East Suffolk Safeguarding Children, Young People and Adults at Risk of Abuse Policy - Appendix D - Other safeguarding issues

Child sexual exploitation and trafficking

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs when 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) the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator.

This can take place at any age, in any community and can affect boys as well as girls. However, the following groups are more vulnerable:

• Children in care
• Children leaving care
• Children with learning difficulties
• Young carers
• Children and young people living in poverty
• Children who go missing

Indicators of CSE that may be evident include:

• Regularly missing school or not taking part in education
• Having older boyfriends or girlfriends
• Drug and alcohol misuse

Modern day slavery

The council has a Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy which outlines our responsibilities in this area; our duty under section 43 of the Modern Slavery Act to co-operate with the Commissioner and a duty under section 52 to notify the Secretary of State if we develop reasonable grounds to believe that a person in our district may be a victim of slavery or human trafficking.

Forced marriage

This takes place when the bride, groom or both do not want to get married but are forced to by others – usually their families. They could be tricked into going abroad and may be emotionally or violently blackmailed.

Honour based violence

Honour based violence is a crime or incident which has or may have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family or community, often committed with some degree of approval and/or collusion by the family. Victims are often women (but not exclusively so).

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)

FGM is defined by the World Health Organisation as “all procedures that involve total or partial removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”.

Children missing from education

A child is missing from education if they are between 5 and 16 and do not have a formal school place or any alternative arrangements made about their education.

Private fostering

Private fostering takes place when a child under the age of 16 (or 18 if the child has a disability) lives with someone who is not a close relative (i.e., not their grandparents, aunt, uncle brother, sister, cousin or step-parents) for 28 days or more unless that person has parental responsibility for them or is a local authority or agency foster carer. Under the children act 1989, private foster carers and those with parental responsibility are required to notify the local authority of their intention to privately foster or to have a child privately fostered, or where a child is privately fostered in an emergency.

Prevent and vulnerable to radicalisation

Radicalisation is the process by which a person comes to support or be involved in extremist ideologies. It can result in a person being drawn into terrorism and is in itself a form of harm.

Prevent is the multi-agency set of arrangements aimed at preventing individuals and groups from engaging in violent extremism. Prevent is not aimed at suppressing freedom of thought and expression. Early indicators of extremism may include:

• Showing sympathy for extremist causes
• Glorifying violence
• Evidence of possessing illegal or extremist literature
• Advocating messages similar to illegal organisations such as “Muslims against Crusades” or other non-prescribed extremist groups such as the EDL.
• Out of character changes in dress, behaviour and peer relationships.

Domestic Abuse

Domestic abuse can be defined as an incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour, including sexual violence, in the majority of cases by a partner or ex-partner, or by a family member or carer.

Domestic abuse can include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Coercive control (a pattern of intimidation, degradation, isolation and control with the use or threat of physical or sexual violence)
• Psychological and/or emotional abuse
• Physical or sexual abuse
• Financial or economic abuse
• Harassment and stalking
• Online or digital abuse.

Gangs and groups

A gang is a group of people who spend time in public places and who see themselves (and are seen by others) as a noticeable group, and who engage in a range of criminal activity and violence. They may also identify with or lay a claim over territory and/or be in conflict with other, similar gangs.

County lines operate from urban areas into more rural areas. Young people are “recruited” by gangs or serious organised crime networks and used to facilitate the establishment of drug markets in the more rural locations.

Mate Crime/Hate Crime

Any criminal offence which may be perceived, by the victim or any other person to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic (see Equality and Diversity pages). The term ‘Mate Crime’ is being used where people with learning disabilities are often befriended by people who then exploit them.