The amount of support for the first ever National Child Sexual Awareness Day taking place on March 18th 2015 has gathered incredible pace with events large and small happening up and down the UK.

 

Take a look at our virtual map (all location pins approximate locations) http://www.mapfab.com/map/M9Y/CSE-Awareness-day-2015

 

Here is a round-up of events so far:

 

Dyfed-Powys Police are having a 10 day run up to the day itself by Tweeting a cse message a day via social media.

 

Staffordshire Moorlands plan to deliver a internet safety and CSE Dvd in all schools.There will be high visible patrols out and about and visiting take-aways with specific CSE awareness raising messages

 

The Soroptimist International (SI) York Ebor is partnering the Jack Raine Foundation on March 18 at York Station, raising awareness about CSE with an information stall and encouraging  #HelpingHands pledges.

 

The multi agency CSE hub in Bradford will be holding an open air public awareness event in the City Centre between 12 and 8pm to engage with young people and adults and provide education regarding CSE, they will also be  highlighting ways of reporting concerns to the authorities if necessary.

 

There will be a launch of the Say Something if you See Something campaign  and toolkit in Shropshire this month (March) along with holding #HelpingHands campaigns through a number of events and activities: How Shropshire Safeguarding Children’s Board (SSCB) is planning to use Helping Hands:

 

• 12th March – SSCB e-safety conference: Delegates will be asked to write a personal pledge on their hands for a conference selfie.
• 12th March – SSCB Board Meeting: Board members will be asked to make their own personal pledge and post it to social media.
• 18th March, National CSE Awareness Day – All agencies: SSCB is encouraging all agencies to show their support for the campaign by posting their #HelpingHands pledges to social media.
• Don’t forget to use #HelpingHands #SSCB15
• 25th March – Create IT Awards: Parents and young people will be asked to make their #HelpingHands pledge using a hands template.

 

The Sheriff of Nottingham has just pledged to be at the market place in Nottingham at 12 noon on the 18th of March to raise awareness of CSE!

 

In Lancashire The Children’s Society – Street Safe Lancashire will be delivering CSE awareness to specific targeted groups.  There will be special messages with information going to professionals that work with different groups so that they can improve their response regarding CSE.  There will be advice on resources they can access, what to look for and how to report concerns about CSE.

 

Felixstowe Minor Injury Unit. A large percentage of our attendees are children and families. I would like to have a display on 18th March to raise awareness of CSE

 

On the Isle of Wight the Council are planning  Radio and Newspaper advertisements and a poster campaign using Stop-CSE posters

 

Events around CSE that are coming up in Greater Manchester:  Monday 16 March – To kick-start the Week of Action the PCC has a public forum on CSE where it is planned that  he and Ann Coffey MP will be putting questions to the Chief Constable and Damian Dallimore.  Questions by the public can be submitted in advance so you may want to promote this on your LA or LSCB website

 

http://www.gmpcc.org.uk/event/themed-forum-child-sexual-exploitation/

 

1st April – there will be a CSE multi-agency learning event at GMP’s Force HQ. a full day of events with all areas / key agencies invited.      21st May – CSE Conference.  No further details.

 

CSH Surrey safeguarding team and CSE Champions are hosting  a CSE awareness session on 18th March.There will be a  poster presentation and co-owners will be asked to write a personal pledge on their hands.

 

The Together Trust – Cheshire will be supporting the National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day. They  plan to have a news story up on their website, encouraging  others to join the cause and will also be taking some helping hands photos to post online.

 

There will be a Not in our Community sexual exploitation awareness campaign in Hull and East Yorkshire.You can see more here: www.notinourcommunity.org. The events will include the #HelpingHands campaign.

 

From March 15-22 there will be an awareness week in conjunction with the East Riding Football Association and secondary schools in the area. Awareness wristbands and materials branded with “not in our community” will be used throughout the week with reference to the National Awareness Day.

 

Both safeguarding boards and partner agencies across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutlandwill be sharing #HelpingHands pledges on social media, encouraging schools to make pledges, and raising awareness through social media and a media release. A joint conference was held on 26 February which involved training for staff from the police, councils, health and other agencies, and CSE awareness raising.

 

Victim Support will be taking part in #HelpingHands, writing personal pledges and posting on social media. They will also be raising awareness by involving their National Youth Forum who are helping to develop information for their new youth facing websitewww.youandco.org.uk.

 

Bedfordshire Police are having a CSE awareness campaign as are all three unitary authorities that cover the county.

 

Warwickshire – have been working with Jack Linstead from Warwickshire County Council Media and PR Group to develop a CSE  campaign. Last week they were fortunate enough to obtain permission from Ed Sheeran and his record label/ management team to use a track for an awareness raising video. The finalised production of the video went  live on Twitter and FB at last Sunday.A new  website is due to be up and running too.

 

Various other activities are  scheduled over the next few months such as billboards and advertising in prime locations across Warwickshire, Radio adverts and the use of advertising space on the back 2 rows of every bus in Warwickshire for a 6 week period.

 

West Yorkshire have planned the following for CSE Day:  Promoting  existing CSE Know the Signs campaign both internally and externally through both Police channels and via local authority partners.Any external social media messages will link in with NWG’s  key messages and will include the relevant hashtag(s) #HelpingHands, #Stop-CSE, #CSEDay15

 

Also linked in with Crimestoppers who are running workshops in schools to highlight CSE to young people. Plan to continue ongoing work with taxis and hotels, advising people working in both areas of the CSE signs to look out for.  In November we held a successful conference in Calderdale where hotel managers were invited to attend to learn about the CSE legislation regarding hotels, signs to look out for and what they should do if they suspect it is taking place in their hotel.  Our Leeds district are working towards running a similar event in Leeds, and are hoping to have this arranged for the 18th.

 

The International Centre at the University of Bedfordshire have produced 11 very short films, each capturing key messages for practitioners from the research on child sexual exploitation, violence and trafficking.

 

These films will be released on CSE Awareness Day, when they will all be available on the University’s website.

 

CLEAR is a charity in CORNWALL – developing a service for working with victims of CSE or those at risk of CSE.  During National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness week, they will be delivering  awareness raising events in school assemblies and PHSE lessons in a number of schools across the county.

 

Gloucestershire plan to hold a multi-media campaign (press release, social media and interviews with ‘young ambassadors’, Police, Social care etc.) and endorse the #HelpingHands campaign. This will be coordinated through the County Council and Police communications teams with input from the CSE & Missing Children sub-group of the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board.

 

North Yorkshire Police

• A video message from the head of crime will be circulated to all front line staff – highlighting  officer’s responsibility to protect /recognise / and investigate CSE concerns.
• This will be followed by a series of x 4 videos from a Rotherham victim of CSE – the videos are aimed at frontline officers to enable them to understand CSE from the perspective of CSE victims.
• There will Internal campaign to front line officers around recognising the signs.
• This will be followed by a CSE themed Safeguarding bulletin – on basics about CSE. This will be aimed at front line officers.
• The external NYP web site CSE page will be updated accordingly.

 

The London Borough of Croydon will be holding a stall in the town centre to help raise awareness of CSE. The stall will be primarily targeting parents and carers and offer advice and information for parents and carers about helping to prevent online CSE.  Resources from CEOP, NSPCC, PACE and NWG will all be used during the campaign. This will be a multi-agency event involving the Met Police, NSPCC, Safer London, Croydon Council and sponsored by the Croydon Safeguarding Children Board. There will be similar stalls during the coming months across different areas in Croydon and at Parents Evening at selected Schools.

 

West Midlands Police will be co-hosting a Young Persons Conference on the 16th March with key partners to discuss and debate CSE.  Approximately 100 children from our 7 local authority areas will be attending.

 

From Suffolk Constabulary: Local CSE awareness raising with Local Safeguarding Children Board and social media.

 

Derbyshire Constabulary will be raising awareness through both, internal communication to staff members (force intranet/key messages of the day etc), as well as externally in conjunction with our partners, via the internet and local press.

 

University of Bradford will be circulating awareness raising materials across the campus for students and staff.

 

Staffordshire Constabulary Activities to run between 8am – 12 midnight on 18th March – to include:

 

Taxi operations across the force area – including Stop the Traffik, Overt visits to fast food outlets, Joint working with Immigration, Environmental Health and Licensing, Care home visits and training, Multi Agency Staff Awareness – training being delivered through LSCB – CSE Lite Bites,Car Wash visits, Education – presentations to groups and schools, Overt patrolling in Hot Spot locations, Budget Hotels, B and B visits,Parents Awareness Sessions.

 

Herefordshire LSCB’s awareness raising campaign on 18th March:

 

• Mail shot out to all schools with CSE handbooks and posters.  These will  also be provided to the night-time economy, hotels and taxi firms along with awareness training to the trade.
• Information stall in Council Head Office with booklets, leaflets and Levels of Need information
• Links made with the Hospital to publicise the day throughout the hospital, with posters/handbooks/ staff newsletter/screen saver
• Liaising with Hfds Council Comms for communication out to Council Staff, as above
• A Residential Provider Forum is being held on 20th, focussing on CSE.  Ofsted are the key speakers.   Police CSE Lead is also providing the National picture, members to receive electronic information for dissemination throughout their organisations.

Blast attending the NWG Conference and addressing CSE/boys and also talking about the  local work in Leeds and Bradford and the national work they undertake.

 

Leeds  Mon 16th March – Information Stall at the Merrion Centre in central Leeds 10.30am – 5pm on Monday 16th March. It is hoped this will be a multi-agency stall with information  leaflets about what’s available in Leeds.There will be information on how to make Facebook profiles more secure.

 

Bradford Wed 18th March – It is planned to have a gazebo in Centenary Square with a multi-agency stall with information leaflets about what’s available in Bradford.

 

Nottinghamshire Police –held a LSCB CSE Seminar on 04/03/2015 with guest speakers at Trent University to raise awareness of CSE and awareness raising through the Force Website and Intranet Site.

 

MASH Team Bury  have the launch of their locally developed resources (designed by students at a local college) and will be holding a market place event across two venues in Bury Town Centre with many partner agencies in attendance, there will be an art gallery style shop also in the town centre, where  local college students will display their designs for the resources and a live shop window, with drama students from the college performing a CSE inspired performance throughout the day.  The shop and market place will be opened by Bury SCB chief exec.

 

Constable Cub will also be walking around the town centre handing out information leaflets to members of the public.The event is being promoted via numerous channels including local newspaper and social media accounts.

 

Along with this local GPs, Opticians and Dentists, as well as schools, and every public venue in Bury will be sent out both the Greater Manchester ‘its not okay’ leaflets and local resources which contain our contact details.

 

South Manchester are covering/promoting education and awareness around CSE on a nightly basis with our young people.

 

The Targeted Youth Engagement Services Team are currently applying for local funding to facilitate a film project around CSE, which the young women they work with have requested and have helped with the script and planning, some of which is based on their own experiences.

 

Derby School Nurses are running awareness raising sessions on the day and the week around it, in the secondary schools in Derby.A short film will be shown and  activities will run  with the students to raise their awareness. NWG Stop-CSE  posters will be used as part of the awareness raising campaign.

 

South Wales There is a vast amount of work ongoing at present with CSE and planned events so far are:  From the 1st of March we will driving a number of areas force wide in relation to CSE.

 

There will be 6 awareness raising areas( days) for officers which will include these will all be:

 

• Internal awareness which includes a poster and article on connect ( Our force internet system) highlighting signs of CSE.
• There is a Missing person on-line package that will be shown to all officers that is based on a missing child and CSE( Via connect).
• Schools staff will be attending schools and our mobile Police stations will be delivering a CSE Barnardos booklet to young people ( again highlighted on connect).
• Posters for hotel staff to be placed in areas of the hotel where staff have access and training will be delivered.
• CSE door handle hangers will be delivered to hotels throughout S.Wales.
• CSE air fresheners and CSE stickers for all taxis.
• The 18th will be a combination off all the work and include twitter etc.

 

All these pieces of work are to be driven over the 18 day period leading up to the CSE awareness day.

 

Greater Manchester we’re having a Phoenix week of action (more details to follow).

 

Staffordshire are planning a day of action and West Midlands are also coordinating activities. A regional approach has recently been discussed at the latest strategic meeting and this is currently being co-ordinated.

 

Warwickshire and West Mercia have events planned.Warwickshire will be launching their CSE communications campaign on that day.

 

Northants Police RISE team jointly with CAN exploitation workers are arranging CSE awareness raising sessions on the 18th in the town centre.

 

The Safeguarding Children’s Boards of both the City and County Nottingham plus POWNottingham – held an event on 4th March. The event  featured keynote speakers from RAiSE, NSPCC, NWG and Nottinghamshire Police and a performance by the Pintsize Theatre Company. Additionally it raised awareness into what service provision is available in Nottingham to protect young people.

 

The Metropolitan Police are holding a Pan London CSE Awareness Day at New Scotland Yard between 11am and 1pm on Wednesday 18th March 2015. The programme for this day will include:

 

• The Pan London launch of Operation Makesafe. This initiative targets London’s business community including hotels, licensed premises and cab companies in raising awareness of CSE and what must do if CSE is suspected.
• The launch of a ‘Professional’s’ DVD on recognising the warning signs of CSE, in particular Peer on Peer CSE, and what must do if this is suspected.
• The launch of the revised London CSE Operating Protocol. This follows on from the 12 month review of the protocol and includes recognised best practice.

 

Updates on operational events taking place in London.

 

Shropshire The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust will be having an awareness display in the Women & Children’s Unit along with information in the staff newsletter.

 

Herefordshire Safeguarding Children Board are supporting the awareness day and are currently planning different ways of publicising the day.They will be sending out NWG Stop-CSE awareness posters and their own signs and indicators posters to accommodation providers, taxi firms and nightclubs.

 

NHS Birmingham Safeguarding Team are holding a CSE Conference for primary care on 18thMarch. Champions of CSE from provider trusts have also been invited to answer questions throughout the day, as well as other multi agency organisations.

 

Norfolk Police – National CSE Awareness Day events planned – no further details.

 

Cheshire Police and the four Local Authorities are progressing the CSE message through Feb into March 2015 including CSE awareness day on the 18th March. This is part of an ongoing 12 month campaign that has been funded by Cheshire Police and our partners including Catch22 and Health.

 

On the CSE awareness day itself they  will be launching the revised CSE Pan Cheshire Strategy and  marketing will be around this by use of www.knowandsee.co.uk website and social media etc.

 

Surrey Police we are holding a National CSE Awareness event on the 18th March, to join in the fight to raise the awareness of CSE.

 

They have hired a theatre in Woking in Surrey and will be inviting members of the wider community, including parents of young people to an awareness raising event. Chelsea’s Choice will be performing and parent’s from Safe and Sound Derby will talk at the event which will be held both am and pm. Delegates that attend will receive follow-up information and details of sign posting for CSE.

 

AEQUITAS (South West) CIC, a Child Trafficking and CSE awareness raising organisation in Torbay, Devon will be holding a local event to raise awareness amongst the public.

 

Merseyside Police have events planned locally.No further details available.

 

Telford and Wrekin will be holding events in the town to raise awareness with wristbands and stickers being handed out to the public as well as information.

 

Oxfordshire are planning to place a NWG web banner on all partner agency web-sites/emails and to have NWG posters displayed in:

 

• Public spaces within partner agencies including TV displays
• Youth/ Projects across the county
• Bus stops in high footfall areas
• Park and rides across the county
• Leisure centres
• Shopping areas
• TV displays on buses
• TV displays in hospital/GP/dentist/GUM clinic
• Taxi and private hire & licensed premises (Pub Watch/Nightsafe)
• Takeaway venues
• Youth projects to run CSE awareness event
• School assemblies
• VIP/Cllrs (County & City) promote day – ‘writing on their hands how they are going to fight against CSE ‘
• Social media links
• Young people social media site e.g.OXME – http://oxcentric.oxme.info/cms/
• Boogee (Oxford City Council – Youth Ambition) –
• Promote Check Consent campaign: http://checkconsent.com/  and NWG website: http://www.stop-cse.org/

Safe Hands Project at The Children’s Society – Safe Hands in Halifax and Hand in Hand in Keighley. Planning awareness raising events and hoping to display the stop-cse email banner on email signatures.

 

Durham SCB will be raising awareness internally and externally throughout the week commencing 16th and supporting the national day. They will be utilising the approach with the #HelpingHands messages on hands of key people in communities and sharing on social media.

 

NHS Birmingham South Central are holding a conference focusing on Child Sexual Exploitation on the National Awareness Day, raising the profile  and awareness of CSE.

 

Royal Derby Hospital – awareness raising stall in main corridor, #HelpingHands “tree” made with hand templates from staff , visitors and patients. information around it to be placed on the intranet for staff.

 

Swindon and Wiltshire Councils (and including other relevant professionals/organisations) to participate in the CSE Awareness day on the 18th March.

 

The Magdalene Group will be holding a market stall in Norwich market and asking all stall holders on the market to take part in pledging their message for the #HelpingHands campaign. They will hand out postcards, posters and stickers to the public. They will also be using social media to raise awareness.

 

Devon and Cornwall Police are planning awareness raising events – no further details available

 

Cumbria Constabulary will be having a press campaign through the week particularly aimed at parents including an anonymous quote from parents of a child who has been a victim of CSE. Also plans to speak to a CSE offender anonymously to raise awareness of how easy online grooming can be. Social media campaign, including a local Thunderclap, and an opportunity for the public to ask questions about CSE via #CSECumbria.

 

Essex County Council are planning a day of awareness on 18 March to support the CSE Awareness Day.  They have already taken photos of the pledges from our Corporate Parenting Panel and will be raising awareness online and encouraging people across Essex from our Twitter and Facebook accounts to tweet/share their pledges using #HelpingHands

 

If you would like to tell us about your events please email [email protected]

 

If you have any write ups/press releases or pictures from your events we would love to see  and share them .

 

The NWG Team