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This researchin partnership with BBC Radio 5 live was a snapshot from five of Barnardo's CSE specialist services. They found that in the last six months, these five services alone supported 702 children and 297 of these children were groomed online. It also highlights that sixty one per cent of these children were physically sexually assaulted by their groomer, and nearly 50 per cent of these children were exploited by more than one person.

A new set of resources developed in partnership with Dr Kate Brown, a leading academic at University of York (also Chair of Basis Yorkshire). Breaking Through features the voices and experiences of those who have experienced CSE and then moved on in some way, with words of wisdom for other young people and professionals.

The project has generated new insights into experiences of CSE, addressing the issue that the voices of young people often get lost or overlooked in debates about how it should be addressed (Berelowitz et al, 2013). As well as showing the different ways abuse happens, the vivid accounts provide unique insights into how experiences of CSE are shaped by wider factors such as welfare systems, criminal justice responses, education, access to money, relationships with parents, and interventions from services and professionals.

The stories highlight how CSE happens to young people from a wide range of backgrounds, boys and girls, but also how some young people are especially vulnerable. Experiences in care, run-ins with the police, trouble at school and drug or alcohol use all feature here, mirroring wider research in this area. Young people recount being seen as ‘troublesome’ – blamed for their situation – underlining that if services are to be effective, they need to reach those with ‘difficult’ behaviour as well as young people considered most ‘deserving’ of support.

All the stories show how important it is for professionals to build trust with young people, taking time to listen and keep them informed about what is going on, making sure they know professionals are on their side. For this, agencies need appropriate resources and time as well as knowledge, so wider issues about how the state supports young people form the backdrop to the individual accounts.

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/fighting-for-childhood/news-opinion/time-to-listen-cse-missing-children/   Read More