The sexual and/or criminal exploitation of vulnerable children has sadly become an increasingly familiar risk that families, safeguarding agencies and the family court must attempt to manage.
In its 2021 ‘Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: county lines’ guidance, the government defined child criminal exploitation as occurring where “an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18. The victim may have been criminally exploited even if the activity appears consensual. Child criminal exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology… Criminal exploitation of children is broader than just county lines, and includes for instance children forced to work on cannabis farms or to commit theft”.
In its 2017 ‘Child sexual exploitation: definition and guide for practitioners’ guidance, the government defined child sexual exploitation as “a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology”.
We have a number of experienced Independent Social Workers on our panel who have extensive experience in this area of work and who will approach their assessments sensitively. Following the standard Department of Health Framework, the assessment will additionally explore the risks and the parent’s ability to safeguard against those risks. Some of our Independent Social Workers are also trained to undertake Achieving Best Evidence interviews.
These assessments can be undertaken in a timeframe from 4 weeks.
