1. Child Sexual Exploitation.
Our Place Mentoring Services.

2. Contents Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE): The issue. Defining CSE.
Prevalence and Incidence.
Victims and Perpetrators.
Push / Pull Factors.
Identification.

3. CSE: The Issue. New concept of child maltreatment.
‘Hidden’ form of abuse.
Difficult to define and identify.
High profile cases of Local Authorities failing in the protection of vulnerable children and young people.
Attitudes of professionals working with children and young people.
Issues surrounding disclosure and listening to the voices of children and young people.

4. Your Opinion.
What is your current understanding of Child Sexual Exploitation?

5. Defining Child Sexual Exploitation
Form of sexual abuse that involves the manipulation and/ or coercion of a child or young person into sexual activities in exchange for material goods; affection or status, Barnados (2012).
‘Grooming’ process.
Perpetrators exhibit power and control over victims.
Often misunderstood as ‘consensual’.

6. Prevalence and Incidence
16, 500 children/young people at risk of sexual exploitation in the United Kingdom.
3,000 children/young people accessing services due to being sexually exploited.
2,049 victims of gang related grooming identified by authorities.
Statistics to considered to be underestimations.

7. Activity: Victims and Perpetrators.
In groups: -Discuss all the characteristics of what you perceive a victim of Child Sexual Exploitation to be. -Discuss all the characteristics of what you perceive a perpetrator of Child Sexual Exploitation to be. Think of factors such as age; backgrounds; ethnicity; religion etc.

8. Children and Young People At-Risk
ALL children and young people are at-risk of CSE regardless of social class; ethnicity; backgrounds.
Media reports guilty of stereotyping profile of victims.
Looked after children / runaways.
Children with Special Needs.
Asylum seeker/ Migrant children.
“Running from hate to what you think is love.”

9. Push Factors Disengaged with education. Drug and alcohol abuse.
Neglect.
Involved in gangs.
Risky internet use.
Victims of bullying.
Family breakdown.
Parental issues: mental health / alcohol or substance abuse.
Familial abuse/domestic violence.
Peer pressure.
Bereavement.
Attachment issues.

10. Pull Factors ‘Love’ Material goods Alcohol and drugs Independence
Affection
Status
Money
Security

11. Voices.
“There would always be lots of alcohol and drugs. We knew we would be expected to do something sexual with the men but we just got wasted and got on with it… It would always make us feel popular and wanted, and we liked that.” Ben aged 15. “I knew that my mother always loved me but I never felt that loved because she was so ill … so it was good to feel like that loved at the time [by the men who were sexually exploiting Ellie].” “The police came to speak with me and asked me why I was running away. Like I could really say “my [relative]’s making me suck his dick and his mates’ dick”. It just wasn’t going to happen.”

12. Identification Major issues with disclosure and identification.
Children/young people often don’t know they are being exploited.
Only speak up when asked.
Role of professionals not victims to identify cases.
Screening tools.

13. Indicators Rapid change in appearance Sexualised behaviour
Disruptive/Challenging behaviours
Revolving door ( Police and E.Depts)
Bullying (Victim and Perpetrator)
Repeated STI testing
Repeat Pregnancy
Drugs and Solvent abuse
Physical injuries
Missing/Running away
School absence (Repeated)
Mental Health Problems
Suicide Ideation
Unexplained injuries

14. Our Role as Mentors Be aware of push/pull factors.
Record and report any suspicions.
Make use of screening tools provided.
Provide support and empathy to our mentees.
Prevention and intervention is key.
Mentoring sessions based on positive self-image; attachment issues; positive relationships.
CBT.

15. Myths Myth: This only happens to girls and young women X
Myth: This is only perpetrated by male offenders X
Myth: This only happens in certain ethnic/cultural communities X
Myth: This just happens to young teenagers X
Myth: This only happens to looked after ‘vulnerable’ children X 
Myth: This only happens in large urban towns and cities X
Myth: There are very few forms it can take X
Myth: Parents should know what is happening and should be able to stop it X

16. Defining Child Sexual Exploitation
“Sexual exploitation of children and young people under 18 involves exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where young people (or a third person or persons) receive ‘something’ (e.g. food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, affection, gifts, money) as a result of them performing, and/or another or others performing on them, sexual activities. Child sexual exploitation can occur through the use of technology without the child’s immediate recognition; for example being persuaded to post sexual images on the Internet/mobile phones without immediate payment or gain. In all cases, those exploiting the child/young person have power over them by virtue of their age, gender, intellect, physical strength and/or economic or other resources. Violence, coercion and intimidation are common, involvement in exploitative relationships being characterised in the main by the child or young person’s limited availability of choice resulting from their social/economic and/or emotional vulnerability.” - Working Together To Safeguard Children (2006).