Child Safety Training

• This training aims to teach how children and young adults can be kept safe and what role others can play in that

Overview

• Abuse types
• What is Child Sexual Exploitation?
• Risk indicators
• Signs to look out for
• How to report concerns
• Keeping children safe should be a role for everyone

What is Abuse?

• Abuse can take several forms and is not limited to just physical abuse
• Physical abuse: includes hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or physical injury
• Emotional abuse: Persistent emotional maltreatment causing severe and persistent adverse effects on a child’s development, conveying worthlessness or being unloved
• Neglect: Persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical or psychological needs, likely resulting in serious health or developmental impairments
• Sexual abuse: Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, including physical or non-physical acts like producing images

Concerns About a Child

• A child is anyone under the age of 18 years, including unborn children
• Concerns about a child should be shared, assuming that someone else will not

Contact Information

• Kent County Council Social Services: 03000 41 11 11 (during office hours)
• Kent Social Services: 03000 41 91 91 (outside of office hours)
• Police: 101, or 999 if the child is at immediate risk of significant harm

What is Child Sexual Exploitation?

• Child Sexual Exploitation is a form of sexual abuse
• Individuals or groups exploit power imbalances to coerce, manipulate, or deceive a child under 18 into sexual activity:
  • In exchange for something the victim needs or wants
  • For the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator/facilitator
• Sexual exploitation is possible even if the activity appears consensual
• Child exploitation doesn’t always involve contact, it can also occur via technology
• Offenders have power over victims due to age, gender, intellect, physical strength, and economic resources
• Violence, coercion, and intimidation are common

Indicators of Risk

• Going missing from home.
• Relationships with older males or females.
• Concern that the young person is sexually active.
• Breaking away from family, friends and professionals.
• Not attending school.
• Experimenting with drugs or alcohol.
• Secretiveness.
• Involvements in offending behaviours
• Unexplained mobile phones or credit
• Accepting lifts in different cars.
• Sending and receiving inappropriate images.
• Spending increased time on social networking sites.

Who is at Risk?

• Anyone can be at risk of sexual exploitation (girls, boys, or young adults)

The Offenders

• Anyone could exploit young people
• Individuals who control adult sex workers
• Drug dealers with links to violent crime
• Groups of males who exploit for their own sexual gratification
• Males who pass young people onto others for sex
• Female offenders
• Other young people

CSE Locations

• Anywhere
• Parks
• Sports Centres
• Takeaways
• Residential Properties
• Bars
• Internet

How Young People Are Targeted

• Inappropriate relationships: Involves a perpetrator with inappropriate power or control over a young person due to physical strength, age, or wealth could be a family member
• Peer on peer exploitation: Sexual bullying can happens quickly without relationship build-up, incidents are filmed and circulated
• Older adult exploitation: 'Boyfriend' model offender befriends and grooms the young person by focusing on vulnerabilities. power and control isolates the person becoming more dependent.
• Gang and group exploitation: Sexual exploitation used as initiation or punishment

Signs to Look Out For

• Taking or collecting young people (girls and boys) from hotels, B&Bs, or house parties
• Picking up young people from other cars
• Young people who look distressed or intimidated
• Observing suspicious activity in hot spot areas
• Young people under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol
• Attempts by children/young people to avoid paying fares in return for sexual favors;
• Regular males requesting taxi rides to and from locations, taking young people with them
• Taking young people to A&E who are not in the presence of parents
• Young people with injuries, such as bruising
• Adults paying for young people’s fares

Trafficking and The Modern Slavery Act

• There are three different types of trafficking:
  • Trafficking from abroad into the UK
  • Internal trafficking, where children are moved from one place to another in the UK
  • Trafficked out of the UK to other countries and brought back again The Modern Slavery Act 2015
• Designed to combat modern slavery in the UK
• Consolidates previous offences relating to trafficking and slavery

Human Trafficking

• The Act covers a person intentionally arranges or facilitates the travel of a person within the UK for sexual exploitation or if during or after the journey believes that another person is likely to sexually exploit the person.
• If a taxi or private hire driver transports a child knowing or believing that child will be sexually exploited the driver will commit the offense of Human Trafficking
• Maximum sentence is life imprisonment

Reducing Child Sexual Exploitation

• Be aware of indicators of risk
• Be aware of young people you think may be at risk
• Pass on any information/concerns

Information to share

• Names
• Locations and addresses
• Descriptions of people
• Car registration plates, makes and models of vehicles
• Description of concerning activity
• Even if you don't have a complete picture pass on what you know.
• It is better to be safe than sorry

Good Safeguarding

• Record incidents and refusals
• Be professional, not too personal
• Don’t exchange personal contact information such as passenger telephone or Facebook addresses
• Avoid swearing or aggressive behavior
• Do not touch passengers
• Make sure to wear ID, badge, or company uniform
• Sit lone passengers in the back unless otherwise agreed
• Never follow a passenger into the house unless previously agreed
• Ask before going off of the main routes, and give the passenger a choice of routes.
• Never set off with a passenger without the specific destination.
• Never double up on booking even if the passengers are traveling in a similar direction as passengers could pose a threat or risk.
• Report your concerns to your manager or the relevant agency if you’re concerned about another driver conduct
• Always keep a record of any incidents or situations something that you are unhappy with in order to keep you and your passenger safe

How to Report Concerns

• Phone the Police on 999 if the risk is imminent or there is likely to be an assault;

• Report and report concerns to the police on 101

• Report concerns to Kent Social Services on 03000 41 11 11 (during office hours) 03000 41 91 91 (out of office hours)

• Signpost if safe to do so offer passengers information for example, make window sticks visible

This training module aims to equip individuals with the knowledge to safeguard children and young adults. It emphasizes recognizing various forms of abuse, understanding the roles and responsibilities in child protection, and identifying signs of exploitation. The content covers definitions, indicators, and reporting procedures.