Statutory guidance – children abused through prostitution.
Please refer to Chapter 6, paragraph 6.2 onward in Working Together to Safeguard Children as revised in 2006 and www.crimereduction.gov.uk/toolkits for full guidance. Further reference can be made to Dept. of Health, Home Office, Department for Education and Employment and National Assembly for Wales (2000) Safeguarding Children Involved in Prostitution. London.
Children abused through sexual exploitation, prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation should be treated primarily as the victims of abuse, and their needs therefore requiring careful assessment. They are likely to be in need of welfare services and, in many cases, protection under the Children Act 1989. This group may include children who have been victims of human trafficking.
“Safeguarding Children Involved in Prostitution” promotes an approach in which agencies should:
work together to:
- Recognise the problem
- Treat the child as a victim of abuse
- Safeguard the children involved and promote their welfare
- Work together to prevent abuse and provide children with opportunities and strategies to exit from prostitution
- Investigate and prosecute those who coerce, exploit and abuse children.
A protocol has been developed in Telford & Wrekin. This links to the Safeguarding Children Board’s procedures for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, with procedures for working with children in need and with youth offending protocols. The Protocol , referred to as "Sexually Active Young People" can be found in the document library attached to these procedures.
Young people may be exploited in a manner of formal commercial exploitation but more frequently in a lower scale, more subtle manner in which they may not recognise nor acknowledge the exploitative nature of relationships. The strong links that have been identified between prostitution, running away from home, human trafficking and substance misuse should be borne in mind in addressing sexual exploitation.
Concerns that a child or young person may be being involved, or is at risk of, sexual exploitation, must be referred to the Helpdesk or to the Police Public Protection Unit as set out in the "Managing Cases" section of these procedures.
The Telford & Wrekin Safeguarding Children Board hasestablished a subsubgroup; " Children Abused through Exploitation (CATE)" to tackle this problem at source