Transcript Seminar 1 presentation - London Safeguarding Children Board

CROYDON ECLIPSE
Working with Sexual Exploitation In Croydon
Libby Fry: Barnardo’s
Jonathan Wilson: Met Police
Joan Semeonoff: Children’s Social Care
Why Croydon?
Large:
• Child population, just under 79,000;
• Care population (1100) & care leavers (over 1000);
• Number of P&V Res Units & Foster Placements (500
OLA children in Croydon);
• Asylum seeker population, including LAC;
• Number of other borough’s children educated in
Croydon;
• Long standing areas of significant; deprivation;
• Transport links….
22
12
11
23
1
(12
children
)
3
5
2
20
21
15
16
1
8
1
7
10
9
19
4
6
8
13
14
7
24
CHILDREN NOT ON THE MAP
Asylum Seekers with a history of facilitation,
seeming settled in placement & not talking
about :
• Multiple terminations & STDs;
• Signs & symptoms of DV;
• Money laundering;
• Disappearing & sending 1 yr old baby back to China;
Local Children:
• 13 year old living off benefit fraud & presence of glamour
photographs;
• Child brainwashed by fetishistic & domestically violent
adult from age 12.
HISTORY - Establishing Need (1)
• 2003 - Sex Ex Planning Group - lots of ambition,
no resources, no referrals;
• 2004 - Sex Ex Protocol launched, lots of
worrying anecdote & no real referrals;
• Feb 2006 - Children’s Quality Assurance actively
invite referrals for planning - 56 referrals;
• 200 ‘other’ children & young people – siblings or
associated with abusive incidents;
• May 2005 - Barnardo’s set up south London
advisory group.
HISTORY – Establishing Needs (2)
• April 2006 Barnardo’s SEone Service (funded by City
Bridges) - begin taking referrals for specialist
interventions - assertive outreach;
• Barnardos lobby GLA & Children & Young People Unit
for better MPS response;
• September 06 Sex Ex safeguarding sub group set up
• November 2006 ‘Invest to Save’ bid (Home Office)
returned;
• March 2007 ‘Invest to Save’ funding confirmed….
• October 2007 Eclipse service starts running & co
located in the Croydon Family Justice Centre;
• Agreement for additional Police & Children’s Social Care
resources.
WHAT SORT OF SERVICE IS
NEEDED
A service which is:
• Committed to multi-agency work focussed on safeguarding children &
prosecuting/ disrupting abusers;
• Welcomes & maps all intelligence;
• Not about gate keeping;
• Delivers services flexibly to suit children &
young people within safe boundaries;
• Shows patience towards young people.
Outcomes for Invest to Save
• To reduce child sexual exploitation in
Croydon
• To reduce expensive out of borough
placements and Criminal Justice
process
• To improve health and life opportunities
of children
• To prevent children being sexually
exploited
CROYDON ECLIPSE
Elements of service (1)
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
• Brief Therapy
Barnardo’s
• 2 Specialist Social Workers using Barnardo’s
Assertive Outreach Model;
• 1 Specialist Missing Persons Worker using Assertive Outreach Model;
• Professional supervision, support & training.
The Model
• Access - protocols, inter agency working, flexible & responsive services to the
children’s needs, support on own terms
• Attention - hook them in, issues that matter to them, BSFT, persistent attention
• Assertive outreach - maintain contact, texting, calling, cards, demonstration of
concern & reliability
• Advocacy - with range of agencies, can give rise to tensions, establish & maintain
effective protocols & practices, with children at the centre.
CROYDON ECLIPSE
Elements of service (2)
Police Input:
• 1 Detective Sergeant;
• 2 Sexual Exploitation Investigating Officers;
• 3 Every Child Matters Officers;
• 3 Missing Persons Officers
Children’s Social Care Input:
• Independent Chairpersons for children’s planning;
• Plans for assessment & case holding Social Workers.
Multi Agency
Strategy Meeting
within 72 hours
where deemed
necessary by
operational team
Information of child at risk of sexual exploitation
Initial assessment by
Operations Team
High
Risk
Assessment
Action taken by
operational team to
prosecute or disrupt
offenders.
Low/Medium Risk
Monthly Multi Agency
Strategy Meeting
where all cases
submitted are reviewed
High
Assessment
Low/Medium
And
Multi Agency Solutions for
diversion planning
Barnardos
Assertive
Outreach
Missing Child Service
Barnardos
Barnardos Assertive
Outreach
CROYDON ECLIPSE
Elements of service (3)
Regular Partners:
• Designated Nurses;
• YOT & YISP managers;
• Heads of PRUs and Croydon Residential;
• IROs;
• Missing From Education Worker
Health perspective
• Attend all initial & some review protocol
meetings. Ensure health representation at
all meetings.
• Provide strategic advice around planning
and prevention work, & communicate with
other health professionals on action plans.
• Able to source information from other
health providers, to share at meetings.