Child criminal exploitation and serious violence: staff factsheet

Use this factsheet to make sure your staff are clear on:

• What child criminal exploitation is
• The fact that children who are criminally exploited are still victims
• Who's more at risk of criminal exploitation and involvement in serious violence
• What potential indicators to look out for
• What to do if they have concerns

You could either use it as a basis for talking about the issue at a staff meeting, or send it around for staff to read themselves.

Want to make it more interactive? Use these questions to start a discussion at a staff meeting:

• What effects might being involved in child criminal exploitation and serious violence have on a child?
• What can we do as a school to help children stay safe in the community as they become more independent?
• How might these issues overlap with online safety?
• Gangs will often target children you might not 'expect' to be involved in criminal activity. How might this apply to our context? How can we make sure we're alert to the vulnerability of all children?

... follow up with our safeguarding scenario on serious violence, to check whether staff can spot potential signs and know how to follow your procedures.