Multi-Agency Child Exploitation (MACE) and Contextual Safeguarding Procedures

Multi-Agency Child Exploitation (MACE) and Contextual Safeguarding Procedures

Multi-Agency Child Exploitation (MACE) and Contextual Safeguarding Overview

Historically different forms of exploitation have had different approaches and responses, for example child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, child trafficking. However, this procedure recognises that whilst there are different forms of exploitation, there exists a child who is at risk of and/or subjected to abuse and harm from exploitation. Therefore, this procedure takes a holistic view of exploitation whilst recognising that it can occur through different forms and often occurs in amongst other vulnerabilities that children and young people may be exposed to.

By the very nature of vulnerability and exploitation, the different themes of exploitation are invariably intertwined. This practice guidance considers vulnerability and contextual safeguarding from a holistic perspective. The risks and vulnerabilities of the child are seen as a complete picture, so their needs can be addressed in a way that improves their long-term outcomes, as appose to reducing risk in one particular area of vulnerability.

 There is no national Child Exploitation definition and as this is a local process the terminology should be used for local purposes only. MACE should NOT be confused with the threshold for “general concern for child” referrals. (See below). The very nature of vulnerability and exploitation is that it does not discriminate in aspects such as culture, age, gender or geography (both offline or online) and as such incorporates a number of areas of criminality. Exploitation often occurs without the child’s immediate recognition and/or with the child believing that they are in control of the situation and can therefore be difficult to identify. Further, the nature of life in the 21^st Century is that online and offline domains are no longer two distinct and separate areas. The relationship between the two is now fluid and interchangeable and as such we need to be able to recognise and respond to risk both in the online and offline environment.

It is important to note that there is NO specific referral form for MACE and Contextual Safeguarding and any child/children or young person related concerns should be managed and reported using the existing NYSCP procedures and the NYSCP referral process. There are existing statutory meeting structures in place that identify, assess and manage a child/children at risk and child/children in need concerns (Refer to Section below).

Where an exploitation or contextual safeguarding concerns has been identified within a safeguarding referral, MACE screening and assessment will take place in the Multi Agency Screening Team (MAST). After an initial screening of any referral has taken place within the Customer Resolution Centre, the MAST role will be to ascertain whether any additional multi-agency intervention or support is required. All other relevant MACE information held by or known to North Yorkshire Police (NYP), North Yorkshire Council (NYC) and Health partners will be shared and managed utilising established MAST procedures.

The vulnerabilities that MACE focuses on are listed below. Although it is important to note that this is not an exhaustive list:

• Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
• Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) including County Lines financial exploitation and organised crime groups
• Children Missing from Home (MFH)
• Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT)
• Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB)
• Online Child Exploitation
• Peer on peer exploitation/teenage relationship abuse
• Radicalisation and extremism

Definitions and Related Practice Guidance

The NYSCP has produced a range of practice guidance and supporting documents that cover the vulnerabilities focussed on through MACE. These can all be found on the Be Aware section of the NYSCP website www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/beaware.  

The MACE have agreed definitions for Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Criminal Exploitation taken from the Home Office definitions: Child exploitation disruption toolkit (publishing.service.gov.uk). The document states that the exploitation of children can take a number of different forms and perpetrators may subject children and young people to multiple forms of abuse at the same time, such as criminal exploitation (including county lines) and sexual exploitation.

Child Sexual Exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual (CSE perpetrator) takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage of increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.  Home Office (2019)

The NYSCP Practice Guidance for Child Sexual Exploitation can be found at  NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

Child Criminal Exploitation Child criminal exploitation is not defined in law, though the government’s Serious Violence Strategy defines it as occurring where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, control, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into any criminal activity:

• in exchange for something the victim needs or wants

• for the financial or other advantage of the perpetrator or facilitator

• through violence or the threat of violence (Home Office 2019)

County lines the most common form of child criminal exploitation is ‘county lines’. This refers to gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs around the UK using dedicated mobile phone lines or other forms of a ‘deal line’. They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store drugs and money, and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons. Children can be criminally exploited in other ways, such as theft, acquisitive crime, knife crimes and other forms of criminality and exploitation. (Home office 2019)

The NYSCP Practice Guidance for Child Criminal Exploitation can be found at  NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

Out of Area Children in care Protocol for young people arrested at risk of county lines  NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

Children Missing from Home

The APP College of Policing (2017) Missing People defines missing as ‘Anyone whose whereabouts cannot be established will be considered as missing until located and their well-being or otherwise confirmed. All reports of missing people sit within a continuum of risk from ‘no apparent risk (absent)’ through to high-risk cases that require immediate, intensive action.

The NYSCP have a joint protocol between North Yorkshire Police (NYP), North Yorkshire Council (NYC) and themselves. https://www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/NY-and-Y-MFHC-Joint-Protocol-4.4.1.docx The protocol relates to all children and young people in North Yorkshire who run away and go missing from home or care. This includes children and young people in care in other Local Authority’s and placed in a home, care or residential school within North Yorkshire. Additionally, the protocol applies in parts to children and young people in care in North Yorkshire and placed in home, care or residential school outside of North Yorkshire. Further information can be sought from the NYSCP Out of Authority Children in Care Protocol

The protocol does not provide for situations where a child has been abducted or forcibly removed from their place of residence. This is a “crime in action” and should be reported to the Police immediately. This document should be read as guidance, which cannot anticipate every situation. Police, Children and Families staff and foster carers should use their professional judgment to take any action they feel necessary to protect the safety of the child based on an assessment of risk for each individual child.

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 establishes that a person commits an offence if the person arranges or facilitates the travel of another with a view to being exploited, this involves cases where:

• the person intends to exploit the person being trafficked (in any part of the world) during or after the travel, or
  • the person knows or ought to know that another person is likely to exploit the person being trafficked (in any part of the world) during or after the travel

The NYSCP Modern Slavery Toolkit can be found at:  NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

Harmful Sexual Behaviour

For the purpose of this guidance, Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB) includes a range of behaviours as outlined by the Hackett Sexual Continuum:

• Sexual behaviours by children which do not involve mutual consent 
• Sexual behaviours which are felt to be developmentally inappropriate, 
• Sexual behaviours which may be harmful towards self or others 
• Sexual behaviours which appear to be abusive towards another person

The NYSCP Practice Guidance for Children and Young People who Display Sexualised Behaviour can be found at: NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

Online Child Exploitation

Children and young people can be exploited online through a wide range of different methods. They can be exploited through cyberbullying, grooming, sexual abuse, sexual or criminal exploitation or emotional abuse

 Further advice, guidance and resources can be accessed on the website:  NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk). Additional resources for parents and carers can also be found here: NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Structure

There are two levels to the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Procedure in terms of how the process is structured across North Yorkshire. Information about MACE procedures have been consolidated into one section of the NYSCP website for clarity:  NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

• Level One – Child/Children or Young Person(s) related –this involves the identification, risk assessment and risk management of those children identified as being at risk of child exploitation and incorporates three key components:

1. Initial identification of risk through a safeguarding referral into the MAST
2. Multi-Agency risk assessment and risk management of children at risk of exploitation through existing NYSCP Procedures
3. Multi-agency Locality Tasking meeting held weekly to include a review of MFH cases, new CSE/CCE cases, oversight of high risk and complex cases and agreement of cases relevant to share at the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting

• Level Two – MACE and Contextual Safeguarding – information relating to the links between children at risk or subject to exploitation, perpetrators or individuals who may pose a risk by exploitation and/or locations and community intelligence. This involves the following four components:

1. The identification and assessment of perpetrators and/or individuals who may pose a risk by exploitation
2. The sharing of community intelligence related to perpetrators or individuals who may pose a risk by exploitation as well as locations where harm is being caused within communities.
3. The sharing of relevant details of children identified as at risk of or subject to exploitation through the Level 1 MACE and Contextual Safeguarding process. The purpose being to identify the community links between victims, perpetrators/individuals who may pose a risk by exploitation and locations through locality mapping exercises. This includes any concerns raised by other Local Authorities and private residential home providers and settings around Out of Area Children in Care placed in North Yorkshire
4. To develop robust locality partnership action plans to develop intelligence, pursue and prosecute perpetrators and disrupt exploitation activity within communities.

MACE Level 1- Child Exploitation Risk Assessment and Risk Management

The Level 1 MACE and Contextual Safeguarding process is managed and co-ordinated by the Multi-Agency Screening Team (MAST) which involves NYC CYPS Children’s Social Care, Early Help, Health; Harrogate District Foundation Trust (HDFT) and North Yorkshire Police (NYP) All child exploitation concerns for a child should come through to the MAST team through the submission of a child safeguarding referral. NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

Concern for a Child

All individuals working with children have a duty and responsibility to report any child protection allegations and concerns which come to their attention, to the relevant Local Authority.

The Children Act 1989 identifies the Local Authority requirement to provide services for children in need for the purposes of safeguarding and promoting their welfare. Local Authorities undertake assessments of the needs of individual children to determine what services to provide and action to take.

A ‘Child in Need’ is defined under the Children Act 1989 as a child who is unlikely to achieve or maintain a satisfactory level of health or development, or their health and development will be significantly impaired, without the provision of services; or a child who is disabled. In these cases, assessments by a social worker are carried out under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989. Children in need may be assessed under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 in relation to their special educational needs, disabilities, as a carer, or because they have committed a crime.

Concerns about maltreatment may be the reason for a referral to Children and Families Service/Disabled Children’s Service or concerns may arise during the course of providing services to the child and family. In these circumstances, the Children and Families Service/Disabled Children’s Service must initiate enquiries to find out what is happening to the child and whether protective action is required. The Local Authority, with the help of other relevant organisations also have a duty to make enquiries under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 if they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm, to enable them to decide whether they should take any action to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare. There may be a need for immediate protection whilst the assessment is carried out.

Some children in need may require accommodation because there is no one who has parental responsibility for them, or, because they are alone or abandoned. Under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, the Local Authority has a duty to accommodate such children in need in their area. Following an application under Section 31A, where a child is the subject of a care order, the Local Authority, as a corporate parent, must assess the child’s needs and draw up a care plan which sets out the services which will be provided to meet the child’s identified needs.

6.7       In relation to concerns relating to a child/children or young person in North Yorkshire, if it is unclear whether a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, discussions should be held with the lead child protection advisor for the agency where the concern is raised and/ or with the NYC Customer Service Centre.

Effective sharing of information between professionals and local agencies is essential for effective identification, assessment and service provision.

Anyone who has concerns about a child, children or young person’s welfare should make a referral to NYC Customer Service Centre, using established procedures.

Referrals will not be accepted through any other route. The referral form for a referral to NYC Customer Resolution Centre can be accessed using the following link: https://www.safeguardingchildren.co.uk/about-us/worried-about-a-child/

Further details relating to referrals to children and families service can be found here: NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

Informing Parents of the Need for a Referral

It is good practice to be open and honest at the outset with the parents/carers about concerns, the need for a referral, information sharing between agencies and the accompanying need for making an enquiry in respect of whether a child is subject to a Child Protection Plan.

All reasonable efforts should be made to inform parents/carers prior to making the referral; however, a referral should not be delayed if you are unable to discuss the concerns with the parents.

Where the child expresses a wish for his or her parents not to be informed, their views should be taken seriously and a judgment made based on the child’s age and understanding, as to whether the child’s wishes should be followed.

Concerns must not be discussed with parents/carers before making a referral where:

• Discussion would put a child at risk of significant harm
  • Discussion would impede a Police investigation or social work enquiry
  • Sexual abuse is suspected
  • Organised or multiple abuse is suspected
  • Fictitious illness or induced illness is suspected
  • Contact with the parents/carers would place you or others at risk
  • It is not possible to contact parents/carers without causing undue delay
  • in making the referral

In such cases advice should be sought from NYC Customer Service Centre and/or the police.

Multi Agency Screening

The NYC Customer Service Centre will identify and submit any relevant contacts and referrals to the MAST. MAST staff will identify their own agency relevant information to be shared and subject of MAST screening and assessment.

The MAST comprises of NYC Children and Young People Service (CYPS), North Yorkshire Police and Health; Harrogate District Foundation Trust (HDFT) representatives.

Where there is a concern that a child may be being exploited, the initial level of risk will be established using multi-agency information shared within the MAST team and allocated to the most appropriate service to ensure that the needs of that child are met. This may be NYC CYPS Children’s Social Care or Early Help Service where the threshold is met. The allocated worker will then begin their assessment and seek to gather information to complete the Child Exploitation Risk Assessment seeking the views of all involved, this is to be completed in 10 working days.

Where there are exploitation risks identified in a case already open to NYC CYPS Children’s services this will be managed through the existing arrangements for that child, but a Child Exploitation Risk Assessment will be completed by the case worker and sent to the MAST team to consider the risk level. This will include children who maybe subject of North Yorkshire Child Protection Plans, Child in Need (CIN), Children in Care and Early Help cases. New and existing risk(s) will be managed through existing arrangements, but additional Core Group, Child in Need or Children in Care Review Meetings will be factored in, by the case worker, where relevant.

Once the Child Exploitation Risk Assessment has been completed by the NYC CYPS case worker in conjunction with information gleaned from other partners, it will be submitted to the MAST team for a multi-agency risk assessment.

Children in Care placed in North Yorkshire from other Local Authorities

The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review statutory guidance (Out of Authority placement of Children in care: Supplement to The Children Act 1989 Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Care Review Guidance) and the associated regulations updated in 2013, outline the duties on Local Authorities to notify other Local Authorities if they place a Child in Care within their area.

This legislation also requires children’s homes to notify their host Local Authority when a child is placed with them by another authority. Where a child who is not in care is placed in a health or education placement for three months or more, or with that intention, the placing authority or organisation also has a duty to notify the host Local Authority prior to the placement or as soon as practicable thereafter. The host Local Authority supported by relevant agencies must ensure that education and health partners are provided with information about placements of children in care into and out of their area.

There are a number of Out of Area children in care who are placed into North Yorkshire by other Local Authorities. North Yorkshire has a number of specialist providers that have established Private Residential Settings and placements can involve children who have particular MACE and Contextual Safeguarding vulnerabilities.

A list of all notified out of area children in care placed in North Yorkshire by other Local Authorities is maintained within the NYC Children and Young Persons Service (CYPS) Safeguarding Unit. Consultation regarding any placement in North Yorkshire should be made by placing Local Authorities with the North Yorkshire MAST, formal notifications will go to the NYC CYPS Safeguarding Unit. Upon receipt of the notification the NYC CYPS Safeguarding Unit will forward that notification to the Children in Care Health Team, North Yorkshire Police VAT, MAST and additionally the SEN Team if the child has an EHCP.

All out of area children in care children placed in North Yorkshire remain the responsibility of the placing Local Authority. Anyone with information relating to a safeguarding concern or risk to any specific non-NYC child in care or Children should notify the relevant responsible authority for that child without delay. The information should also be shared with the North Yorkshire MAST Team in order that local risk determination can take place.

Any professional who has concerns regarding the action or lack of action by any placing local authority to manage an ongoing risk to a child placed in North Yorkshire should escalate this through their own agency child safeguarding leads and the NYSCP Business Unit should be notified. If there are immediate safeguarding concerns relating to a child placed in North Yorkshire then the referral process outlined in Section 6 should be followed.

An overview of information relating to non-NYC children in care emerging trends, themes and analysis will be presented at the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting and can be raised through the relevant MACE core private residential setting provider members. Individuals who may pose a risk by exploitation and/or Community Intelligence relating to non-NYC children in care cases that is known by the MAST team and/or private residential setting providers will be shared with the North Yorkshire Police through the NYP partnership intel sharing form and shared at the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting.  

Child Exploitation Risk Assessment Process

A Child Exploitation Risk Assessment can be completed at any point from referral or during the journey of a case. The assessment is based on the assessment from the National Working Group which supports ‘multi-agency practitioners to better exercise professional judgement and to promote a greater involvement of children, young people and parent (s)/carer(s) in the assessment and planning process. This includes a focus on strengths and protective factors. The purpose of the child exploitation assessment is to:

• Understand the level of risk posed to individual children and young people, what level of threat the risks present to the child’s well-being and how well these can be managed so the level of risk is reduced and safely managed
• Ensure that risk assessments are robust and timely for young people at risk of exploitation
• Ensure that robust plans are in place to manage and work to mitigate the level of risk
• Ensure consistency for decision making regarding the level of risk across North Yorkshire and resources are allocated in the most proportionate way
• Ensure that Health, Police and Children and Families Service have the right risk status allocated and that this is consistent across the partnership.
• The risk management will be reviewed in line with any statutory plan at CIN or Core Meetings. Where the young person is open to No Wrong Door and subject to the RAISE process, the plan from this meeting should be the Risk Management plan to prevent duplication of process.
• Through the Locality Tasking Multi-Agency Meetings, provide scrutiny and challenge where necessary around the plans.
• Relevant themes, trends and patterns around missing and exploitation will be fed by into the MACE Level 2 meeting by NYSCP Policy and Development Officer from the Level 1 processes and reported into the MACE Operational Group.

Risk assessment meetings are held within the MAST team three times a week and cases will be added to the agenda and invitations sent via MAST Business Support. Notification of the date and time of the meeting along with details to ring into the meeting and where to provide updates, will be sent to the NYC CYPS Case Worker, the Specialist Social Worker and where relevant the NYP Safer Neighbourhood Inspector for the area the child resides. Where appropriate some case discussions will also include the Youth Justice Service and where a young person may be about to transition into adult services, also include a representative from adult social care.  Should a strategy meeting take place following a new or existing referral, it is at this meeting that partners agree to a risk status.

The meeting will be chaired by the MAST Team Manager, MAST Practice Supervisor or the MAST Police Detective Sergeant; there will also be representatives from Health; Harrogate District Foundation Trust (HDFT), Early Help, Children’s Social Care, North Yorkshire Police, the NYC CYPS case worker and any other person that is identified as appropriate (e.g., a local police representative as highlighted in 8.2).

Partners within the meeting will share appropriate information and challenge one another where appropriate to ensure the right outcomes and interventions for children and young people.

The meeting agenda includes the assessment from a partnership perspective and agrees the level of risk:

• NO ADDITIONAL RISK: The child may be vulnerable and in need of support and service intervention, but particular circumstances do not increase the child’s risk of exploitation over and above “normal” adolescent behaviour (Not Adopted/flagged)
• LOW:  Whilst there is no information or evidence to suggest that the child is being exploited; specific circumstances, situations or vulnerabilities exist AND/OR protective factors are absent that increase the child’s risk of being exploited over and above “normal” adolescent behaviour.
• MEDIUM: Information/intelligence and/or a particular situation, incident or set of circumstances leads us to suspect that a child MAY be the victim of exploitation and further work is required to understand the risk involved. (Review date of 6-8 weeks set)
• HIGH: Information/intelligence and/or a particular situation, incident or set of circumstances leads us to suspect that a child IS a victim of exploitation OR is in imminent danger of being exploited. (Review date of 4-6 weeks set)

Young people who are given a high or medium risk flag, or children who are in care and have low risk status, will be reviewed within MAST in the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 1 meeting process. Where a low risk level is decided, reviews will take place within that child’s plan ensuring that the specialist social worker is present. 

As children in care do not have multi-agency meetings within frequency timescales of exploitation meeting frequency, child who are in care with low-risk status should be reviewed within the MACE Level 1 meetings held in the MAST

The risk management plan will be reviewed within the meeting to ensure risk is identified, managed and that appropriate interventions are in place to reduce the presenting risks. The MAST Child Exploitation meetings may make recommendations in respect of the child’s plan.

Those within the MAST Team will seek assurance where appropriate as to how well any risk management plans have accounted for any transitional safeguarding arrangements for a young person. Adolescents can be exposed to a range of different harms and these do not stop when a young person reaches the age of 18. There can be a number of different factors that make a young person vulnerable and these can persist into adulthood, in some cases resulting in considerable unmet need. The MAST team will seek to ensure that where young people are approaching their 18^th birthday and are still considered to be at risk of exploitation that plans are in place to ensure that they are still supported as they enter the adult safeguarding arena.

The NYC Children and Families Services, North Yorkshire Police and Health (HDFT) will review the exploitation list on a monthly basis to ensure that all relevant children flagged to each agency is accurate and up to date.  

Where a child is deemed at risk of or experiencing exploitation in the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 1 process, they will be flagged with their risk level on NYP, Health and NYC Children and Family Service’s systems and will be regularly reviewed within the MAST team. The case status of any specific child will only be removed once the risk assessment has been reviewed and updated by the caseworker and agreed for removal by the MAST Exploitation Assessment meeting.  In cases where the risk is not decreasing, this information should be escalated via the MAST Exploitation Assessment meeting Chair to the Head of Children’s Social Care Safeguarding. The MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 1 does not replace/duplicate any practices and/or interventions under Working Together to Safeguarding Children 2023 referrals, assessments, strategy meetings, Child in Need/Child Protection Processes. The aim of the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 1 arrangements are intended to complement this.

The MACE Level 1 One Minute Guide can be accessed here: NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 – Multi-Agency Risk Mapping Meeting

Within the Level 1 processes of either the MAST Exploitation Risk Assessment meeting or the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Locality Tasking Meeting, there may be a request to conduct a locality mapping meeting. This alert will be sent to the Specialist Social worker in order to invite relevant professionals in order to convene a MACE and Contextual Safeguarding local information mapping meeting. This may happen as an extension of the monthly Level 2 MACE and Contextual Safeguarding meeting or if a timelier response is required, may be convened as soon as practicable.

The purpose of this a locality risk mapping meeting is to call together professionals around that child or young person to:

• Give an understanding of the nature, scale and seriousness of the risks within identified peer groups and wider networks, individuals and/or locations Create a partnership understanding of the roles and relationships between young people, potential perpetrators and locations
• Support the identification of effective safeguarding interventions and other suitable multi-agency intervention opportunities i.e. targeted group work, disruption, target hardening of buildings/premises/environmental change
• Identify information and intelligence gaps and identify relevant opportunities for partner agencies to fill those gaps
• Identify where children and young people may be being trafficked and/or may be moving between District boundaries
• Identify links across both local, regional and national borders where relevant Identify serial perpetrators who may be exploiting a number of young people within different network groups/areas.

In addition, there may be other circumstances in which a MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Locality Risk Mapping Meeting may be requested by the Chair of the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2:

• There are significant child exploitation concerns being raised by professionals in the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 surrounding a number of key children and it is clear that there are intelligence gaps regarding the harmful adults, other peers and locations that are causing harm.
• There are children open to services who are frequently going missing and/or are believed to be crossing local authority borders. Therefore, in order to pull intelligence together as to why those children and young people are going missing and the risks that those in other areas may pose, a mapping meeting may be convened with partners from North Yorkshire and the other local authority areas.
• There is a high risk, serial and/or multiple perpetrator/s identified in an area and there is a need to hold a detailed locality risk mapping meeting to identify the intelligence around them to identify any children around them who may be at risk.
• There is a hotspot location that has been identified in relation to a child or children and there is a requirement to map out the individuals linked to the location in order to identify problem solving action.
• There is a child at high risk of exploitation who is linked to a number of individuals both adults and/or children and there is a need to map out what those contextual links are in order to ensure all children are safeguarded appropriate and robust disruption action can be undertaken.

Those who attend the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding locality risk mapping meeting will be invited by the Specialist Social Worker They will include as a minimum the case workers for the identified children of concern from NYC Children and Families Service, North Yorkshire Police and Health representatives. There may also be invites to Education, Youth Justice Service, Community Safety Partnerships, third sector specialist CSE/CCE providers, Sexual Health Services and/or other partners as identified as required by the NYSCP Policy and Development Officer and/or Area Social Care Team Manager. Most partners attending a locality mapping meeting will be core members of the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 locality group and as such will be signed up to the North Yorkshire Information Sharing Agreement for the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting. For any additional invitees as directed by the Chair, they will be required to do so prior to any engagement in the mapping meeting.

All partners attending the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Risk Mapping Meeting will be required to sign and adhere to the information sharing agreement and the Multi-Agency Risk Mapping Meeting Terms of Reference.

All actions from the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Risk Mapping Meetings that relate to individuals who may pose a risk by exploitation and locations are carried forward into the relevant local area MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting to ensure they completed. Furthermore, all actions relevant to individual children who are open cases are fed back to their caseworker to manage those actions through existing meeting structures.

MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 – Contextual Safeguarding links to victim, perpetrators, locations and Community Intelligence

The purpose of the Level 2 meeting is to facilitate the sharing of information and identify action regarding:

• The places and spaces where children and young people may be at risk of exploitation,
• Locations that could pose a risk of exploitation to children and young people,
• The review of community intelligence and emerging themes, trends, and links in local areas,
• The identification of potential perpetrators and the coordination of partner intervention and disruption.

This may also include information sharing with partners in our neighbouring police force and local authority areas to identify where children may be at risk of being trafficked within and out of our towns and villages and/or subject to exploitation through county lines

The emphasis of the meeting is around facilitating early identification and setting of actions to prevent, intervene and robustly tackle early signs of exploitation. Due to the nature of the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meetings, sensitive information may be shared and relevant details of specific children who have been identified as at risk of exploitation through the MACE Level 1 meeting will be shared along with details of their allocated social worker or early help worker. 

It is important to note that the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 process is not a pathway to make a child safeguarding referral and the process identified within the Level 1 needs to be followed. However, through local intelligence sharing and discussion with partners within the Level 2 arrangements, there may be an identified need to make a child referral and an action may be given by the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 Chair for one to be completed.

Contextual Safeguarding  and Harm Outside the Home.

In Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) mentions the experience of abuse and exploitation outside the home. This can be referred to as “extra familial harm”. Contextual safeguarding is the approach to understanding and responding to children’s experiences of harm outside of home.

The Legal Framework for Implementing Contextual Safeguarding 2019 (Contextual Safeguarding Network/University of Bedford/Institute of Applied Social Research) document outlines current legal tools available for implementing Contextual Safeguarding as well as questions that emerged when trying to test the approach. 

These documents have been used to develop and strengthen strategic and operational practice in North Yorkshire.  We will build on the work undertaken to date and utilise the material referred to above to advance contextual safeguarding within North Yorkshire.

“Contextual Safeguarding is an approach to understanding, and responding to, young people’s experiences of significant harm beyond their families. It recognises that the different relationships that young people form in their neighbourhoods, schools and online can feature violence and abuse. Parents and carers have little influence over these contexts, and young people’s experiences of extra-familial abuse can undermine parent-child relationships” (Firmin, 2017, 3)

Children and young people can be vulnerable to exploitation due to their age, gender, intellect, physical strength and/or economic or other resources as outlined in the definition provided above, as well as in some cases simply just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, there are certain vulnerabilities and indictors that may make children and young people more vulnerable to being targeted for exploitation. This is often linked to the environments within which they live or socialise. This is often referred to as contextual safeguarding and links not only to a child or young person’s home environment, but also to their peer network, their school/educational environment and/or the neighbourhood within which they live. Figure 1 below taken from Firmin (2013:47) outlines how each of these environments fit within the world the child or young person operates within.

Practitioners will need to build an understanding of the context in which the harm is occurring and draw on relevant knowledge and information from the children and wider partners in order to decide on the most appropriate interventions. Practitioners should consider the influence of groups or individuals perpetrating harm, including where this takes place online, and identify patterns of harm, risk and protective factors in these contexts. This may include working across safeguarding and community safety partnerships to agree a plan for keeping children safe. (Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023)

Figure 1 – Contexts of Adolescent Safety and Vulnerability

Contextual Safeguarding was first introduced in 2015 to provide a framework for ensuring child protection systems were equipped to respond to abuse that children, particularly adolescents, are exposed to and/or experience in extra-familial settings.  The work undertaken in partnership with practitioners by Firmin (2017b) identified four domains to describe child protection approaches that would engage with extra-familial risk or abuse:

• Target – the home, peer group, school, neighbourhood or online contexts where abuse occurs, through assessment and intervention, in addition to the individuals affected
• Do this within a Child Protection Legislative Framework – to ensure that the response is welfare led, is not necessarily triggered by, or dependent upon, a crime being committed or a criminal investigation being conducted
• Build partnerships with agencies who have a reach into extra-familial contexts – such as education, voluntary and community sector organisations, youth work, housing, retail, transport and licensing, in addition to children (particularly adolescents – as peers), and parents themselves
• Measure success by risk reducing in contexts of concern, not solely by a change in the behaviours of any individuals who have encountered or instigated abuse unsafe contexts. 

The purpose of the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 process is to understand the contexts within local communities in which exploitation is occurring and to utilise the skills, knowledge and capabilities within our partnerships to tackle and disrupt the perpetrators of exploitation and create safe spaces for children and young people.

Transitional Safeguarding

Transitional Safeguarding is a term coined by Research in Practice following recognition of the need to improve the safeguarding responses for older teenagers and young adults. Research by Sawyer et al. 2018 identified emerging evidence that adolescence extends into the early/mid-twenties and children who are vulnerable to or being exploited at age 17 do not suddenly become less vulnerable the day they reach their 18th birthday. There is recognition that the support needs of those young people entering adulthood needs to be well planned and requires a fluid transition between child and adult services.  

There is also emerging evidence that meeting the needs of adolescents and young adults more effectively early on, can significantly reduce the need for costly later interventions for example involvement in the criminal justice system, access health services, drug and alcohol treatments etc. (Rees et al, 2017).

Young adults can also experience a range of risk and harms that may not be as relevant to younger children and require a different safeguarding response. Hanson & Holmes (2014) outlines these often inter-connected risks including:

• Sexual abuse
• Physical abuse
• Neglect
• Emotional abuse
• Homelessness
• Poor mental health and self-harm
• Criminal exploitation including gang association
• Substance misuse

The Strategic and Operational MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Groups, working in partnership with adult services will build upon the work undertaken to date and utilise the material referred to above to advance our transitional safeguarding response across North Yorkshire.  

Information Sharing

Information will be shared within the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting under the North Yorkshire Information Sharing Agreement.

All MACE non-Child or Young Person related information (referral) regarding MACE concerns should be submitted using the online North Yorkshire Police Community Partnership Intelligence Form

If there is a risk identified to a specific child/children or young person then the above referral process must be used.

If the information relates to an individual who poses a risk to a child/children or young person or activity occurring at a particular location then the information should be relayed to North Yorkshire Police without delay.

Where there may be sensitive or restricted information shared in the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting, the person/agency responsible for the information must provide clarity regarding the use of that information in line with the over-arching Information Sharing Agreement and NYSCP Information Sharing Protocol. 

Identification of persons who may pose a risk by exploitation

If a professional believes an individual to pose a direct or immediate threat to a young person, they should contact the Police on 101 (or 999 if an emergency). If a professional has concerns that an individual may pose a risk by exploitation towards a child, but does not require an immediate response, they should submit a North Yorkshire Police Community Partnership Intelligence Form

North Yorkshire Police will then review and assess that information and share it, where necessary, with the MACE Level 2 meeting. Information around an individual who may pose a risk by exploitation may also be identified from the MACE Level 2 meeting through discussions around locality intelligence and themes.

Through the MACE Level 2 Contextual Safeguarding locality meeting, discussion around local intelligence and themes within an area may identify an individual who may pose a risk by exploitation. This is done in consultation with those in attendance at the Level 2 meeting.  They may be assessed as either:

a) an individual who may pose a risk by exploitation, however, requires further local intelligence development or

b) an individual whereby there is considerable intelligence to indicate that they pose a risk by exploitation and should be assessed as such and flagged on NYP systems as a perpetrator of Child Exploitation.

Those individuals within category a) will be added to the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Agenda and local intelligence development work undertaken by all partners to understand the nature of the risk (if any) posed. If that work indicates that they pose a risk by exploitation, then agency SPOCs in the meeting will make a decision as to whether they should be assessed as a perpetrator and flagged on Police systems. Should further work indicate that they no longer pose a potential risk of exploitation to children, then the decision will be agreed in the meeting to remove the individual from the agenda.

For individuals in category b), a formal assessment will take place by the Detective Inspector of Safeguarding (Missing & Exploitation) and if adopted as a Child Exploitation Perpetrator they will be flagged as such on Police systems and added to MACE Level 2 agenda.

The Detective Inspector will be responsible for flagging the individual on Police systems and will work with Commands to identify a Lead Responsible Officer who will develop a multi-agency disruption plan around the individual.

All updates and disruption activity will be fed back into MACE Level 2 using the ‘Perpetrator on a Page’ document to ensure that all partners have suitable oversight of the dynamic risk and disruption activity.

An adopted perpetrator will be subject to monthly reviews by the Detective Inspector and discussed with partners at the MACE Level 2 meetings.  When the information / intelligence picture confirms that an individual no longer poses an identifiable risk by exploitation they will be removed as a perpetrator with a detailed rationale to support removal which will be provided to MACE Level 2.  All flags will be removed from North Yorkshire Police systems.

Responsibility and presentation of perpetrators and/or individuals who may pose a risk by exploitation is the responsibility of the North Yorkshire Police MACE Core Group Members. It is important for continuity and consistency that the same NYP Core Group Member attends and presents relevant information at the monthly meetings.  It is the responsibility of the NYP Core Group Member to identify and brief a suitable deputy in the event that they cannot attend.  This section of the meeting will not go ahead without an NYP manager in attendance.

MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 Locality Meeting Structure

The MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 Locality Meeting will be held monthly, via Microsoft Teams across the seven Districts across North Yorkshire:

• Craven
• Hambleton
• Richmondshire
• Selby
• Harrogate
• Ryedale
• Scarborough

Pre-meets may be held, where necessary, in areas where there is a large agenda. These meetings will take place for 1 hour prior to the MACE level 2 meeting between NYP, Youth Justice, Children Social Care and the MACE Chair to ensure information is effectively shared and updated ahead of the main MACE Level 2 meeting.

The responsibility to manage the calendar, agenda, invites and paperwork relating to the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting will be the NYSCP MACE Business Support Co-ordinator.

The MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting will be chaired by the MACE Child Exploitation Officer. In the event that cover is needed either North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire County Council (Children and Families Service) or Health services Each will identify a suitable deputy within their organisation for chairing.

A chairs guide has been produced and can be circulated to chairs to ensure consistency of structure in the meetings.

The MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 Locality meeting will be accountable to the MACE Operational Group. Quarterly reports will be shared to the Operation Group by the NYSCP Policy and Development Officer.

The meeting will only be quorate with representatives from NYP, NYC and Health in attendance. 

Due to the nature of the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meetings sensitive information may be shared and relevant details of specific children who have been identified as at risk of exploitation through the Level 1 MACE and Contextual Safeguarding procedures will be shared along with details of their allocated CYPS worker.  This is shared so that any case specific information can be shared directly with the child’s caseworker and considered as part of the child’s risk management plan (i.e., Child Protection, Child in Need etc).  Only information relating to the context of their exploitation and links they may have to other children identified as at risk or subject to exploitation; perpetrators or individuals who may pose a risk by exploitation and harmful locations will be shared and discussed within the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting.

The MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meetings will consist of core membership and all core members will be signed up to the NYSCP Information Sharing Agreement and MACE and Contextual Level 2 Terms of Reference prior to any involvement in the meeting.

     The following partners will attend MACE Level 2 meetings: 

• North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership – Child Exploitation Officer (Chair)
• North Yorkshire Police Lead MACE representative (of Inspector rank or above)
• North Yorkshire Police Missing and Exploitation Team representative
• North Yorkshire Police (representatives to include, Safer Neighbourhood Inspector or Sergeant, Police Community Support Officer Representative and Police Intelligence Officer where appropriate).
• NYC Children Social Care Representative (Specialist Social Worker and/or Team Manager or Practice Supervisor where appropriate)

• NYC Early Help Service Representative where appropriate (Senior Early Help Consultant, Youth Justice or Early Help Practice Supervisor)
• Education – Designated Safeguarding Leads from relevant schools in the locality
• Community Safety Hub Lead
• No Wrong Door Representative (Harrogate & Scarborough)
• Harrogate District Foundation Trust (HDFT) – Healthy Child Team Nurse
• Adult Social Care Representative
• North Yorkshire Probation Service
• North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Community Support Officers
• Council Licencing officer
• Ivison Trust  – Family Outreach Worker
• North Yorkshire Rise Young Peoples Drug and Alcohol Support Service
• Relevant Local Social Housing Provider Representatives
• Private Specialist Care Home Providers
• North Yorkshire Youth/ community and voluntary sector services.
• North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership MACE Policy and Development Officer (observer and governance oversite)
• St Giles Trust
• Other professionals upon invitation by the Chair.

If at any point during the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 process it is considered that a child or young person is thought to be at risk of or suffering significant harm or requiring intervention from the Early Help Service, an immediate referral to NYC Customer Service Centre will be triggered. This will be given as an action to whichever core member holds the information.

Issues will not be discharged from the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 until there is a multi-agency agreement the issue has been addressed appropriately.

New hotspots or locations of concern for child exploitation will be shared to the MACE coordinator prior to the meeting and added to the agenda for partners awareness. During the MACE meeting the location will be discussed and a summary of the concerns shared. An agreement will made with regards to intelligence gaps and disruption planning associated with that area, with appropriate actions identified. Updates will be shared to partners at the following meeting.  The meeting chair, in consultation with partners, will make the final decision about removing hotspots/locations from the agenda.

Emerging Themes. Core members of the MACE level 2 meeting are responsible for raising any relevant themes/emerging trends and patterns regarding child exploitation in the meeting. The NYSCP Policy and Development officer will disseminate additional key themes and trends and insights from data analysis that may drive further discussion and curiosity about exploitation in each locality.

Missing young people: Specialist Social workers provide a summary of themes and trends in respect of missing incidents across the area in that month. This information is gathered through weekly conversations with NYP which reviews each missing incident

MACE Documents and Meeting Information

All North Yorkshire Safeguarding Partners are responsible for ensuring that organisation owned databases and management recording systems contain up to date, accurate and relevant information including the appropriate case flagging procedures.

MACE Core members are responsible for disseminating any relevant information where it is proportionate and appropriate to do so within their teams, they are also responsible for the information recorded on their individual databases in accordance with the North Yorkshire Information Sharing Agreement. Any intelligence/information shared with in the MACE meeting must not be shared with families or agencies not signed up to the information sharing agreement without prior agreement of the chair. Furthermore, all core members must maintain the confidentiality of the information shared and ensure the secure and confidential disposal of all MACE associated documentation.

The NYSCP MACE Business Support Co-ordinator will upload the agenda to the NYC Secure Web Server 5 working days before the meeting in order that attendees are prepared and bring relevant information regarding cases to inform discussion. Partners are encouraged to access the most current version of the agenda, which will be uploaded by 9am on the morning of the meeting.

MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 agendas and minutes will be accessible via a secure NYC secure web server. MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting information will be accessible by partners through the NYC MACE Secure Web Server. Each can be accessed through a portal link that will be emailed out to partners by the MACE business coordinator following their signing up to this process alongside a user guide with instructions of how to access the portal. There are seven MACE secure web servers for each locality meetings (Harrogate, Scarborough, Ryedale, Craven, Selby, Hambleton and Richmondshire). It is important that agency SPOCs only access the secure web server for the MACE Locality Level 2 meeting that they attend.

Any information known by MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 core members relating to the child or young person’s voice and/or the parents or guardians should be shared and considered during the meeting and taking into consideration when considering plans for disruption. Where professionals are presenting information regarding a child or young person they are working with, wherever possible they should ensure that the parents/carers of that child are aware of the MACE process and are given the opportunity to share their views in the meeting via the professional core group member who attends the meeting.

Where there are concerns identified through discussion within the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meeting around a child or young person who is not currently open to services, consideration will be given in the meeting as to whether the concerns require a safeguarding referral to be submitted. Where parents/carers have not be made aware of the concerns and may not have had the opportunity to consent to support the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 Chair will allocate a Core member to go to speak to the family to share concerns and then to submit a referral.

All MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Level 2 meetings will be minuted by the NYSCP MACE Business Support Coordinator and professionals will be responsible for any actions allocated to them which will be recorded along with the expected timescale for completion. Core group members will then be expected to complete their action by the next meeting and have updated the NYSCP MACE Business Support Coordinator unless it is not practicable to do so. The NYSCP MACE Coordinator will upload the MACE minutes and action log onto the NYC Drive for partners to access.

MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Strategic Oversight

The strategic oversight and governance of the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Procedure falls under the NYSCP MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Strategic Group which is supported by the NYSCP MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Operational Group. The structure is shown below:

NYSCP MACE Strategic Group

The purpose of the NYCB MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Strategic Group is to provide strategic oversight, scrutiny and challenge of the NYSCP MACE Procedure through analysis of performance management data to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the operational activity.  The group meet in a quarterly basis, with additional extraordinary meetings agreed as required.

The NYSCP MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Strategic Group is made up of the following core members

• North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) Safeguarding Unit Manager (Chair)
• North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NYSCP) Partnership Manager (Deputy Chair)
• NYSCP MACE Policy and Development Officer
• NYC Head of Safeguarding
• NYC Group Manager, Access and Multiple Vulnerabilities
• NYC Virtual School Head
• Integrated Care Board (ICB) Designated Nurse
• NY Police – Detective Superintendent Head of Safeguarding
• NY Police – Detective Chief Inspector Safeguarding
• NY Police – Intelligence Analysis Manager
• NY Police – Intelligence Analyst
• NYC Adult Safeguarding Manager, Care and Support, Health and Adult Services
• NYC Head of Practice, Care and Support – Health and Adult Services (HAS)
• NYC Safeguarding Police and Development Officer – North Yorkshire Safeguarding Adults Board (NYSAB)
• Head of Engagement and Governance
• Head of Safer Communities, Policy and Partnerships
• North Yorkshire Police, fire and Crime Commissioners Office
• Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU) –Detective Inspector

The above role holders are core group members; however, the group may co-opt additional representatives where appropriate to attend.

NYSCP MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Operational Group

The purpose of the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Operational Group will be to drive the operational delivery of the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding arrangements across North Yorkshire. The group will monitor the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding arrangements through analysing multi-agency data and outcomes to influence practice and co-ordinate approaches. They will ensure that the MACE process is embedded into day-to-day operational practice within their own organisations. The group will also undertake scoping and research of local, regional and national developments in policy, practice and legislation surrounding the MACE vulnerability themes and feed those findings into the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Strategic Group where required. 

Members will support the development and implementation of robust and effective practices and procedures as well as effective coordination of partners and resources managed within North Yorkshire. Members will deliver the operational aspects of the North Yorkshire MACE strategy action plan and be responsible for disseminating learning within their own organisations. They will ensure that across the partnership any changes to local, regional or national policy or legislation are effectively communicated across organisations and managed to support the operational delivery of the MACE arrangements. 

The Operational Group will lead on the identification of themes, patterns and trends around Exploitation and vulnerability across North Yorkshire, as well as co-ordinating the findings from single and multi-agency audits to share learning across the North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NYSCP). Members will also take the lead on designing, coordinating and delivering MACE campaigns and raising awareness around MACE themes across North Yorkshire.

The MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Operational Group is made up of the following core:

• North Yorkshire Police – Detective Chief Inspector Safeguarding (Chair)
• North Yorkshire County Council (NYC) – Children Social Care – Group Manager (Deputy Chair)
• North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (NYPSCP) Policy and Development Officer (MACE)
• North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership – Child Exploitation Officer
• Harrogate District Foundation Trust (HDFT) – Named nurse safeguarding children
• Tees, Esk and Wear Valley Trust (TEWV) – Named Nurse Safeguarding Children
• NYC Youth Justice Service – Service Manager
• NYC Education Lead Advisor for Social and Emotional Mental Health
• NYC Community Safety Partnership
• NYC Early Help – Group Manager
• NYC Specialist Social Workers
• NYC Training and Learning
• Independent Child Trafficking Guardianship service (ICTG) – Barnardo’s
• North Yorkshire Probation
• North Yorkshire Police (NYP) – Detective Inspector Safeguarding (Exploitation and Missing)
• NYP Schools Liaison Manager
• NYC Group Manager – Effective Practice and Quality Assurance
• Ivison Trust  – North Yorkshire Lead
• British Transport Police (BTP)  – County Lines Task Force
• NYC Service Manager Emergency Duty Team (EDT)
• NYC Health and Adult Services
• St Giles Trust

The above role holders are core group members; however the group may co-opt additional representatives where appropriate to attend.

The group will provide quarterly updates to the MACE and Contextual Safeguarding Strategic Group through the Operational Group Chair.

Use of Language around Child Exploitation

Those who wish to exploit children often disempower parents/carers and young people themselves to further the control that they have over them. For this reason, it is vital that professionals do not facilitate this through using language that seeks to lay blame on either the child or parents/carers.

 To promote the use of positive language across the partnership, a series of resources have been created to help practitioners consider the words, phrases and jargon that they may use when speaking to and about young people. It encourages consideration of the impact language can have for children and young people, as well as parents and carers affected by exploitation or other forms of extra-familial harm. This includes not just language used verbally, but information that is written in files, case notes, statements, assessments and reports.

We have also developed a series of multiagency principles around the use of language which have been produced for use across the partnership. It is envisaged that these will enable partners to regularly discuss language used within their practice, supervisions/reflections and to encourage appropriate professional challenge where the language is inappropriate, harmful and requires reconsideration.

Multiagency commitment principles around the use of language.

Within our roles we have the privileged position to know and work with children, young people, families and vulnerable people. Our language and how it is interpreted can shape the narrative of these individuals’ lives so we have a duty to present our language in the most accurate and person focused way. Therefore, as a partnership we are committing to these principles for how we are using language.

• Professionals will be guided by children, young people, vulnerable people and families when establishing terminology, they are comfortable for professionals to be using. There may be times when individuals use inappropriate language and we will encourage them to consider informed terms for their experiences. We will seek to avoid complicated jargon that can have negative impacts on how individuals engage with our services. Avoiding this jargon is vital for ensuring all our agencies understand each other.
• We understand how language can shape other professionals’ viewpoints of young people; so are dedicated to be child focused and trauma informed in all communications regarding children, young people, vulnerable adults and families we will consider how all this communication would be interpreted by those individuals.
• Our network is committed to using the agreed terminologies identified for each child, young or vulnerable person or family. This means we will confidently challenge any other professionals using problematic language. We acknowledge that appropriate language is constantly changing and will be guided by colleagues on using appropriate terminology. As well as challenging colleagues, we will challenge ourselves to be asking critical questions to be putting service users at the heart of all language.
• Each organisation within the partnership is dedicated continually striving for professionals to be aware of the culture of language and the impacts professional’s language can have on our communities. In practice this means, discussing within supervisions, reflecting on practice, formal feedback and other processes feeding into professionals’ best practice.

Further information and resources to prompt discussion and refection about the use of language and the impact it can have can be found here: NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

Resources and further information

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Be Aware is an online knowledge Hub set up and run by North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Partnership, in collaboration with young people, parents and carers, and professionals across North Yorkshire to help tackle child exploitation.

The site is regularly reviewed and updated, so partners can be assured the guidance, resources and information on the site is current.

A glossary of terminology and language used when talking about child exploitation can be found here. NYSCP (safeguardingchildren.co.uk)

Page reviewed: November 2024