Charity offers new support to parents of county lines victims
Date published: 03 February 2021
The Children’s Society’s national Disrupting Exploitation service, which runs in Greater Manchester, is employing new parent workers to support parents and carers whose children are being exploited
A charity leading the way in supporting children subjected to horrific county lines exploitation is offering new help to the parents and carers of victims in Greater Manchester.
The Children’s Society’s national Disrupting Exploitation service, which runs in Greater Manchester, Birmingham and London, is employing new parent workers to support parents and carers whose children are being exploited or thought to be at risk of criminal exploitation.
The service is part-funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of Community Activity in the UK, as well as by a grant from a generous philanthropist.
The Children's Society says that with better education and support, parents and carers can be vital allies in helping children exit situations in which they are criminally exploited, including through county lines.
But a survey conducted on behalf of the charity with 2,000 parents of 10-16-year-olds across the UK found nearly half (42%) of parents did not understand the term ‘county lines’, which is used to describe the practice of children being groomed and coerced to distribute drugs across the country.
It also found 56 per cent of parents did not worry about their children falling victim to criminal exploitation - despite research showing that any child in any community can be targeted.
Latest figures for referrals of children to social care in Greater Manchester indicate a rise in cases which may indicate that children are being criminally exploited.
They show the number in which ‘gangs’ were identified as a factor at the end of assessments more than doubled from 484 in 2017/18 to 1,022 in 2019/20, while the number in which trafficking was identified doubled from 85 to 178.
There was a 26% rise in cases in which children going missing was flagged, from 1,215 to 1,533.
The Children’s Society’s practitioners say changes in young people’s behaviour as a result of them being exploited take a huge toll on parents and carers, making it harder for them to support their children alongside any vital help being offered by professionals.
They say complex statutory processes like the National Referral Mechanism system used to identify trafficking and modern slavery victims and child protection procedures were difficult for parents and carers to navigate alone.
The new parent workers will help parents and carers to understand exploitation, including county lines, spot the warning signs, and improve communication with their children.
Sessions can take place in person, online or by phone depending on the wishes of the parent or carer and Covid restrictions.
There will also be peer support groups.
Becky Fedia, National Programme Manager at The Children’s Society’s Disrupting Exploitation Programme, said: “Support from a parent or carer can be an important step in a child safely exiting an exploitative situation through which they have been groomed then left terrified and traumatised by threats, violence and abuse.
“Changes in children’s behaviour like going missing, using drugs or becoming angry and secretive can put a huge strain on family relationships.
"Finding out that exploitation is to blame for this will seem daunting and scary for parents, causing worry, stress and feelings of helplessness.
“We know that parents and carers can be crucial allies both in helping children and in providing insight and information that can help disrupt perpetrators of exploitation.
"But, too often, they do not get support and are overlooked by statutory agencies.
“This new help will not only benefit parents and carers, but also their children and any siblings who may also be vulnerable to exploitation.
“During this further lockdown, this will be particularly important, because criminals adapted their tactics to continue grooming young people and exploit their vulnerabilities, including online, in response to the first lockdown.
"Parents can play a vital role in spotting the warning signs at a time when children may be spending more time at home, hidden from the view of professionals and other people who might ordinarily be able to raise concerns.”
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