Still supporting children at risk in East Sussex

Throughout the pandemic NSPCC practitioners have continued to be there for children, and supported over 200 children at risk of exploitation, despite not being able to deliver face to face support.

But we in the NSPCC’s frontline teams, who work in the Protect and Respect service, worry that many more children may have suffered from sexual exploitation and will not have had access to their normal avenues of support and protective adults.

Now children are back in school we want to see communities – schools, parents, and professionals – work together to spot the signs of abuse, enable children to come forward, and make sure they have access to the right support.

Since the NSPCC’s Protect and Respect service launched in 2012, it has supported 3,618 young people at risk of exploitation - almost half of referrals came from schools. NSPCC practitioners help young people aged between 11-19 who have been or are, at risk of being coerced or forced into sexual activity - both online and offline.

We routinely hear from children who are being manipulated or blackmailed into carrying out sexual acts. For many, this impacts on their mental health and leaves them feeling isolated from the people closest to them.

Young people will often not recognise themselves as victims of exploitation, due to the nature of grooming. That is why it’s so important that we empower them to recognise unhealthy relationships and perpetrators’ grooming behaviour.

Maintaining regular sessions with young people throughout the pandemic has been a vital lifeline for some of the children and families our practitioners have been working with, ensuring that they are supported and can talk to someone they trust.

As COVID-19 continues to impact on our lives, we will continue to adapt how we work on the frontline to help children cope and recover.

• Talk is increasing of further lockdowns in the UK. What do you think of the situation? Join the Big Conversation and have your say on everything from healthcare to how the pandemic has affected you personally and how we make our communities stronger: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/bc-eastbourne