Child Sexual Exploitation
Protecting your child
Child sexual exploitation is a hugely distressing form of sexual, emotional and physical abuse of children. Knowing the signs of it and being aware of the support available can help equip parents and carers with the knowledge and tools to act.
Child sexual exploitation is when a child has been persuaded that the sexual activities are a ‘normal’ part of adult life, or an ‘exciting’ opportunity which confirms their maturity and independence. This inevitably means a greater effort on the part of the child to conceal their actions from parents.
If you are worried and suspect that your child is displaying behaviour that is more than the usual ‘ups and downs’ of adolescence, then there are warning signs. Many of these are typical of all teenagers, so need to be treated with caution. As a general rule, we would recommend escalating your concerns if your child is exhibiting three or more of the following warning signs:
- Your child may become especially secretive and stop engaging with their usual group of friends.
- They may be associating with, or develop a sexual relationship with older men and/or women
- They may go missing from home and be defensive about their location and activities, often returning home late or staying out all night
- They may receive odd calls and messages on their mobiles or social media
- They may be in possession of new, expensive items e.g mobiles, tablets, laptops
Supporting our parents
We want to ensure that all of our parents have the necessary information to help them keep their children safe from Child Sexual Exploitation
We are here to help:
If you have any concerns about your child and think that they may be at risk of Child Sexual Exploitation you can contact the school for help. In the first instance, please contact Nicola Baker - Assistant Principal and Designated Safeguarding Lead nba@hathershaw.org.uk
If it is not possible to contact the College or if you are concerned during the school holidays or at weekend, please contact:
- Children’s Social Care on 0161 770 7777
- Oldham Police Project Phoenix on 0161 856 4552
- In the event of an immediate threat to your child’s safety please call 999
Useful websites:
http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/our_work/sexual_exploitation
