Crossing the Line (criminal exploitation, knife crime and county lines)

09:30-4:30pm in person at Dockside W.206 and W.207. 

You are required to bring you laptop for the training. 

Background
Crossing the line was developed by the University of Kent’s Centre for Child Protection (CCP) in response to the growing issue of gangs, county lines and knife crime.

In England alone, approximately 27,000 children were identified as gang members by the Children’s Commissioner, who also estimated that 34,000 more have been the victim of gang-related crime (1). An additional 120,000 children – one in every 25 teens in England- are estimated to experience broader risk factors associated with exploitation (2).

Street gangs have re-defined themselves as ruthless drug-selling businesses (3) which often use young people not known to the police to transport drugs from cities to market and coastal towns. Here, drugs can be stored in the homes of vulnerable people and drug deals are set up using mobile phones (“county lines”). Visible signs of gang membership are no longer desirable as they attract negative attention. These new models of recruitment and expansion place a wider range of teenagers and children at significant risk, and use coercion, intimidation and violence (including sexual violence).

Effective multi agency working at local level using a contextual safeguarding approach (4) is essential. This recognises that, as children grow up they are often more influenced by a range of environments and people outside their family. By understanding this approach and building on the substantial body of work from the Contextual Safeguarding Network it is possible to create a fresh approach to multi agency working and engage the wider community.

Rising levels of family poverty, higher rates of school absence since the Covid pandemic, ongoing concerns over temporary and permanent school exclusions, and ‘hidden’ routes of communication through social media, are all factors which can encourage or coerce children and young people into criminal activity.

Aims of the training
Using a new interactive, research and theory-based simulation training tool aimed at practitioners, participants will:

use the contextual safeguarding approach to develop an understanding of criminal exploitation, knife crime and county lines
via different characters aged nine to 16, explore different roles, risks and responsibilities within criminal exploitation networks
use compelling research-based ‘characters’ to assess the risks of grooming, entrapment and serious violence
evaluate risks in terms of gender and roles and across the life course
through an interactive street map linked to the characters, evaluate safeguarding pathways for individuals and evaluate the potential risks associated with different types of interventions
explore professionals within the context of communities who are key in assessing risks and safeguarding children and young people involved in criminal exploitation
explore and have the opportunity to develop a tailored action plan within a safeguarding framework for working with criminally exploited children
 

How does the simulation training work?
Use the interactive character maps in small groups
Assess protective factors and complete an activity
Participate in a whole group discussion on findings
Create a tailored contextual safeguarding plan
There is a live facilitator to help guide you through, and explore concepts
 

Advantages of this simulation training
Learn by doing and making ‘live’ decisions for better retention
Offers change of pace
Allows high risk decision making in a safe environment
Improves critical thinking by analysing of each character’s journey
 

References
Children’s Commissioner for England – Longfield 2019
Parliamentary Education Committee, Child exploitation and county lines, 4 July 2023- https://committees.parliament.uk/event/18861
‘From Postcodes to profits’; Whittaker et al 2018
The contextual safeguarding approach, originally developed by Dr. Carlene Firmin of the University of Bedfordshire
Emma Soutar

Emma Soutar is the Lead Trainer in the Law Society and Social Justice’s Centre for Child Protection (CCP). As part of her work at CCP, she has developed an expertise in grooming, child exploitation, online safety of young people and child protection more broadly. She uses this knowledge in the development of innovative serious game simulations built in collaboration with key safeguarding stakeholders. She delivers training packages to professionals; including her recent collaboration in developing ‘May and Bay’ a serious game aimed at tackling trafficking and sextortion in Thailand and Cambodia. This was funded through UNICEF’s, End Violence Against Children Fund. She is also co-investigating an Economic and Social Research Council project aimed at developing specialist trauma informed training for police officers investigating child sexual exploitation. More information about Emma and her work can be found at https://www.kent.ac.uk/social-policy-sociology-social-research/people/3491/soutar-emma

The Centre for Child Protection (CCP)

Part of the University of Kent, the Centre for Child Protection (CCP) was launched in October 2012 and from the beginning has aimed to get to the heart of child protection training by using innovative ideas and the latest technology. It is led and informed by a team of experts in the field of child protection, who have experience of working with traumatised children, young people, and families; and combines contemporary research with cutting-edge child protection simulations and an online, multi-professional and international Advanced Child Protection MA. CCP’s programmes of study are designed for a variety of multi-professional child protection workers, including social care, education, health, law enforcement, law, and specialist child welfare services.