S Sexual Exploitation Risk Assessment Framework

1 Sexual Exploitation Risk Assessment FrameworkA pilot study October 2007 Sam Clutton and Jan ColesSERAFB arnardo's Registered Charity Nos 216250 and SC0376058417/CD/07 Contents1 Copyright Barnardo s rights part of this publication may be reproduced, stored on a retrieval systemor transmitted in any form or by any means without permission of the 978-1-904659-04-4 PageFigures and tables.. 2 Acknowledgments.. 3 Foreword.. 41 Introduction.. 62 Information.. 123 Identification.. 204 Interventions.. 335 SERAF.

2 37 Appendices.. 412 Figures and tablesFiguresPage1 Girls and young women Experience of abuse during childhood.. 202 Girls and young women Experience of problematic parenting.. 213 Girls and young women Emotional well-being.. 224 Girls and young women Indicators of disengagement, isolation and exposure to risk situations.. 225 Girls and young women Relationship with an older boyfriend or controlling adult.. 246 Girls and young women Direct risk indicators of Sexual Exploitation .. 257 Boys and young men Experience of abuse during childhood.

3 268 Boys and young men Experience of problematic parenting.. 279 Boys and young men Emotional well-being.. 2710 Boys and young men Indicators of disengagement,isolation and exposure to risk situations.. 2811 Boys and young men Direct risk indicators of Sexual Exploitation .. 30 Tables1 Total number of returns by team.. 122 Total sample by legal status.. 123 SERAF categories of risk Framework .. 144 Sample by category of risk and team.. 165 Sample by category of risk and gender split within each category.

4 176 Sample by category of risk and ethnicity.. 177 Sample by category of risk and recorded disability.. 183 AcknowledgmentsThe SERAF pilot study would not have taken place without the commitment of NewportChildren s Services, Gwent Police, Newport Area Child Protection Committee, and the partnerorganisations it represents. That Newport was prepared to facilitate the research was a bold stepand we would particularly like to thank Sharon Davies and Carol Davies for their determination tosee this work completed.

5 Most of all we are grateful to all those Team Managers and Practitionerswho dedicated their precious time to complete the forms and attend practice developmentsessions and for their valuable feedback so willingly thanks are due to Hywel Jones, Helen Jones and Russell Thomas for their editorial work; toMichelle Gough for her huge contribution to coordinating the publication and to our colleagues inBarnardo s November 2005 Barnardo s Cymru published the scoping study report Out of sight, out of mind:Child Sexual Exploitation .

6 The report provided some of the first available information on the natureand prevalence of child Sexual Exploitation in Wales. One of the main findings of the scoping studywas the huge challenge facing local authorities in terms of identifying this hidden form of s Cymru has been able to support local authorities in meeting part of that the launch of the scoping study report we have been involved in the delivery of awarenessraising and training across Wales so that managers and practitioners are better able to recognisethe risk indicators of child Sexual Exploitation .

7 Whilst undertaking this work Barnardo s Cymruidentified a need among practitioners for a straight forward risk Assessment tool to identify childrenand young people at risk of child Sexual was delighted when Newport ACPC decided to commission a study to investigate the prevalenceof child Sexual Exploitation in the local authority. The pilot study was carried out in 2006 andinvolved Newport Children s Services teams in completing over 350 risk Assessment forms,attending training with colleagues from other agencies and participating in practice developmentsessions.

8 The study allowed for the successful piloting of a Sexual Exploitation risk assessmentframework (SERAF) which identifies children and young people at risk and provides an informationand intervention pathway for preventing and responding to child Sexual boldcommitment of the ACPC,Head of Children s Services and of managers and practitioners inNewport has led to the development of a risk Assessment Framework that we hope will contributeto the future safeguarding of children and young people throughout is still much to be done in taking forward a collaborative multi agency response to meetingthe needs of children and young people at risk of or abused through Sexual thiswork forward continues to be a priority for Barnardo s is why we have invested in thefirst specific service in

9 Wales for sexually exploited children and young people. We are alreadyworking with a number of local authorities in Wales in taking forward good practice in theidentification of child Sexual Exploitation and in preventing and responding to this important hope that the work we have undertaken for Welsh Assembly Government and with localauthorities such as Newport will contribute to a safer future for children and young people in Barnardo s Cymru 5 ForewordAs Head of Children and Family Services in Newport, I have responsibility for ensuring.

10 With ourpartner agencies, that we collectively work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children andyoung people and protect them from harm. Child Sexual Exploitation is predominantly a taboosubject, but an area of practice that I particularly wanted to highlight and address, based on mysignificant experience and knowledge of this Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) revised their ACPC Interagency Protocol forChildren Involved in Sexual Exploitation in 2005. Significantly this Protocol recognises childreninvolved in, or at risk of Sexual Exploitation , as victims of abuse and sets out a response based onthe holistic needs of the child and a continuum of November 2005 I attended the Out of sight, out of mind child Sexual Exploitation conference inCardiff and subsequently approached Barnardo s Cymru to attend an ACPC meeting.