Understanding Child Criminal Exploitation

A second phone, new trainers nobody can explain, missed afternoons, a sudden change in who they spend time with. On their own, each can look like ordinary trouble. Together, they can mean a child is being used by a gang to move drugs or money.

Child criminal exploitation, as KCSIE defines it, often starts with a gift that later becomes a debt. Gangs present themselves as a family, and threats keep a child trapped. You'll learn which children are most at risk, and why gangs increasingly recruit younger children and girls, who are less likely to be stopped by police.

Whatever they've been made to do, a child who is being exploited is a victim of abuse. If you're worried, you'll know to tell your designated safeguarding lead straight away.