How the authorities are tackling child exploitation in Cornwall

However because the crime can often be “hidden” it can be difficult for the council and partners to tackle it effectively.

Councillors were told about what the council is doing to combat the problems of child exploitation at a briefing.

Ben Davies, head of children and family services in West Cornwall, is lead officer at the council for child exploitation.

He explained that when the council’s children and family services were rated “good” by Ofsted in 2016 the council was told that its response to child sexual exploitation “required improvement to get to good”.

In response the council had made it a priority for the service and was working closely with partners to take a more preventative approach.

Mr Davies said: “We want to be more proactive and not just picking up the pieces afterwards.”

The briefing heard that exploitation comes in all forms and usually starts by the victim being given something.

Mr Davies said: “Children and young people are being exploited in return for something. Sometimes that is the victim being offered or being given something they need or something tangible like money, alcohol or drugs.

“Or it can be something non tangible, it could be status in a gang or perceived love and protection. A child could be engaged in sexual activity because of a threat to themselves or their family.”

However the fact that victims can be exploited in return for getting goods or money can often affect how they are seen by others.

Mr Davies explained: “The idea that the young person is getting something they want can sometimes mean you see the children and young people as less of a victim.”

And child exploitation has been changing with an increase in gangs and county lines and those who are exploited are more likely to miss school, have mental health issues and be at risk of extremism or radicalisation.

Mr Davies said: “There is the idea of vulnerability being targeted in order to exploit these young people.

“Young people face multiple risks, often there are more than one of those at any one time. And if they are exploited it is more likely that they will be targeted again.”

The briefing heard that exploitation can be hard to detect and it is also hard for the victims to access the help that they need.

And while exploitation usually affected children who are considered to be vulnerable they are not the only victims.

“In terms of online exploitation we see children brought into exploitation from families that wouldn’t otherwise be brought into contact with our services.”

Mr Davies explained that any child could be victim of exploitation but there are some who are more likely to be victims including those who have experienced family breakdown.

Councillors also heard that perpetrators can sometimes be the same age or just a few years older than their victims.

Figures provided at the briefing showed that in Cornwall the most common relationships between victim and offender were – peer/friend 24%; family member 19%; stranger online 12% and boyfriend/girlfriend 11%.

And the victims of exploitation can sometimes not consider themselves to be victims which can mean that it goes unreported.

Mr Davies also said that it was key to remember that young people over the age of 16 can also be victims of exploitation and that boys are as much at risk as girls.

The briefing heard that more was also being done to help victims when they do seek help.

In the past victims could find themselves having their mobile phones taken away for examination which could cut them off and sometimes be moved away to a safe place which could compound their distress.

Instead agencies were focusing on the perpetrators of the crime to ensure that the victims do not suffer any more than they have already.

But Mr Davies said that there was also a need to address concerns with young people’s behaviour.

He said: “There is an increasing problem with young men’s attitudes towards young women. We need to challenge how young men treat young women in our communities.”