Homelessness, kidnap and murder: New research highlights devastating impact of criminal exploitation on children

The charity's Criminal Exploitation Intervention Service works to protect and divert exploited young people and those at risk of exploitation aged 11-18, and their families. Launched in Glasgow in 2012, it now operates in eight areas in Scotland, Wales, and England and has helped more than 500 children and families since 2020.[2]

Tens of thousands of children are at risk of criminal exploitation across the UK every year[3], and this unique insight from the frontline provides a snapshot of the devastating consequences of exploitation for vulnerable children and young people, their families, and communities.

Action for Children analysed serious safeguarding incident data[4] involving young people supported by the service between 2020-2024.

During this time, there were 179 reported serious incidents impacting 140 children and young people. The youngest was just 12 years old.

Of the 179 serious incidents:

• 107 (60%) involved serious assaults on children.
• 59 (33%) involved a weapon including knives, baseball bats, acid, metal poles, and dog chains.
• 41 (23%) involved children causing harm to other children as a result of exploitation.
• 21 (12%) involved children being trafficked across the UK.

During this period, 50 children were stabbed, with some suffering life changing injuries. Two were murdered.

Of the 140 young people:

• 96 (69%) were not in education, training, or employment.
• 80% of 16- and 17-year-olds were living in homeless or temporary accommodation
• 83 (60%) were known to use illegal drugs.
• 82 (59%) were diagnosed or suspected to be neurodiverse.

A staggering 100% of the children and young people were known to police before they were referred to Action for Children, suggesting those at risk are likely to be identified by justice agencies before safeguarding.

Over 90% of children refused to provide information about their exploiters for fear of repercussions.

The Jay Review

Action for Children’s recent Jay Review highlighted too many exploited children are treated as criminals rather than victims and called for an overhaul of a ‘piecemeal’ system failing to protect vulnerable children across all four UK nations.[3]

Paul Carberry, CEO of Action for Children said:

"This research reveals the shocking extent of the issues facing the children and young people we’re working with. We believe what we’re seeing in our services is a growing problem across the UK – many more children will be suffering in silence, afraid to speak up and unsure of where to turn. “We can and must do better at identifying and safeguarding children from criminal exploitation, but no one agency can tackle this problem alone. With commitment to real change, we could significantly improve the wellbeing and safety of children across the UK."

Sir Iain Livingstone QPM, former Chief Constable of Police Scotland and Action for Children Ambassador said:

"As a former police officer, I’ve seen first-hand the devastating impact of criminal exploitation. Not just on the child or young person, but their family, community and society at large - including the victims of associated crimes."

“Agencies across the UK, including the police, must work together to break the criminal networks behind the exploitation of children. As a priority, the new government should seize the opportunity to develop a long-term strategy to tackle it."

Our recommendations

Action for Children recommends the following steps are taken to ensure criminally exploited young people are safeguarded effectively:

• More investment in targeted exploitation prevention and support services, including specialist exploitation services and a statutory safeguarding response.
  
• For exploitation to be recognised as a distinct form of child abuse, with a practice framework for all agencies that responds to exploitation as a child protection issue.
  
• A welfare-first approach in the management of offences committed by exploited children. We need a system that can hold space for children as victims in conflict with the law, including a specialist response within local youth justice teams that addresses the needs and vulnerabilities of children exploited into illegal activity.

16-year-old Chris* was referred to Action for Children by police last year. His parents were worried about his cannabis use, drug dealing, and potential links to serious organised crime. He’d also been excluded from school for his behaviour.

Chris had a comfortable upbringing with supportive parents. Things started to change in his life around the age of 13. He said, "I had some pals that went to another school. They became friends with a group of older boys who smoked weed and I started hanging out with them. That’s how it started really, just smoking weed with people."

After a while, Chris was offered some drugs to sell. He said, "It was all about having money in my pocket. The image these guys had - money, new clothes, cars… who wouldn’t want that at that age? I wasn’t wise to the world yet."

Chris said there were times he was scared. "I got into debt over the drugs. Hundreds of pounds worth. That’s how they hook you in. They set you up to be robbed, so then you lose the drugs they’ve given you to sell, and you owe them. The only way to pay them back is to sell more drugs for them. After I was robbed a few times, I realised what was happening. I’ve been beaten up and threatened with a knife for not paying debts on time. I couldn’t really see a way out."

After being referred to Action for Children last year, Chris was paired with a peer mentor who had a history of offending and exploitation themselves. Peer mentors offer one-to-one support and are relatable role models that show young people there is an alternative and a route out of exploitation, helping them make more positive choices. It was this relationship that proved to be a turning point for Chris. "He helped me realise that those people weren’t really my mates and didn’t care about me. In their eyes I was just a mug doing their dirty work. He told me the life I was living ends one of two ways – prison or the grave. It was shocking but that’s what I needed."

With support from his mentor, Chris was able to cut himself off from those people. "It was a process. I had to keep working for them for a while to make sure I’d paid all my debts, so they wouldn’t come after me. I worry about some of my old friends who are still in that life. You have to be strong to cut people out that you’ve known for years."

He’s now back in education and working part-time. He said, "It took a while, but eventually it sank in that I was going down a road I didn’t want to be on and that I had the power to change that. But I think I’m the lucky one really. I got out in time."

*Name changed to protect identity

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Anna Caines, Action for Children – 07974 038 934 / [email protected]. Out of hours: 020 3124 0661 / [email protected]

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Action for Children (2024) “I don’t want to go down this road”: The Voices of Criminally Exploited Children, October 2024. Read the full report.
   
2. Action for Children’s Criminal Exploitation Intervention Service currently operates in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverclyde, Highlands, Flintshire, Cardiff, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
   
3. Action for Children (2024) ‘Shattered Lives, Stolen Futures: The Jay Review of Criminally Exploited Children’, March 2024. Read the full report.
   
4. Thresholds for reporting to our internal safeguarding service include any incidents or near misses leading to serious harm to a child, young person, or any other individual within the family or community. Any cases that offer potential for significant learning regarding local practices, responses, or insights for the broader partnership are also reported.