (together reducing & ending exploitation in shropshire) team are based within children’s services. we are committed to identifying young people who are at risk of exploitation, and supporting professionals and families to reduce these risks. it is recognised that these risks are out in the community, rather than within the family home. this is what is known as             contextual safeguarding. we can offer social care support to families where appropriate, or we can              signpost to another support service such as a substance use service, early help or diversionary activities - with the aim of disrupting exploitation and reducing the risks going forward.   call 0345 678 9021 or 0345 678 9040 if out of office hours come and have a chat with us if you have exploitation concerns (online safety included) we hold consultation sessions on tuesday afternoons which are open to any professionals who want advice. to book a 30 minute timeslot, visit https://shorturl.at/p6drh we also have a useful website where you can access our ce risk assessment tool, quarterly newsletter, and other resources:  child exploitation | shropshire council  


Child Exploitation in Shropshire - Leaflet for Parents & Carers.pdf

 child exploitation  in shropshire how to recognise if your child is being exploited, and what you can do to reduce the risks 
 what is exploitation? are you concerned about changes in your child’s behaviour?  have you noticed that they may be feeling under pressure from influences from outside your family home? realising that your child could be being                   exploited can be distressing, but help and support is available.  exploitation is a form of abuse, it occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or            deceive a child, young person or adult into any activity that results in             an advantage for the perpetrator. specific types of exploitation include  sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, and financial exploitation.  who does it affect? exploitation can happen to any young person from any background, in any part of the country - including shropshire. the young person often isn’t aware that they are a victim, as exploiters are very clever in the way they manipulate the young person into trusting them.   what are the signs? • new friendship groups, who may be older in age • engaging in sexual activity, including exchanging indecent images  • missing episodes, when you don’t know their whereabouts • receiving gifts & rewards, including drugs, alcohol, food & clothing • increased secretiveness, particularly around phone use • disengagement from school, hobbies & family • use of drugs or alcohol, perhaps without the means to afford this • a decline in mental health, possibly becoming more aggressive  • possession of a weapon, and/or committing low level crimes to find out more, visit our webpage:  https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/childrens-social-care-and-health/child-exploitation 
  discuss differences between healthy and                unhealthy friendships and relationships  stay alert to any changes in behaviour which may indicate that they are feeling under               pressure  carefully monitor any episodes of staying out late or not returning home - call the police to report your child missing if you do not know where they are (see details overleaf)  be aware of who they are spending time with and encourage them to keep in touch by                     texting you when they are out in the community  talk openly to your child about keeping safe   and listen calmly if they confide in you  regularly check the young person’s possessions for drugs and any unexplained money or gifts  install online safety features and apps on their devices  check in with parents of their friends  be cautious of any older friends or friendships where there appears to be a power imbalance  check in with school or college to see if they have noticed any changes in behaviour  share any concerns with school or college staff  what can i do as a parent or carer? 
 report concerns about a young person  shropshire’s trees (together reducing & ending exploitation in shrop-shire) team are based within children’s services. we are committed to identifying young people who are at risk of exploitation, and supporting professionals and families to reduce these risks. it is recognised that these risks are out in the community, rather than within the family home. this is what is known as contextual safeguarding. we can offer social care support to families where appropriate, or we can              signpost to another support service such as a substance use service, early help or diversionary activities - with the aim of disrupting exploitation and reducing the risks going forward.   call 0345 678 9021 or 0345 678 9040 if out of office hours   report concerns about potential                              exploitation in your community information about perpetrators and locations of concern is crucial to help us build up a picture of child exploitation in shropshire, and allows west mercia police and children’s services to work together to safeguard                children and make our communities a safer place to live. if anyone is at risk of immediate harm: call 999 to share non-urgent information: call 101 or visit the “tell us about”  section on www.westmercia.police.uk to report information anonymously: call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org    


Child Exploitation in Shropshire - Leaflet for Local Communities.pdf

 child exploitation  in shropshire how to recognise signs in your local community                 and report concerns 
 what is exploitation? exploitation is a form of abuse, it occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or            deceive a child, young person or adult into any activity that results in             an advantage for the perpetrator. specific types of exploitation include  sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation, and financial exploitation.  who does it affect? exploitation can happen to any young person from any background, in any part of the country - including shropshire. the young person often isn’t aware that they are a victim, as exploiters are very clever in the way they manipulate the young person into trusting them.  between april 2024 - march 2025, shropshire children’s services received 385 referrals for young people believed to have been either                exploited, targeted or vulnerable. these numbers continue to rise.  what are the signs? • new friendship groups, who may be older in age • engaging in sexual activity, including exchanging indecent images  • missing episodes, when their whereabouts are unknown • receiving gifts & rewards, including drugs, alcohol, food & clothing • increased secretiveness, particularly around phone use • disengagement from school, hobbies & family • use of drugs or alcohol, perhaps without the means to afford this • a decline in mental health, possibly becoming more aggressive  • possession of a weapon, and/or committing low level crimes to find out more, visit our webpage:  https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/childrens-social-care-and-health/child-exploitation 
  share intelligence regarding any criminal or             suspicious activity (including anything relating to adults, vehicles, drug dealing or drug use)directly with west mercia police - see details overleaf  getting to know your local police safer                neighbourhood team – every area is covered  by a small team who will be able to coordinate           bigger issues  listen calmly if a young person confides in you  listen out for names mentioned by the young person, as this will be useful information if you need to share concerns with the police  try and identify whether the young person’s parents are aware of their whereabouts - if they aren’t, this is classed as a missing episode which needs to be reported to the police  if the concerns relate to licensable premises or activities such as alcohol, gambling or taxis, please feel free to contact shropshire council’s licensing team on 0345 678 9046  young people consistently report feeling                  ostracised by their community. can you                 advocate for safe spaces for young people? sport activities? become a trusted adult or             improve community provisions for them? what can i do as a member of                my local community? 
 report concerns about a young person  shropshire’s trees (together reducing & ending exploitation in             shropshire) team are based within children’s services. we are committed to identifying young people who are at risk of exploitation, and supporting professionals and families to reduce these risks. it is recognised that these risks are out in the community, rather than within the family home. this is what is known as contextual safeguarding. we can offer social care support to families where appropriate, or we can              signpost to another support service such as a substance use service, early help or diversionary activities - with the aim of disrupting exploitation and reducing the risks going forward.   call 0345 678 9021 or 0345 678 9040 if out of office hours   report concerns about potential                              exploitation in your community information about perpetrators and locations of concern is crucial to help us build up a picture of child exploitation in shropshire, and allows west mercia police and children’s services to work together to safeguard                children and make our communities a safer place to live. if anyone is at risk of immediate harm: call 999 to share non-urgent information: call 101 or visit the “tell us about”  section on www.westmercia.police.uk to report information anonymously: call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org    


Child Exploitation in Shropshire - Leaflet for Young People.pdf

 child exploitation  in shropshire how to recognise if you are being targeted 
 what is exploitation? grooming is when a person or group forms a relationship with you to use you for their own gain. they want you to believe that you are important to them and to gain your trust so that they can then manipulate you into doing things for them – such as moving or selling drugs or sending sexual images of yourself. this is when it becomes exploitation – there are              several different types of this, including criminal exploitation, sexual            exploitation and financial exploitation.  who does it happen to? it can happen to anyone from any background, in any part of the country - including you. you may not be aware that it’s happening to you as                  exploiters are very clever in the way they manipulate people into trusting them - they may use threats or bribes to try and control you. but the                 important thing to remember is that if it does happen to you, it’s not your fault - you are a victim and there are people that can help.  to find out more, visit our webpage:  https://next.shropshire.gov.uk/childrens-social-care-and-health/child-exploitation 
 • them telling you that they’ve got your back and that they’ll treat  you like an adult. • encouraging you to be secretive and to keep things hidden from your parents. • offering you a mobile phone to use. • giving you drugs, vapes or alcohol. • promising to give you money or expensive stuff. • encouraging you to not attend school or college. • sending you sexual messages, images or videos - it is an illegal offence to take, distribute or store an image or video of someone under the age of 18, even if it’s of yourself. • encouraging you to participate in criminal activity such as stealing, anti-social behaviour or violence. • encouraging you to participate in sexual activity - remember if you are below the age of 16 you are not old enough to consent. red flags to be aware of 
 we’re here to help you shropshire’s trees (together reducing & ending exploitation in                       shropshire) team are based within children’s services. we are committed to identifying young people who are at risk of exploitation, and supporting professionals and families to reduce these risks. it is recognised that these risks are out in the community, rather than within the family home. this is what is known as contextual safeguarding. we can offer social care support to families where appropriate, or we can              signpost to another support service such as a substance use service, early help or diversionary activities - with the aim of disrupting exploitation and reducing the risks going forward.   call 0345 678 9021 or 0345 678 9040 if out of office hours   report concerns about potential                              exploitation in your community information about perpetrators and locations of concern is crucial to help us build up a picture of child exploitation in shropshire, and allows west mercia police and children’s services to work together to safeguard                children and make our communities a safer place to live. if anyone is at risk of immediate harm: call 999 to share non-urgent information: call 101 or visit the “tell us about”  section on www.westmercia.police.uk to report information anonymously: call crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org    


Shropshire Child Exploitation Directory.pdf

Child Exploitation in Shropshire - Leaflet for Care Providers.pdf

Child Exploitation in Shropshire - Leaflet for Parents & Carers.pdf

Child Exploitation in Shropshire - Leaflet for Local Communities.pdf

Child Exploitation in Shropshire - Leaflet for Young People.pdf

Child Exploitation Practice Guidance and Protocol.pdf