We have published a new report today Excluded to Included: Parents as Partners in Child Exploitation calling for urgent systemic reforms. The report explores the experiences of parents and carers whose children have been criminally or sexually exploited.
A seismic event: The Impact on Families
The researchers describe the shattering impact child exploitation has on children and their families:
“Exploitation can feel like a seismic event: sudden, destabalising and deeply damaging. It often arrives with little warning, shaking the very foundations of family life. Like the epicentre of an earthquake, the initial impact is felt most acutely by those closest but the aftershocks ripple outwards, affecting relationships, wellbeing, and the family’s sense of safety and identity for months or even years to come.”
Families reported living in constant fear, bracing for the next crisis, and navigating a system that too often failed to recognise the scale of the harm.
Key Findings
The report sets out the following findings:
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- Parents often feel excluded from safeguarding processes
- Exploitation causes harm to entire families
- Intersectional barriers limit effective support
- Individual practitioners play a vital role
Initially, I saw the signs before the local authority did….and they told me there is no CSE in my area.” Parent
Headline Recommendations
The report sets out seven key changes needed to improve responses to child exploitation and outcomes for affected families.
- Embed parent advocates within safeguarding teams
- Treat parents as true partners
- Recognise and plan for harm inside the home caused by the external exploitation
- Enhance multi-agency collaboration
- Recognise child exploitation as a core safeguarding priority
- Strengthen statutory and voluntary sector partnerships
- Prioritise anti-oppressive practice
The report calls for urgent reforms to improve outcomes for children and their families. Researcher’s Dr Sarah Hall and Dr Nicholas Marsh said:
“The impact of child exploitation is unquestionably life-altering, but it also reveals the extraordinary resilience of families navigating the most complex and painful of circumstances. The residence deserves not just to be witness, but supported, honoured and actively centred in our safeguarding systems.”
Lindsay Dalton, Ivison Trust CEO said:
“Families affected by child exploitation shouldn’t be feeling blamed and excluded by the systems designed to support them and individual practitioners shouldn’t be fighting against the tide. If we want to improve outcomes for exploited children and their families, it is imperative we commit to urgent systemic change and a cultural shift towards recognising and responding to the trauma every family member is living with.”