To receive a presentation on Wiltshire Council’s plan to tackle Child Sex Exploitation.
Officer: Blair Keltie, Service Manager for Child Sexual Exploitation and Missing Children.
Minutes:
The Board received a presentation from Blair Keltie, Service Manager for Child Sexual Exploitation and Missing Children; on Wiltshire Council’s plan to tackle Child Sex Exploitation.
What is Child Sexual Exploitation?
Someone taking advantage of you sexually, for their own benefit. Through threats, bribes, violence, humiliation, or by telling you that they love you, they will have the power to get you to do sexual things for their own, or other people’s benefit or enjoyment (including: touching or kissing private parts, sex, taking sexual photos).
Background
Following events in Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford and elsewhere; in March this year, the Prime Minister stated that CSE was a National Threat and that child sexual abuse was a national Policing priority. Police forces must prioritise CSE and this is reflected in Wiltshire Police Priorities.
An idea of the problem nationally:
· 88% increase in Police investigations since 2012 = 70K investigations nationally and no sign of slowing down.
· In 2012 there was a watershed with the Saville revelations and its estimated that 30K victims of non recent case would come forward.
· Estimated 100m images of children being abused in circulation and 50K people viewing these online.
· 15 – 50% will go on to have contact offences.
The sexual exploitation of children and young people is a form of sexual abuse. It is not new. What is new is the level of awareness of the extent and scale of the abuse and of the increasingly different ways in which perpetrators sexually exploit children and young people.
Grooming
Grooming refers to actions deliberately aimed at establishing an emotional connection and trust with a child or young person in order to increase the likelihood of them engaging in sexual behaviour or exploitation. Signs of Grooming include:
· Regularly missing from home or school and staying out all night
· Change in behaviour – becoming aggressive and disruptive or quiet and withdrawn
· Unexplained gifts or new possessions such as clothes, jewellery, mobile phones or money that can’t be accounted for
· Increase in mobile phone use or secretive use
· Appearing to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol
· Being picked up or dropped off in cars by unknown adults
· A significantly older ‘boyfriend’ or ‘friend’ or lots of new friends
· Spending excessive amount of time online and becoming increasingly secretive about time spent online
· Sudden involvement in criminal behaviour or increased offending
· Sexual health problems
There are a number of ways in which local authorities, police and other key partners can reduce the prevalence of CSE.
· Prevent the abuse from happening;
· Protect young people who are victims or at risk of sexual exploitation;
· Prosecute offenders wherever possible;
· Publicise this activity, including how people can report Child Sexual Exploitation.
Area Boards
The Area Boards are a way of working to bring local decision making back into the heart of the community. They are a formal part of Wiltshire Council that try to find solutions for local issues
By working in partnership with local communities, the council can achieve so much more than it ever could on its own. We hope this will lead to better services, better communities and a better quality of life for everyone in Wiltshire. Councillors have a key role to play in this, and should not be afraid to raise these issues within the communities they represent.
Questions and comments included:
· The problem with the data protection act is that when someone is being investigated, you are not able to communicate this to the local Member.
· Youth Services were pulled last year, that was the best route in to working with young people on issues like this. Answer: Yes we have lost one pair of eyes, however we are working with Schools and holding briefings at multi agency forums.
· Was there a widespread general campaign to raise public awareness? Answer: We are working to up our game in community awareness, we will use any means we can to publicise and increase general awareness. The Phoenix project web site http://www.itsnotokay.co.uk/ provides information and resources in a one stop shop. The first priority was to form a team which could work with the Police, the next stage will be to promote it.
· There were already many people in the Community who are trained in Safeguarding. Answer: We are not here to solve, but to work with those people and to raise awareness and knowledge.
· Most children in Mere are going to school in Dorset, the Multi-agency forums and common assessment frameworks are not as well attended due to cross border issues. Answer: Not aware of what had taken place to fill the gap. We will work with our counter parts in Dorset as these issues do not recognise any regional boundaries.