National action plan to tackle child sexual exploitation: progress report 2016-2017

Overview

We all share a responsibility to ensure that Scotland's children and young people are protected from Child Sexual Exploitation ( CSE). Preventing and tackling CSE requires a co-ordinated multi-agency response. Children and young people need information to help them build resilience and make safe choices. Parents and carers need information about how to talk to their children and how to recognise the signs that their child may be at risk.

CSE is a difficult challenge to identify and quantify. Practitioners must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to recognise sexual exploitation and respond appropriately. This must be accompanied by work to detect, disrupt and prosecute perpetrators and reduce re-offending.

The Scottish Government has made a significant contribution to tackling and preventing CSE in Scotland. This includes investing in the infrastructure of the sector alongside specific projects with significant potential to demonstrate 'what works' or scaling up proven approaches.

• Investment of £300,000 during the first 2 years in Barnardo's Scotland (year three funding levels are to be confirmed), of 3 year funding under the Scottish Government's Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund (1 April 2016 -31 March 2019), to support their work on child sexual exploitation and abuse. The award covers core and infrastructure funding to continue the reach of frontline CSE services, to ensure that children and young people at risk of or affected by sexual exploitation are identified early and receive appropriate support. Examples of work undertaken by Barnardo's Scotland supported through the fund include:
  • Working directly with young people and their parents (1-2-1 sessions).
  • Supporting practice and Scottish Government policy.
  • Delivering awareness raising events on CSE to the community and professionals.
  • The development and dissemination of practitioner guidance on CSE and learning disability.
  • The the facilitation of three practitioner events regarding CSE and learning disability.
  • The Development of materials for the industries and businesses trading in the night time economy.
• An investment of £25,000 in the Moira Anderson Foundation was secured for 2016-17 and a further £25,000 for 2017-18 under the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund. Funding will enable them to provide therapeutic and on-going support to survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The provision of various therapies to children and young people and their families will include: Filial Therapy, Art Therapy and Play therapy. Funding will also enable initial and on-going support to the children and young people referred to them. This will include the provision of a named client support officer to each child/young person and their family. Client support will be the first point of contact when a family/individual is referred to their service. They will initiate a customised support package relevant to the client, their family and their situation and will be responsible for developing and implementing additional interventions to support their wellbeing and care.
• Delivery of a national and integrated marketing strategy to help generate awareness, including TV, digital and outdoor advertising, the key focus being to help parents spot the signs. This included development of a dedicated website http://csethesigns.scot/, which contains further information. This was followed by an innovative SnapChat partnership between the Scottish Government and YoungScot, creating the video episodes Bad Romance that directly targeted young people to raise awareness of CSE. This channel was selected because of its popularity with the target age range and it proved very successful.
• Investment to NSPCC in the form of 3 year funding from the Scottish Government's Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund (1 April 2016 -31 March 2019). The award covers funding to help expedite the delivery and implementation of their transformational project "Doing more for children", through additional posts and training in Scotland. The funding is helping to achieve the outcomes of increasing the number of counselling sessions for children, increased opportunities for children to access Childline support and an increase in the number of children who can access timely support through improved technology. To date, NSPCC have been awarded £396,000 (£198,000 for Y1 and the same for Y2). Year three funding levels are to be confirmed.