“Trafficking of persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;

Children may be trafficked from other countries for a variety of reasons. There are a number of factors in the country of origin which might make children vulnerable to being trafficked. The factors listed below are by no means a comprehensive list:

• poverty;

• lack of education;

• discrimination;

• cultural attitudes;

• grooming;

• dysfunctional families;

• political conflict and economic transition and

• inadequate local laws and regulations

Whilst resident in the UK (in addition to those listed above)

 The child:

• receives unexplained/unidentified phone calls whilst in placement/temporary accommodation;

• shows signs of physical or sexual abuse, and/or has contracted a sexually transmitted infection or has an unwanted pregnancy;

• has a history with missing links and unexplained moves;

• has gone missing from local authority care;

• is required to earn a minimum amount of money every day;

• works in various locations;

• has limited freedom of movement;

• appears to be missing for periods;

• is known to beg for money;

• performs excessive housework chores and rarely leaves the residence;

• is being cared for by adult/s who are not their parents and the quality of the relationship between the child and their adult carers is not good;

• is one among a number of unrelated children found at one address;

• has not been registered with or attended a GP practice;

• has not been enrolled in school;

• has to pay off an exorbitant debt, e.g. for travel costs, before having control over own earnings;

is permanently deprived of a large part of their earnings by another person; and/or

• is excessively afraid of being deported.

 The indicators above should not be read as a definitive list and we should be aware of any other unusual factors that may suggest a child might have been trafficked. They are intended as a guide, which should be included in a wider assessment of the young person’s circumstances.

 It is also important to note that trafficked children might not show obvious signs of distress or abuse and this makes it difficult to identify children who may have been trafficked. Some children are unaware that they have been trafficked, while others may actively participate in concealing that they have been trafficked.

Children trafficked within the UK

Children and young people who have been groomed and coerced into sexual exploitation should be subject to the safeguarding measures outlined in Safeguarding Children and Young People from Sexual Exploitation, the Department for Education’s (formerly DCSF’s) supplementary guidance to Working Together to Safeguard Children.

Children or young people may be trafficked from town to town or city within the UK, having been groomed and coerced into sexual exploitation. There are a number of indicators associated with this form of abuse that are displayed by young people in this situation. These indicators are contained in the recent CEOP report Out of Mind, Out of Sight, produced following their assessment of the scope and nature of child sexual exploitation and localised grooming. The Government is working with partners to develop a national action plan to safeguard children and young people from sexual exploitation, to be published this autumn.

The information above has been taken from the Governments Advice for Safeguarding Children who may have been Trafficked (a full copy of this report can be found in the safeguarding file in the main office.

Children are also at risk of being trafficked from County to County to be used for sexual exploitation or to be used by drug dealers.  Indicators may be

·      Being contacted by someone on social media or by phone

·      Obtaining train tickets to travel out of the area

·      Arrangements to be collected by unknown adults and transported out of area

If you suspect that a child you are working with has been trafficked or is at risk of being trafficked

·      Log down any comments made ie time, date and comment in the daily recordings

·      Report your concerns to your designated Safeguarding Leader (Karen or Jo)

·      Do not question your learner

The DSL will then report the concerns to the referring partners and make a MASH referral.

Compiled by : D Parkinson & G Parkinson

Review date: August 2025