Child Exploitation Awareness Day is taking place on Thursday 18 March so Warwickshire County Council (WCC), Warwickshire Police, Warwickshire Safeguarding, Barnardo’s and the Police and Crime Commissioner are using the opportunity re-launch the Something’s Not Right campaign which aims to raise awareness of child exploitation (CE) in Warwickshire.

The team is appealing to parents, carers, professionals and the wider community to take responsibility to learn about child exploitation, understand how to spot the signs and know how to report it. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and children and young people spending much more time at home, child exploitation is still taking place in many forms.

Child exploitation is the manipulation and/or coercion of young people under the age of 18. It can manifest itself in different forms, including child abuse, sexual exploitation, county lines drug dealing, human trafficking and online grooming. It is a crime that can affect any child anywhere, anytime regardless of their social or ethnic background or whether they are a boy or a girl. Hundreds of children and young people are victims of child exploitation every year in Warwickshire.

Friends, parents, carers – what you can do to help

• Learn about the different types of exploitation so that you understand it better
• Know the signs - warning signs of exploitation include unexplained gifts, unexplained changes in behaviour or personality, changes in physical appearance such as weight loss, being absent from school, going missing, or being overly familiar with friends that you don’t know.
• If you think someone you know is being exploited, report it to help and protect that child or young person - your observations and phone call could make all the difference to an exploited child.

Child Exploitation Awareness Day

Around Child Exploitation Awareness Day, there will also be a number of activities taking place including two webinars for parents at 7pm on Tuesday 16 March and Thursday 18 March, focusing on mental health and emotional resilience, along with a Facebook Live Q&A session at 7pm on Wednesday 17 March for the public to pose any questions they may have around CE to experts from Barnardos.

The refreshed Something’s Not Right campaign includes a brand new website which is packed full of information and resources around child exploitation, including the different types of exploitation, what signs to look for in a child or young person, and what support is available if you or someone you know may be a victim of child exploitation. The website also features some powerful real-life stories about victims of CE.

Find out more about child exploitation and the support available by visiting the new Something’s Not Right campaign website. 

Follow Warwickshire CE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter  to share important content on warning signs, advice and how to report concerns around child exploitation. Get involved by using #CEWarwickshire on your own social media posts.

• Webinar – 7pm on Tuesday 16 March and Thursday 18 March (both sessions are the same so please only register for one)
• To join the Facebook Live Q&A session at 7pm on Wednesday 17 March, follow @WarwickshireCE on Facebook

Where to go for help and support

• For information on how to spot the signs of child exploitation
• For information and advice go to  the Something’s Not Right campaign website. 
• If you are worried about a child or young person, contact the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, on 01926 414144
• You can also make a report to Warwickshire Police via their website or by calling 101, or you can contact your local Children and Family Centre.
• Contact Crimestoppers confidentially and anonymously on 0800 555 111.
• Talk to trained counsellors on the 24-hour helplines run by ChildLine on 0800 11 11 and the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000
• If someone is in immediate danger, call the police on 999