Issue - meetings

Sally Nash - Service Manager (Youth Justice) started by thanking the Committee for inviting her to the meeting, stating that she was pleased to be able to present two items on the agenda.  The Committee noted that there is an interconnectedness between the two reports to be presented.  It was confirmed that although the report is a Warwickshire County Council report, all the work mentioned is done on a multiagency basis.

It was confirmed that the topic used to be Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) but is now known as Child Exploitation; the types of exploitation being reported are no longer just CSE; although that remains a highly concerning issue. 

Child Exploitation is not new, but modern phenomena such as social media and the prevalence of weapons in society means that it is very different.

Warwickshire County Council is one of the first authorities to set up a dedicated team to address child exploitation and should be commended for being ahead of the curve.

The report confirmed that there has been a significant impact on front line services to vulnerable children due to the pandemic.  The Committee was pleased to note that Warwickshire County Council Officers were prompt in

Providing full PPE to allow officers to sustain front line services.  Members noted that there has been no virtual working for the team.

The amount of work for the team has gone up, with more assessments being carried out.  There has also been an increase in the number of children and young people supported and there has been an increase in the amount of information sharing across agencies.

The quality of resources and support from Warwickshire County Council officers and elected members is excellent.  The demand is going up and additional resources would be great, but the Committee noted that it isn’t just about money; attitudes to children, attitudes to women and how we view each other all need to change.

The Committee noted the contents of the report in relation to the work done with perpetrators, including working with the Police and Safeguarding Board.  Officers have also recently contributed to a Parliamentary Enquiry.  The report has not yet been published but it will be bought to the Committee once completed.

The work undertaken with the Police includes the sharing of intelligence and mapping of information to draw a better picture of what is happening across the county. It was noted that many children are not from Warwickshire but neighbouring authorities.  Travel to the county is relatively cheap and easy; and there are areas of tourism that attract activity. 

The Committee noted information in relation to the Philomena Protocolwhere authorities provide intelligence to the police about children in care homes; when they go missing.  Routine descriptions of children in care are given to that so that the police can respond quickly to a missing incident.  This is a national protocol and information is handled extremely carefully. 

Warwickshire County Council launched the “Somethings Not Right” campaign,  across the county, to encourage  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4