Adolescent Safety Framework (ASF)

It is important we continue to adopt an enabling approach to supporting young people to follow current social distancing guidance. It remains important that young people continue to free confident to trust, engage with services and protective structures, and that these temporary measures do not inadvertently undermine relationship building. Safety comes about when we create systems that young people feel engaged with and confident in.

Police support and intervention

The Coronavirus Act 2020 introduces increased powers for the police to stop, arrest and detain individuals, if necessary, who are not complying by lockdown guidance. The ASF is a partnership approach to contextual safeguarding that seeks to decriminalise young people and to offer child welfare, social and contextual solutions to safeguard them from the harms they experience.

This is reflected in the police approach which is focused on ‘engage, explain, encourage and enforce’ (with enforcement being a last resort). The Police remain committed in ensuring that a partnership and engagement approach with young people remains central, so as not to undermine attempts to ensure young people who are experiencing extra-familial harm are safeguarded and not criminalised.

https://www.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/c19/coronavirus-covid-19/the-new-police-powers/

It remains vital that professionals across the partnership continue to share information and intelligence regarding exploitation activity to ensure that young people are kept safe in their community.

If you have any information that would be useful intelligence for the Police, please contact them:

https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/contact/contact-forms/partner-agency-information-sharing-form/

In respect of ‘Missing’, police nationally continue to have the following expectations-

“The police are entitled to expect parents and carers, including staff acting in a parenting role in care homes, to accept normal parenting responsibilities and undertake reasonable actions to try and establish the whereabouts of the individual. Children who are breaching parental discipline should not be dealt with by police unless there are other risks.  Once those enquiries have been completed, it may be appropriate to record the child as missing and take actions set out in national police guidance.”

There continues to be an expectation that if a young person absents herself/himself, staff and parents will take reasonable steps to follow the young person and to search for them appropriately, whilst avoiding unnecessary contact with others.  The expectations for parents and staff actions around ‘missing’ continue as was the case prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.

It isn’t appropriate to call the police, simply because a young person has failed to follow guidance to remain at the home/school.  The normal approaches to ‘Missing’ should be applied.

Please bear in mind that front-line police officers are likely to come into contact with a wide range of people during a tour of duty.  Limiting the occasions when police are asked to attend our homes unnecessarily will also reduce the likelihood of cross-infection.

School / Education settings

For children and young people across the county who are at risk of exploitation or abuse, school is often a safe place to be during the day. Without this protective factor, children and young people are likely to be at greater risk. With less contact between young people and trusted professionals, there is potential for cases of abuse, and exploitation will go unseen and unreported. Perpetrators of harm may see an increase in unsupervised hours as opportunities to target and groom for sexual or criminal purposes.

It is the expectation that vulnerable children and young people, including those at risk of harm outside of the home, do attend their identified school or education setting.

The government Guidance to Schools and Colleges: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-safeguarding-in-schools-colleges-and-other-providers/coronavirus-covid-19-safeguarding-in-schools-colleges-and-other-providers

National guidance for local authorities is clear: “There is an expectation that vulnerable children who have a social worker will attend an educational setting, so long as they do not have underlying health conditions that put them at severe risk.”

Devon children subject of a safer Me child protection plan and Safer Me child in need plan will be expected to be in education.

In relation to young people on Safer Me TAF plans, this needs to be discussed with families and providers, and where appropriate additional support from education establishments is encouraged. The guidance is clear that many children with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans can safely remain at home.

Mental Health and emotional support vulnerability to Young People

Young people may have increased anxiety surrounding their health linked to COVID 19, as well as their daily routines and relationships becoming disrupted. The School Nursing Service provides information and support to school-aged children and their families who live in Devon or who attend a Devon school. Young people aged 11-19 can text a school nurse for confidential advice and support. Text 07520 631722 for advice on things like relationships, bullying, mental health, self-harm, drugs/alcohol.

Many young people involved in exploitation activity experience difficulties with their mental health and addiction. Guidance and revised support for CAMHS intervention can be accessed: https://childrenandfamilyhealthdevon.nhs.uk/

The government have also provided the following advice regarding mental Health vulnerability during the COVID-19

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-public-on-mental-health-and-wellbeing/guidance-for-the-public-on-the-mental-health-and-wellbeing-aspects-of-coronavirus-covid-19

On line exploitation risks

On line exploitation remains an ever-increasing risk, and the current restrictions are likely to increase that activity as the places and spaces young people operate in becoming increasingly reliant on virtual media as a substitute. Young people will be spending a lot more time online and will be at greater risk of online grooming and exploitation. It’s important for professionals, parents or carers to start a conversation about staying safe online and raise aware of this increasing vulnerability. Resources to support carers and parents can be found at: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/

There is amended guidance and resources regarding CSE risk on link at https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

Supporting Families in Lockdown

With the current Covid-19 outbreak and Government recommendations to limit social contact, many families and their teens are spending more time at home. This may create difficult situations, especially for those coping with family problems and challenging adolescent behaviour. There is online guidance and tips available to families via the Children’s Society Website, including https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/news-and-blogs/our-blog/dealing-with-conflict-at-home

Safeguarding Practice

The protection of children remains paramount throughout this pandemic and existing procedures remain in place. The  ASF and Safer Me Assessment is not an emergency response mechanism and does not replace existing policy and procedures for child protection concerns or individual case planning where is concern of harm within the home: https://www.proceduresonline.com/swcpp/devon/contents.html#guides

In the first instance you should discuss your concerns with your safeguarding lead, use the MASH consultation line 0345 155 1071 and if you need to make a MASH enquiry, please email: [email protected]

If you are concerned that the child has been trafficked, you need to report to the National Referral Mechanism: https://www.modernslavery.gov.uk/start  or email them at [email protected]

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/human-trafficking-victims-referral-and-assessment-forms

If you have concerns over the radicalisation of a child or young person for the purposes of extremism please follow the link: https://www.preventingexploitationtoolkit.org.uk/identifying-exploitation/radicalisation/ to access the Prevent Channel Panel

Guidance Note: Adolescent Safety Framework (ASF)

Contextual risk and COVID 19

The current restrictions imposed on day-to-day life are essential to safeguard our young people, their families and our local communities from the impact of COVID 19. Social distancing and lockdown requirements have notable implications for young people who experience harm outside of their homes. Current limitations laid out by the government compel young people to stay at home, away from the extra-familial environments where some will have been experiencing harm – in their peer groups, at school and in their neighbourhoods. However, this does not necessarily generate safety for these young people. Whilst enforced lockdown may helpfully separate some young people from harmful situations, it also separates them from protective friends, school environments, trusted adults and locations that may offer respite from difficult home environments  There is the potential to create a greater risk of exploitation with increasing activity online presenting a particular danger and reduced direct contact from key professionals and organisations making young people less visible. The activity may become more covert and harder to identify and intervene with.

Adolescents may struggle to balance the risks associated with Coronavirus with the pull to be with their friends over the coming weeks. This may lead to increased conflict and tensions within family homes and lead to increasing pressures on families to manage the care of young people.  In addition, for some young people who are being exploited by people or situations outside of their homes and threatened with violence, intimidation or debts, the need to leave their homes and be in public environments may feel safer than staying inside.

It is anticipated that the behaviour of both perpetrators and victims will evolve in response to Covid-19 as social distancing measures interrupt some of the well-established elements of exploitation. It will be important to identify themes as soon as possible so responses can be adapted to address new trends. Themes will be identified through a number of different mechanisms:

1. Daily triage within Early Help
2. Weekly Locality Partnership Meetings
3. Fortnightly MACE chairs meeting
4. Monthly MACE

The ASF and Exploitation hub continues to provide support to consider extra-familial risk for professionals, within their existing assessments of vulnerability during this time.

It’s important we all stay vigilant in our communities and are able to take appropriate steps if we are concerned about young people who are not at home during the lockdown. The Children’s Society #LookCloser campaign, has developed guidance on how to spot signs of exploitation and how to report it.  https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/look-closer

Variations to ASF practice directions during COVID-19

Individual Pathway – Safer Me CIN/ TAF, Safer Me Plus

We are particularly worried about the children most at risk, including children in care, children at risk of abuse or neglect and exploitation and children at risk of homelessness.

Those young people open to Children’s Social Work will continue to be managed within social work teams. Those identified as being most at risk in relation to exploitation should be recorded on the centralised CE tracker. There is a manager from each locality that has oversight of this tracker for their respective area. Expectation is that locality leads will liaise with relevant social workers for high risk cases to ensure there are plans in place.

In accordance with the MANAGEMENT ACTION NOTE 06: Assessment of vulnerability and risk (Covid-19), Social Work Risk Assessments CIVID https://www.proceduresonline.com/devon/childcare/user_controlled_lcms_area/uploaded_files/Management%20Action%20Note%2006_assessment%20of%20vulnerability_Covid-19.pdf every young person receiving a Social Work Service requires a regular assessment of risk. This assessment must include consideration of young people who are missing, at risk of exploitation, subject to harm outside of the home and experiencing contextual risk within it and the subsequent Rag Rating of vulnerability.

Safer Me assessments, that identify exploitation risk as Medium or High need to continue to be reviewed 3 monthly.

Case management of young people on Safer Me Plus plans will have additional monitoring from the specialist Independent Safeguarding & Reviewing Officer within QARSS.

If face to face intervention is not possible, multi agencies should consider alongside the family how support and intervention can be offered in line with the care plan either virtually (telephone, skype) or by another means if possible.

Safeguarding guidance to Local Authority Children’s Services are detailed from government below: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-local-authorities-on-childrens-social-care

For those young people who are not open to social work and where they are considered to be at risk of significant harm as a result of exploitation, should be referred to Children’s Social Care via a MASH enquiry using the Safer Me Assessment.

Context Conferences Pathway within the ASF

Due to the impact of Covid-19, availability of professionals and key stakeholders to participate in context conferences will be significantly diminished over the coming weeks. Furthermore, many of the interventions from such conferences tend to involve groups and community spaces. Due to requirements of social distancing, it will not be possible to implement many of these interventions.  As such, School Context Conferences (chaired by DSL) and Neighbourhood Context Conferences (chaired by CSP) will be suspended for the foreseeable future.

The Peer Group Context Conferences (chaired by a specialist ISRO within QARSS) will continue to be held virtually via tele-conferencing facility. Whilst implementation of a number of contextual interventions will be limited under current circumstances, there remains the risk that we will lose sight of our most vulnerable young people and their activity within their peer groups and communities. Therefore, meetings will be held to ensure that information continues to be shared between relevant agencies and where possible, actions identified that will contribute to the safeguarding of those young people.

All referrals for peer group context conferences will continue to go via the MASH and Exploitation Hub for triage. Consideration will also be given as to whether any referrals that involve multiple young people should be responded to under the Complex Strategy procedures. In that event, the Exploitation Hub will liaise with QARSS accordingly.

MACE meetings

MACE meetings will continue to be held virtually in each locality on a monthly basis. Additional cover for chairing these meetings will be provided by the REACH Team Manager and/or Exploitation Coordinator as required.  In response to Covid-19, a greater focus will be given to the following:

• Missing young people, irrespective of whether open to Children’s Social Work or not.
• Hotspots and Locations of concern for exploitation, with a likely increase in focus on private dwellings and on-line activity.
• Persons of concern
• Referrals for individual young people will continue as normal and will seek to explore wider networks
• Emerging themes as landscape of exploitation evolves during the lockdown.

Missing children and young people

REACH will undertake all Return Home Interviews (RHI’s) for Devon children. This includes both those open to Children’s Social Work and those who are not. Key information from RHI’s will be shared with police as required. Other Local Authority children will continue to be managed under the existing procedures. Should numbers of missing children become unmanageable, or REACH capacity restricted due to staff absence, RHI arrangements will need to be reviewed and consideration given to resourcing options.

Strategic oversight: Incident Management Team

A multi-agency Incident Management Team has been set up and will meet weekly. This forum will provide strategic oversight of vulnerable children who fall into a number of categories. This includes exploitation and missing. The main aims of the Incident Management Team in relation to exploitation and missing are:

• ensure continuity of critical service delivery for children and families

• Receive exception reporting from Exploitation sub-group and MACEs​
• Oversea and report on any rise in all forms of exploitation/ missing
• To identify emerging risks/issues/ gaps needing decision, action, and/or escalation​

To offer targeted support as new and emerging risks are identified