Exploitation and Trafficking of Children

Introduction
Definitions
How does trafficking happen?
Why Do People Traffic Children?
Why is Trafficking Possible?
How Are Children Brought To The UK?
What Happens to Children Before They Arrive in the UK
The Impact of Trafficking on Children
Identifying Trafficked and Exploited Children
Children at Port of Entry
Children Already in the Country
Referrals Regarding Possible Trafficking & Exploitation of a Child
S.47 Enquiry
Children in Care
Support for Trafficked and Exploited Children

Acknowledgement

South West LSCBs thank Bristol Safeguarding Board, LCPC, ECPAT, UNICEF and NSPCC for allowing the use of their information; and LB Enfield for supporting the development of this procedure.

Introduction

This Procedure provides guidance to professionals and volunteers from all agencies in safeguarding children who are at risk of or have been abused and neglected by adults who traffic them within, into and out of the UK in order to exploit them.

The majority of migrating accompanied and unaccompanied children seek asylum at their port of entry or soon after their arrival in UK. However, children who are migrated for exploitative reasons (trafficked) do not come to the attention of the authorities or disappear from contact with statutory services soon after arrival.

All children are rendered more vulnerable as a result of accompanied or unaccompanied migration; trafficked children are at increased risk of significant harm.

The procedure also touches on issues for children who have migrated to the UK and present as unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

The issue of internal trafficking of UK born young people mainly relates to those young people who face issues of sexual exploitation and who are moved within the area or other parts of the UK as part of the process of their exploitation.

Issues for professionals to consider when working with trafficked and exploited children

Children who have been trafficked and exploited need:

• Practitioners to be informed and competent in matters relating to trafficking and exploitation
• Someone to spend time with them to build up a level of trust
• A ‘safe house’ if they are victims of an organised trafficking operation
• Legal advice about their rights and immigration status
• Their whereabouts to be kept confidential
• Discretion and caution to be used in tracing their families
• A risk assessment to be made into the danger they face if they are repatriated
• Accommodating – for those who meet the criteria
• To be interviewed separately. Children and young people will usually stick to their account and not speak until they feel comfortable
• Consider talking to children and young people using the phone, e mail, text
• Consider interviewing children in school as they may feel more able to talk
• Ensure that carers are not in the proximity
• Ensure that interpreters are CRB checked
• Contact with further education establishments

It may well be the case, particularly for internally trafficked young people that the parents / carers need a level of support.  CROP (Coalition for the Removal Of Pimping) is a Leeds based UK wide parent support agency where a child faces sexual exploitation.  Parents may helpfully be given CROP’s details.

Definitions

Trafficking and Exploitation

The two most common terms for the illegal movement of people – ‘trafficking’ and ‘smuggling’, are very different. In human smuggling immigrants and asylum seekers pay people to help them enter the country illegally; after which there is no longer a relationship. Trafficked victims are coerced or deceived by the person arranging their relocation. On arrival in the country of destination the trafficked child or person is denied their human rights and is forced into exploitation by the trafficker or person into whose control they are delivered.

Children are a special case, any child transported for exploitative reasons is considered to be a trafficking victim, whether or not they have been deceived. This is partly because it is not considered possible for children to give informed consent.

Even when a child understands what has happened they may still appear to submit willingly, to what they believe to be the will of their parents.

How does trafficking happen?

Traffickers are known to recruit their victims using a variety of methods. Some children are subject to coercion, which could take the form of abduction or kidnapping. However, the majority of children are trapped by in subversive ways:

• Children are promised education or respectable work – as in restaurants, domestic servants etc
• Parents are persuaded that their children will have a better life elsewhere

Many children travel on false documents and for those who do not, the traffickers usually throw away their identification papers.

Children who are internally trafficked are usually groomed into sexually exploitative situations.  Threats, coercion or the offer of gifts, drugs and alcohol may act as an inducement to the young person, who may then go missing from home.  Abusers are known to transport young people to addresses within the UK, sometimes within their home town, where they are expected to be sexually available to other adults.  Such cases fall within trafficking offences listed in the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Why Do People Traffic Children?

Most children are trafficked and exploited for financial gain. This can take the form of payment from the child’s parents, and in most cases the trafficker also receives payment from those wanting to exploit the child once in the UK. Some trafficking is by organised gangs, in other cases individual adults traffic children to the UK for their own personal gain. Exploitation includes children being used for:

• Sex work
• Domestic servitude
• Sweatshop and restaurant work, drug dealing and credit card fraud
• Begging or pick pocketing
• Benefit fraud
• Drug mules or decoys for adult drug traffickers
• Forced marriage (there were 240 reported cases in the UK 2000-2, in 15% of cases the unwilling partner was male)
• Trade in human organs; and in some cases
• Ritual killings

Younger children are often trafficked to become beggars and thieves or for benefit fraud. Teenagers are often trafficked for domestic servitude, sexual exploitation and forced marriage.

Why is Trafficking Possible?

Factors in their own country which make children vulnerable to trafficking include:

• Poverty: this is the root cause of vulnerability to exploitation in general. The recruiter’s promises of work/income is seen by families as a possible escape route from impoverished circumstances; or at the very least one less mouth to feed.
• Lack of education: attendance at school has proven to be a key means of protecting children from all forms of exploitation, including trafficking. Traffickers promise education for children whose parents cannot afford to pay school fees or where schools are difficult to access or of poor quality.
• Discrimination: this can be based both on gender and ethnicity. In some cultures girls are expected to make sacrifices in terms of education and security for the benefit of the family, they represent less of an investment for the family because their contribution to the family will end when they leave to marry (and marriage itself may be too expensive for the family).

Many trafficking victims are from minority communities who are socially discriminated against and disadvantaged in their own country.

• Cultural attitudes: traditional cultural attitudes can mean that some children are more vulnerable to trafficking than others e.g. the caste system and a tradition of bonded labour in India puts tribal and low caste children at risk.
• Dysfunctional families: children may choose to leave home as a result of domestic abuse and neglect.
• Political conflict and economic transition: conflict almost inevitably leads to large scale people movements and the erosion of economic and social protection mechanisms, leaving children vulnerable.
• Inadequate local laws and regulations: trafficking involves many different events and processes and legislation has been slow to keep pace. Most countries have legislation against exploitative child labour, but not all have laws specifically against trafficking. Even where there is appropriate legislation, enforcement is often hampered by lack of prioritisation and ignorance of the law.

How Are Children Brought To The UK?

Children enter the UK in two key ways, accompanied adult/s or as unaccompanied minors.

Accompanied children

Very little is known about accompanied children, many of whom are brought in by adults either purporting to be their parents or stating that they have the parent’s permission to bring the child. There are many legitimate reasons for children being brought to the UK, such as, education, re-unification with family or fleeing a war-torn country.

Unaccompanied children

More is known about these children because they come to the notice of the authorities when they claim asylum.  Although there appear to be some groups of children who do not seek help from the authorities, notably Chinese children who ‘disappear’ into the Chinese communities in the UK.

Many African children are referred to Children’s Social Services after applying for asylum, and even register at school for up to a term, before disappearing again. It is thought that they are trafficked out of the UK to Europe. Recent experience indicates that as checks have improved at the larger ports of entry, traffickers are starting to use a wider range of ports.

Trafficking Schemes

There are three phases in the international trafficking process: the recruitment phase, the transit phase and the destination phase. The traffickers might be part of a well organised criminal network, or they might be individuals helping out in only one of the various stages of the operation, such as the provision of false documentation, transport, or a ‘safe house’.

What Happens to Children Before They Arrive in the UK

Even before they travel children can be subjected to various forms of abuse and exploitation to ensure that the trafficker’s control over the child continues after the child is transferred to someone else’s care:

• Voodoo is used to frighten children (usually girls) into thinking that if they tell anyone about the traffickers, they and their families will die
• Confiscation of the child’s identity documents
• Threats of reporting the child to the authorities
• Violence, or threats of violence towards the child
• Threats of violence towards members of the young person’s family
• Keeping the child socially isolated
• Keeping the young person locked up
• Some children are told that they owe large sums of money for their air fares, accommodation and food, and that they must work to pay this off, however they never earn enough to do this
• Depriving the child of money

The Impact of Trafficking on Children

Trafficked and exploited children are not only deprived of their rights to health and freedom from exploitation and abuse – they are usually also deprived of their right to an education and the life opportunities this brings.

Once children have been trafficked and exploited, they are vulnerable to:

Physical Abuse and Neglect

• This can range from inappropriate chastisement, not receiving routine and emergency medical attention (partly through a lack of care about their welfare and partly because of the need for secrecy surrounding their circumstances)
• Children in the sex industry are open to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS; and for girls there is the risk of early pregnancy and possible damage to their reproductive health
• Children frequently suffer physical beatings and rape
• Children also frequently suffer physical deprivations, including beatings, sensory deprivations and food deprivation
• Some trafficked children are subdued with drugs, which they then become dependent on. They are then effectively trapped within the cycle of exploitation, continuing to work in return for a supply of drugs
• Children often develop alcohol addictions
• Victims can suffer physical disorders such as skin diseases, migraine, backache etc

Psychological Harm

• Children become disorientated after leaving their family environment, however impoverished and difficult, and arriving in the UK. This disorientation can be compounded for some children who have to assume a new identity or have no identity at all
• Children can be isolated from the local community in the UK by being kept away from school and because they cannot speak English
• Trafficked and exploited children are living in fear both of the adults who have control of them and of the discovery of their illegal immigration status
• Victims lose their trust in all adults
• Trafficked and exploited children will all suffer from a form of post traumatic stress relating to their sense of powerlessness and the degree of violence they experienced at the hands of their traffickers, which can be extreme
• Many trafficked and exploited children develop dependant relationships with their abusers
• They suffer flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety attacks, irritability and other symptoms of stress, such as, nervous breakdowns;
• Trafficked and exploited children experience a loss of ability to concentrate
• They can become anti-social, aggressive and angry, and/or fearful and nervous – finding it difficult to relate to others, including in the family and at work
• Victims have very low self-esteem and believe that the experience has ‘ruined’ them for life psychologically and socially. They become depressed, and often suicidal
• The children worry about people in their families and communities knowing what has happened to them, and become afraid to go home

All children who have been exploited will suffer some form of physical or mental harm, usually, the longer the exploitation, the more health problems that will be experienced. Although in some cases, such as contracting AIDS or the extreme abuse suffered by Victoria Climbié, fatal damage happens very quickly.

Identifying Trafficked and Exploited Children

Children are being trafficked to and exploited in counties and cities all over the UK. All entry and exit points in the UK are potential channels for trafficking children. Children who arrive in the UK are protected under the Children Act 1989.

It is incumbent on all agencies to work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children trafficked into and out of the UK, providing the same standard of care as that available to any other child in the UK.

Similarly, UK born young people who are internally trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation may present as young people making consenting decisions about their lifestyle.  This may mean they are missing from home for periods of time.  It should be noted that they too may well have experienced threats, coercion or manipulation prior to the experience of being trafficked.

All practitioners who come into contact with children and young people in their everyday work need to be able to recognise when children have been trafficked and exploited, to understand the areas of vulnerability that this can generate for a child or young person and should be competent to act to support and protect these children.

This may be the crucial intervention which breaks the cycle of the child being vulnerable to continuing or further exploitation.

Risk Indicators

There are a number of circumstances which could indicate that a child may have been trafficked to the UK, and may still be being controlled by the traffickers or receiving adults. These include situations in which the child:

• Does not appear to have money but does have a mobile phone
• Is driven around by an older male or ‘boyfriend’
• Is withdrawn and refuses to talk
• Shows signs of sexual behaviour or language
• Shows signs of physical or sexual abuse, and/or has contracted a sexually transmitted infection
• Has a history with missing links and unexplained moves
• 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
• Is being cared for by adult/s who are not their parents. The quality of the relationship between the child and their adult carers is not good
• Has not been registered with or attended a GP practice
• Has not been enrolled in school
• Has to pay off an exorbitant debt, perhaps for the travel costs, before being able to have control over his/her own earnings
• Hands over a large part of their earnings to another person
• Is excessively afraid of being deported
• Has had their journey or visa arranged by someone other than themselves or their family
• Does not have possession of their own travel documents
• Has false papers, and these have been provided by another person
• Is unable to confirm which adult is going to accept responsibility for her/him
• Fits current profiles for those at risk of exploitation
• Has entered the country illegally

or, the person:

• In control of the child has applied for visas on behalf of many others, or acts as guarantor for other visa applications
• Who guarantees the visa application has acted for other visitors who have not returned to their countries of origin on the expiry of the visa

Children at Port of Entry

Immigration Nationality Directorate

The structure of the Immigration Nationality Directorate (IND) includes the United Kingdom Immigration Service Border Control Directorate.

The Immigration Officer’s role is, in the first instance, to decide the immigration status of the child, in accordance with the United Kingdom Immigration Act 1971 (as amended). Additional to formal document control, Immigration Officers have to be satisfied with a passenger’s reason for coming to the UK before allowing entrance. Children who meet immigration rules and are believed to be safe for the duration of their stay in the UK are allowed entry. For these children only limited information or in some cases, for EU children, none is kept.

However, a large number of children arrive accompanied by adults not related to them and without knowing details of their life in this country, completely relying on the adult accompanying or waiting for, them. Immigration Officers need to manage situations where the immigration criteria are fulfilled, however, the child presents in such a way as to raise concerns about their vulnerability e.g. they cannot give details of who they are meeting at the airport or where they will be staying.

The identification of children at risk of harm, as they arrive at a port of entry is not an easy task. The ports Intelligence Units have developed a profile of trafficked children to assist Immigration Officers identify children from abroad who may be at risk. Children who do not meet the immigration criteria for entry and children who, irrespective of their immigration status are believed to be at risk of harm if they are allowed entry, are referred by Immigration Officers to agencies with social care duties, primarily the local Social Services department and/or the local police Child Protection Officer. Records for these children exist both within IND and with the receiving agency.

The National Register for Unaccompanied Children (NRUC) aims to gather information on all unaccompanied asylum seeking children in the UK. There are plans to extend it to cover all unaccompanied children from abroad, not just asylum seeking children. It is the first database developed for the purpose of sharing information between Social Services Departments (practitioners) and government departments.

Children Already in the Country

Community Groups, Neighbours and the Public

As most children who are victims of trafficking who arrive in the UK are not aware of their rights or that they can claim asylum, once they have gained entry to the country they are unlikely to come to the notice of asylum or immigration services.

Trafficked and exploited children often come to the notice of any agency only when it is too late. Some are enrolled at school and concerns are only raised when they leave unexpectedly, and there is no trace of them or their ‘family’ at their home address. Others are never registered at school or with a GP. These children do not come into contact with the statutory services who could raise concerns about their welfare. Younger children may be known to local Housing or benefits services. However, most internationally trafficked children are invisible. Protecting them and promoting their welfare depends on the awareness and co-operation of community groups, neighbours and the public. This has implications for awareness raising campaigns.

Private Fostering

Private fostering is defined in the Children Act 1989 as occurring when a child under 16 years (or under 18 if disabled) is placed for more than 28 days in the care of someone who is not a close relative, guardian or someone with parental responsibility (close relatives are defined by the Act as parents, step-parents, siblings, siblings of a parent and grandparents).

As the current systems relies on the parents and the foster carers to notify the local authority of a private fostering arrangement (preferably before, but certainly within 48 hours, of the child arriving to stay), only a very small proportion of placements are notified, and private fostering remains an underground activity, ideal for people who traffic children.

Staff or volunteers in an agency who have concerns that a child may be trafficked and privately fostered should contact CYPS, who can investigate under their regulatory duties in relation to private fostering (Children Acts 1989 & 2004). These duties are: to identify private fostering arrangements, inspect the home and assess the suitability of the arrangement in terms of the child’s welfare, visit the child regularly, and monitor and keep records of the placement.

There is also a new requirement on local authorities to raise awareness of the notification requirements within local communities (section 7a of the Children Act 2004) and to ensure that staff or volunteers in all agencies encourage notification.

All Agencies

Wherever staff or volunteers in an agency come into contact with a child who has arrived unaccompanied in the country and is not in contact with social care or a child who is accompanied, but for whom they have concerns regarding their welfare or safety, they should consult and follow one of the following:

• The actions indicated in this procedure under referral;
• The Government Guidance ‘What To Do If You’re Worried a Child is Being Abused’ (DfES, 2003).

Children and Young People Services

CYPS have responsibility for assisting all unaccompanied children and children who have come to the UK with their parents for whom there are concerns regarding their welfare and safety.  For more detail, see Section 13 below.

Health Services

Trafficked children who need healthcare are more likely to be seen at Accident & Emergency services, Walk-in Centres, minor injury units or GUM clinics, than by primary care services.  Reception staff need to be alert to inconsistencies in addresses, deliberate vagueness and children or carers being unable to give details of next of kin, school, names, telephone numbers etc.

When children or their carers give addresses in other countries, with the information that the child is resident outside of the UK, reception staff should always record the current holiday address as well as the home address in the other country. Staff need to be alert to ‘local holiday’ addresses in case patterns emerge that would suggest large numbers of children moving in and out of one address. Community staff such as Health Visitors, School Health Nurses and Senior Nurses who may follow up visits to Accident & Emergency, MIU and Walk-in Centres, should also be alert to the moving in and out and rapid turnover of different children to any one address.

Young people identified as at risk by sexual health services will be referred to CYPS in the usual manner if they are at risk of or have suffered significant harm. If there are more general concerns about their vulnerability they may have their cases reviewed at the Multi Agency Group meeting co-ordinated by sexual health services to ensure ongoing review of inter-agency practice in relation to issues of trafficking.

Education Services

Children trafficked into the country may be registered at a school for a term or so, before being moved to another part of the UK or abroad again. Schools therefore need to be alert to this pattern of registration and de-registration. This pattern has been identified in schools near ports, however it could happen anywhere in the UK.

There is general agreement that children who have experienced certain life events are more at risk of going missing from education. Trafficked children are particularly vulnerable. Schools need therefore to be alert to the possibility that a child who goes missing from school, may be, or have been, a trafficked child, who is living with or is running away from an exploitative situation.

Schools should ensure that admission procedures are stringent. In the meantime, if a child is brought to a school and admission sought staff should be alert to look for signs that the child could be trafficked using the guidance in this document and should in any suspected case take the child’s details as well as recommending the family to follow the correct route. Admission forms should be filled in when any child is accepted onto roll. The form should include sections asking for names and addresses of previous schools even if in another country; name of GP and a brief medical history. As well as a local address the form should request names and telephone contact for at least one other family member and a neighbour or a second family member who can be contacted in an emergency.  Any details not given at the first meeting with the adult applying for a school place must be followed up rigorously. The child must be present at this meeting and staff should address questions directly to them whenever possible; using interpreters if needed. If during this time staff are suspicious that trafficking/exploitation could be a possibility then the Child Protection Designated Person must be informed and they must contact CYPS and follow their advice.

In the event of a pupil not attending, each school should have a system to ensure first day absence contact is made with the parents / carers to establish the reason for absence.  If there is no response to this then best practice would determine that calls are made to all contact numbers until a satisfactory reason for absence is received.  If trafficking is suspected, the school must ensure a home visit is undertaken as a matter of urgency (by the Home School Link Worker or learning mentor).  If this still fails to establish a satisfactory reason for absence then both CYPS and Education Welfare should be notified.  Where there are high levels of concern and there is a belief that the child may be at immediate risk then the Police should be notified.

Local Asylum Teams

Asylum teams may be able to offer some general support and advice on managing trafficking work.  This is a case discussion role not casework management role.   The Asylum Team can also complete an enquiry to check with the Home Office a person’s details.  This can be a child, someone presenting as carer, family member or parent of a child whom any professional considers to be at risk.

Police

All concerns that a child may be being trafficked or at risk of being trafficked should be reported to the Police Child Abuse Investigation Team. The team has some capacity to investigate specific trafficking and migration offences, as well as providing an advisory service..

The local Safeguarding Children Board

The local Safeguarding Children Board will:

• Offer training to improve how practitioners and volunteers ability to recognise a trafficked and exploited child;
• Monitor the implementation of multi-agency working to protect and promote the welfare of such children;
• Maintain close links with community groups and undertake publicity work to raise awareness within the local community of the possibility that children are trafficked and exploited, and how to raise a concern;

Refugee Council Children’s Panel

The Refugee Council Children’s Panel of Advisers comprises about 30 advisers who travel all over the country to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The Panel offers support to children who:

• Have applied for asylum on entering the UK
• Have lived in the UK for some time before applying for asylum
• Are abandoned by relatives, agents or friends
• Have been picked up by the police
• Are in detention centres or prisons
• Are living on the streets or are already in the care of CYPS, carers or community groups

The support includes:

• Assisting children in accessing quality legal representation
• Guiding children through the complexities of the asylum procedure
• If necessary, accompanying children to asylum interviews, tribunal and appeal hearings, magistrates and crown court appointments
• Building up a support network for children involving a range of statutory and non-statutory service providers
• Accompanying children to appointments with GPs, hospitals, CYPS or other agencies

The nature of the Children’s Panel Advisers’ work is such that they may well gather information which enables them to identify and refer children who are trafficked.

Referrals Regarding Possible Trafficking & Exploitation of a Child

A practitioner or volunteer who has a concern regarding possible trafficking and exploitation of a child should refer the case to Children and Young People Services. For immigration officers at ports of entry, the relevant authority is the one that contains the address which the child is planning to reside at when she or he is allowed to enter the UK.

Referral and Initial Information Gathering

This section describes in more detail the response from Children’s Social Care to a referral from one of the agencies:

• The social worker should obtain as much information as possible from the referrer, including the child’s name, dob, address, name of carer/guardian, address if different, phone number, country of origin, home language and whether s/he speaks English, names of any siblings or other children
• The social worker should verify that the child is living at the address as soon as possible
• In the case of a referral from a school or education department the list of documentation provided at admission should also be obtained
• A Home Office check should be completed to clarify status of the child/ren and the adult/s caring for them

Action after the initial information gathering

On completion of the initial information gathering the social worker discusses the referral with their supervising manager to agree and plan one of four ways forward:

a) An initial assessment to decide;

• appropriate arrangements for the child have been made by her/his parents
• there are grounds to accommodate the child
• the child is in need of immediate protection
• a s.47 enquiry should be initiated  (See section 14. S47 Inquiry below)

b) Accommodation of the child under s.20 Children Act 1989, there may be enough information at this stage to support a decision to accommodate the child. A child should be accommodated under s.20 Children Act 1989 if:

• The child is lost or abandoned
• There is no person with parental responsibility for the child
• The person who has been accommodating the child is prevented, for whatever reason, from providing suitable accommodation or care.

If there is reasonable cause to believe that the child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, an emergency protection order may be sought. Consideration should be given to police powers of protection in an emergency.

c) Instigation of a child protection enquiry and a core assessment of need under s.47 Children Act 1989  in which case the standard  child protection procedures should be followed via a strategy discussion with consideration of the issues below.

d) No further action – if no concerns are identified.

The social worker should advise the referrer of which plan is in place.

• The discussion between the social worker and their supervising manager after completion of the initial information gathering, should be recorded, tasks outlined and signed off by the manager
• If further action is needed, consideration should be given to involvement of the police, education, health services, the referring agency and other relevant bodies e.g. housing, the benefits agency and immigration service. Careful consideration should be given to the effect of any action on the outcome of any investigation
• In undertaking any assessment and all subsequent work with the child, the social worker must ensure that they use a suitable interpreter
• The social worker must provide feedback to the referrer
• The social worker must check all documentation held by the referrer and other relevant agencies. Documentation should include, passport, Home Office papers, birth certificate, proof of guardianship. The list is not exhaustive and all avenues should be looked into.

When assessing paperwork/documentation attention should be given to the detail.  If a passport, when was it issued, how long is the visa for, does the picture resemble the child, is the name in the passport the same as the alleged mother/father, if not, why not.  When assessing documentation, does it appear original, take copies to ensure further checks can be made.

Once all papers have been checked, the social worker should clarify with the referrer what his/her concerns are again. Why did they make the referral, what led them to believe the child may be trafficked or here illegally etc; and request that they put their concerns in writing to ensure accuracy of recording

Decision to Interview

Once all possible information has been gathered, the social worker and their supervising manager, together with the police child abuse investigation team should decide whether the child or young person should be interviewed. If the child or young person is to be interviewed to gather evidence for possible criminal proceedings, this interview will be conducted by a suitably trained officer from the child abuse investigation team.

• Where it is decided that the family should be visited and interviewed, standard social work practice should be followed. The child should be seen alone, preferably in a safe environment. Ensure that the carers are not in the proximity. Children and young people will usually stick to their account and not speak until they feel comfortable.
• Where it is decided that the family should be visited and interviewed, standard practice should be followed. The child should be seen alone, preferably in a safe environment. Ensure that the carers are not in the proximity. Children and young people will usually stick to their account and not speak until they feel comfortable.
• Professional interpreters, who have been CRB checked, should be used, it is not acceptable to use a family member.
• Questions should focus on the following:
  • Family composition, brothers, sisters, ages
  • Parents’ employment
  • Tasks they do around the house
  • Length of time in this country
  • Where they lived in their country of origin
  • Where they went to school in their country of origin
  • Who cared for them in their country of origin

The adults with the child should be interviewed (separately if possible) on the same basis, using the same questions, a comparison can then be made between the answers to ensure they match.

• All documentation should be seen and checked. This includes Home Office documentation, passports, visas, utility bills, tenancy agreements, birth certificates.  Particular attention should be given to the documentation presented to the school at point of admission.  It is not acceptable to be told ‘the passport is missing’ or ‘I can’t find the paperwork right now’. It is extremely unlikely that a person does not know where their paperwork/official documentation is kept.
• This interview should be conducted as fully and completely as possible to ensure accuracy and to avoid intrusion on the family over a longer period than is absolutely necessary.
• On completion of the assessment a meeting should be held with the social worker, their supervising manager, the referring agency as appropriate, the police child abuse investigation team and any other professionals involved to decide on future action. Further action should not be taken until this meeting has been held and multi agency agreement obtained.
• Where it is found that the child is not a family member and is not related to any other person in this country, consideration should be given to establishing status and assisting the child as an unaccompanied minor.
• Any action regarding fraud, trafficking, deception and illegal entry to this country is the remit of the police and the Home Office. The local authority should assist in any way possible, however, the responsibility for legal action usually remains with the other agencies (exceptions include benefit fraud, the responsibility of the Department of Work and Pensions, and Education offences, pursued by the LEA).

S.47 Enquiry

Whenever a practitioner or volunteer becomes concerned that a child is at risk of significant harm, a referral must be made immediately.

If the concern is raised at a port of entry, then immigration service should without delay, contact the Children & Young People Services. If the child is already in the country, the referral must be made to the Children & Young People Services for the area in which the child resides.

CYPS must convene a strategy discussion within two working days of:

• The child becoming looked after; or immediately if the child
• Arrives in the area and may be at risk of significant harm.

Children in Care

A core assessment of the child’s needs must be undertaken immediately by the social worker and residential worker/carer to include:

• Establishing relevant information about the child’s background;
• Understanding the reasons the child has come to the UK; and
• Assessing the child’s vulnerability to the continuing influence/control of the traffickers.

Planning and actions to support the child must minimise the risk of the traffickers being able to re-involve a child exploitative activities. Thus:

• The location of the child must not be divulged to any enquirers until they have been interviewed by a social worker and their identity and relationship/connection with the child established, with the help of police and immigration services, if required.
• Foster carers/residential workers must be vigilant about anything unusual e.g. waiting cars outside the premises and telephone enquiries.
• The social worker must immediately pass to the police any information on the child (concerning risks to her/his safety or any other aspect of the law pertaining either to child protection or immigration or other matters), which emerges during the placement.

The child’s social worker must try to make contact with the child’s parents in the country of origin (immigration services may be able to help), to find out the plans they have made for their child and to seek their views. The social worker must to steps to verify the relationship between the child and those thought to be her/his parent/s.

Anyone approaching the local authority and claiming to be a potential carer, friend, member of the family etc, of one of the child, should be investigated by the social worker, the police and immigration service. If the supervising manager is satisfied that all agencies have completed satisfactory identification checks and risk assessments the child may transfer to their care.

Support for Trafficked and Exploited Children

Children who have been trafficked and exploited are likely to need some of the following services:

• Appropriately trained interpreting
• Counselling
• Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)
• Independent legal advice
• Medical services (including, for victims of torture)
• Education
• Repatriation

Missing Children

BSCB is developing further guidance on children who go missing from home.  This guidance should be cross referenced when there are additional concerns about trafficking.

Issues for the Prosecution of Traffickers

Attempting to persuade a child victim to testify against a trafficker is complicated. The child usually fears reprisal from the traffickers and/or the adults whom the child was living with in the UK if they co-operate with the police. This includes reprisals against their family in their home country. Children who might agree to testify, fear that they will be discredited because they were coerced into lying on their visa applications/ immigration papers.

For UK nationals who have been internally trafficked within UK, a supportive relationship with a professional should encourage them to consider making statement to the Police.  However, this needs careful management.  CAIT can support this by informally meeting the young person in order to gather intelligence, even if the young person is unwilling to make a formal statement.

Repatriation and Deportation

Trafficked and exploited children who eventually return home can suffer discrimination from the community – particularly girls who have been sexually exploited. A risk assessment needs to be into the danger a child may face if they are repatriated.

To view the national guidance on this subject click here