Child Abuse Through Sexual Exploitation (CATSE) How valuable early recognition and response to CATSE as a multi-agency approach is to ensuring that the right help and right people at the right time are involved. Presenters: Vivianne McKay, Jas Bedesha Telford & Wrekin Council and Francesca Varutti, Newstart Networks Where: Main Hall

Welcome from Vivianne McKay Interim Service Delivery Manager Commissioning (Children and Families and Transport) Telford & Wrekin Council

Overview of Project by Jas Bedesha Service Delivery Manager - Cohesion Family & Cohesion Services Telford & Wrekin Council

“Operation Chalice” Play clip Dispatches: The Hunt for Britain’s Sex Gangs, Channel 4

Telford & Wrekin Council’s Context of Operation Chalice Multi-agency partnership approach – the right people at the right time Jas Bedesha, Service Delivery Manager - Cohesion Family & Cohesion Services Telford & Wrekin Council

hild buse hrough exual xploitation Learning from Telford and Wrekin

AIMS :  Our overall aim was to look back on the experiences for all stakeholders and to explore how and what we might do better in the future.  To assess the quality of the support offered to the young people, families, communities and staff affected by CSE.  To what extent was the support offered accessible, available, timely and of the right kind. SCOPE:  All young people and their families who were known to the CATE (Child Abuse through Exploitation) Team between December 2008 and March  All Children’s Services staff who were involved with cases of child sexual exploitation for the same time period.

METHOD Young people 1.Contact from CATE worker 2.Written information and consent 3.Semi structured interviews 4.Feedback Families 1.Written information and consent 2.Semi structured interviews 3.Feedback Staff 1.Staff forum of all identified staff 2.Individual interviews with staff 3.Questionnaire looking at attitude and experience

INTERIM FINDINGS STAFF : Evidence of learning Multi agency working and communication Support and training Lack of resources Awareness of scale of the problem Acknowledgement of the complexity of the problem

YOUNG PEOPLE Experience of CATE was positive. Young people felt listened to and supported. Impact of Court experience and some elements of the police investigation were experienced as abusive. The police role was viewed as supportive particularly in relation to Operation Chalice. All had issues at school eg. poor attendance, bullying. There were different responses from schools, but they all felt friends identified their problems first. Young people reported different experiences regarding the quality of the sex and relationship education they received. No common theme as to why these particular girls were victims of sexual exploitation - there were a number of vulnerabilities identified.

FAMILIES There was a significant lack of response from families of the young people involved in sexual exploitation. Families felt blamed for failure to protect. Lack of support/resources for siblings and other family members regarding impact issues and signs to look for.

IMPACT ISSUES: ATTITUDES “It always happens in Wellington” “These girls have a right to make their own choices” “Child prostitutes” “the police made me feel like a “slapper”” Isolated from families Isolated from friends Involved in a network of friendships/addiction that revolves around CSE Number of perpetrators Nature of the abuse Length of time abuse took place Social impact e.g. girls are promiscuous, choose this course of action

 Need for therapeutic support for young people, their parents and siblings during and after the abuse.  Development of support services that span across Children’s and Adult services so that post 18 vulnerable young people, not in the looked after system, continue to be supported.  A need for a dedicated multi-agency Team (real or virtual) to address CSE. This may address the feeling that there were too many adults involved in previous responses to the Young people being exploited.  Issues regarding race and identification of those who sexually exploit young people.  A need for more effective IT /Communication systems.  Role of managers – Need to improve their knowledge and skills. EMERGING THEMES

Thus far the focus has been on the identification of CSE, disrupting that process, ensuring young people are safe and securing convictions where possible. T&W has already learned from experience over the past 5 years and has put systems in place to facilitate this process. It is entirely reasonable that the focus has been on “rescue”, particularly given the driver of Operation Chalice. What we are hearing, however, is that further developments need to take place in relation to the long term recovery or rehabilitation of young people and families and that their experiences of CSE make them significantly different from young people who have been sexually abused in other circumstances. Interim Conclusion

Recovery will be key if we are able to ensure:  Young people do not become part of CSE again  Families do not fragment  YP Mental health does not deteriorate with drug/alcohol abuse becoming prevalent  Young people can go on to form healthy relationships and to successfully parent their own children Interim Conclusion continued

 Awareness raising in schools and the community - linked to feedback from all participants and also our rationale based on what we know about the grooming methods. This would include increasing numbers of youth workers and youth services, so that young people from all backgrounds can be engaged. WISH LIST RAISING AWARENESS Young people avoid being pulled into CSE Young people empowered as early warning system Young people are less likely to isolate victims of CSE  The “perfect” multidisciplinary team. For example?  Joined up policies and procedures between Child and Adult Services

Any questions?

NewStart Networks cic Office 35 The Rural Enterprise Centre Stafford Drive Shrewsbury SY1 3FE Tel: Fax: Francesca Varutti Dallas Shaw Carol Harley Helen Torrington Nicki Pitts  Vivianne McKay - Interim Service Delivery Manager, Commissioning (Children and Families and Transport)  Jas Bedesha - Cohesion Service Delivery Manager, Family & Cohesion Services Thank you