Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

CSE is the sexual exploitation of children under 18 by adults who are not related to them. The young person is often given ‘something’ which might be alcohol, cigarettes, a gift, shelter, even compassion or flattery, in order to gain their trust before sexually abusing them. This contact may be made by any means, for example, in person, via mobile phone messages or the internet.

Tameside Safeguarding Children Partnership is committed to tackling Child Sexual Exploitation in the borough, by developing a strong multi-agency approach to raise awareness; intervene early; disrupt and prosecute perpetrators; and offer support to potential victims.

If you have any concerns regarding a child at risk of CSE, please contact the Children's Hub. If you are working with a young person affected by CSE, you can direct them to the Children and Young People section of our website for further information and support.

Our Phoenix Tameside team has been formed to tackle any kind of CSE. The team will give advice to young people on how to stay safe and keep their friends safe, they also provide information to parents and carers so they can spot the signs of CSE and be more generally aware of it. Phoenix Tameside actively encourages young people, members of the public and professionals to report any concerns to them whether this is about a child, a premises, a vehicle or a potential perpetrator.

Email address: cse.tameside@gmp.police.uk

For info & enquiries please telephone 0161 856 5880. To report an incident or crime please dial 101.

The team are proactive in dealing with offenders whom they will seek out and put before the courts where possible. In any case the team work with their partner agencies to execute warrants and disrupt offending behaviour to make it practically impossible for them to commit offences against children.

NHS England have produced a 'Pocket Guid' on CSE for Healthcare staff. The information within the guide is useful as quick reference for professionals from any agencies and details signs and possible indicators, risk factors and how to respond.

Child Trafficking

The Independent Child Trafficking Advocacy (ICTA) Service has been commissioned by the Home Office to undertake work with potential victims of trafficking.

Under the Modern Slavery Act (2015) all children identified as potentially trafficked within Greater Manchester must be referred into the National Referral Mechanism and to the Barnardo’s ICTA Service; this would include:

• Young people who have been trafficked to the UK from abroad
• Young people trafficked for the purposes of exploitation through CSE
• Young people trafficked for the purposes of exploitation through criminal activity
• Young people who are identified as potentially trafficked and are currently missing

ICTA workers provide advocacy for any young person aged under 18; they will work with young people while a decision is being made under the NRM process and on an ongoing basis if they receive a conclusive grounds decision regarding their trafficking status.

For service details and information about how to refer to the service please click on the link to the leaflet below.

Also additional information can be found at https://www.barnardos.org.uk/what-we-do/protecting-children/trafficked-children.