1. Safeguarding young people from abuse and exploitation Next Steps and Implications for Education Providers
Dr Carlene Firmin MBE
Senior Research Fellow and Head of MsUnderstood Partnership
@carlenefirmin
@uniofbedsCSE
NOT TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT AUTHOR PERMISSION

2. The International Centre
Committed to increasing understanding of, and improving responses to child sexual exploitation, violence and trafficking in local, national and international context.
Achieved through:
academic rigour and research excellence
collaborative and partnership based approaches to applied social research
meaning and ethical engagement of children and young people

3. Overview
Contextual and complex nature of abuse and exploitation– a brief overview
Where we have been in terms of response
Towards contextual and holistic responses: examples of promising practice
Discussion – implications for education
Questions

4. Contextual nature of exploitation and abuse
Sexual harassment and bullying
Peer recruitment
Gang-affected neighbourhoods
CSE in parks, shopping centres
Neighbourhood
School
Peer Group
Home
Child
Peer association to IPV
Peer group sexual offending
Domestic abuse
Neglect

5. Overlaid categories of exploitation
Missing
Harmful sexual behaviour
Teenage relationship abuse
Serious Youth Violence
Sexual Exploitation
Radicalisation

6. Where we have been:
1:1 intervention for young people who have been exploited, and sometimes group intervention
Relocation, care placements (under section 20) and securing on welfare grounds
Child and family assessment
Investigation and prosecution post disclosure
Siloed strategies, action plans, assessment tools, referral pathways and multi-agency groups

7. Where next

8. Unpicking the content of individual intervention
Safety
Stabilisation
Telling
Relational Engagement
Positive Enhancement

9. Challenging Language Promiscuous Manipulative Streetwise Risky choices
Risky behaviour
Absconder
Sexually aware / experienced
Aggressive
Out of control
Liar
Boys being boys
Glamour
Will not engage

10. Challenging relocation and managed moves
physical safety
relational safety
psychological safety
(Shuker, 2013, 2015)

11. Consideration of cultural school environments
Engagement with mainstream education
Individual schools are developing more robust responses
Work with external agencies, on both prevention and intervention
Actively refer students to MASH when have concerns,
Sharing info with other services local services
Ensured training for ALL staff to manage referrals and take disclosures
Fair Access Panel
PRU’s that are identified as places that can hold very vulnerable young people
Fair access panel referral from altered to capture contextual information
Fair access panel forms analysed to identify trends and ongoing issues within schools
LA and partners monitor referrals and the PRU do not accept all young people based on judgements regarding vulnerability
Assessment with referral in context.

12. Peer group mapping and dual planning
Peer Group Mapping and group (via individual) intervention (MSU Site Work)
Social workers and youth offending workers identified links between their individual cases
Met to map
Refined assessment
Designed complimentary interventions
Leader
Bystander
Follower

13. Peer Network – (Firmin, 2015)

14. Proactive investigation and safeguarding
Investment in analytical mapping and trend identification
Awareness-raising with local businesses and public spaces
Geo-spatial mapping and multi-issue ‘hotspot’ mapping
Role of detached youth work, neighbourhood teams, housing and youth service providers
Bedding and clothing seizure
Situational prevention strategies
Use of disruption and civil orders

15. Disruption through safeguarding (Firmin and Curtis, forthcoming)
Consistent processes for NFA referrals
Sites with majority or significant minority of MASE referrals peer-on-peer
All YP featured in peer-on-peer referrals subjected to MAP meeting
Twin processes run for identified suspects and complainants
Review of peer connections and behaviours against Hackett spectrum
Intervention designed against contextual model

16. Shared categories of vulnerabilities
Grooming
Consent
Identity
Inequality
Belonging
Agency
Social

17. Implications for education providers (1)
Creating a safe cultural environment at school
Addressing harmful gendered norms and other issues of inequality through curriculum and policies
Enabling safe friendships
Consistent responses to bullying, abuse and violence
Corridor cultures
Opportunities for leadership
Physical, relational and psychological safety

18. Implications for education providers (2)
Engagement in multi-agency partnerships:
Peer group assessment and mapping
Detailed engagement at fair access decisions
Awareness and engagement in multi-agency neighbourhood discussions
Support of case management process for young people affected by the issues
Investment in bystander intervention and peer support

19. Routes/Levers for implementation
Training
Supervision
Evaluation and monitoring
Recording and periodic review of incident management
Curriculum
Peer support networks
Policies, procedures and strategic documents

20. On-going questions Achieving consistency in understanding and approach
The challenge of language and understanding
Capturing, monitoring and sharing impact
Re-emphasising safeguarding
How to achieve holistic approaches that include specialism

21. For more information and resources visit our website www.beds.ac.uk/ic
@uniofbedscse