See procedure 1604 Child exploitation for actions that must be undertaken.
It is important for practitioners and managers to take immediate actions when children are suspected or confirmed to be experiencing, sexual or criminal exploitation.
For more information and practical tools about the content of this advice refer to Child exploitation resources:
Understanding and responding to child sexual and criminal exploitation: Practice guide
Understanding and responding to child sexual and criminal exploitation: Practitioner toolkit
Sexual exploitation
Child sexual exploitation refers to a pattern of behaviours or events in which an adult/person of interest uses tactics of coercion or control to induce a child or young person into sexual (physical or non-physical) activities by providing them with something of perceived value to the child.
Child sexual exploitation can occur on or offline. Through technology children may be targeted via multiple applications available across devices and then lured into having in-person contact. Exploitation may also remain online, with children, thinking the person online can be trusted, being manipulated into sharing explicit images. This can escalate to extortion attempts requesting money or increasingly explicit images.
Criminal exploitation
Child criminal exploitation refers to a pattern of behaviours or events in which an adult/ person of interest uses tactics of coercion or control to induce a child or young person in criminal activity by providing them with something of perceived value to the child (tangible or otherwise, e.g. notoriety, status). The nature of criminal exploitation places the child or young person in the role of ‘offender’, though they are victims.
The victim may have been criminally exploited even if they appear/report being willing to participate in the activity. Child Criminal Exploitation does not always involve physical contact; this type of manipulation can occur remotely through the use of technology (UK Home Office, 2018).
Persons of interest
Persons known or suspected to be sexually or criminally exploiting a child are referred to as a ‘person of interest’ (POI). This is because they may be directly exploiting (perpetrator), facilitating (e.g. recruiting peers) or enabling exploitation (e.g. providing location). In some instances, POIs can be influencing others to exploit children within a criminal network. The term POI is also suitable to be used when the full identity of the POI remains unknown.
Grooming
‘Grooming’ refers to behaviours used by a person(s) to recruit, entrap, enmesh and abuse a child by developing trust and using fear to distort the child’s worldview, who they can trust, their perception of consent and their sense of ‘normal’. Grooming commonly starts with acceptable, even pleasant interactions and shifts into abusive and inescapable interactions - over days, weeks, months or years.
Sexual exploitation practice leaders
Sexual Exploitation Practice Leaders (SEPLs) work with child protection practitioners, Victoria Police and community service organisations to identify, monitor, and respond to young people at risk.
Sexual Exploitation Practice Leaders attend care teams and other key meetings to ensure immediate actions are taken to safeguard children and disrupt the POI’s influence/ control over them. This may include direct work with young people, building rapport that facilitates planning for safety and working closely with the care team, including significant adults in the children’s lives.
SEPLs may also work in collaboration with Victoria Police and community service organisations to identify perpetrators, disrupt their behaviour and prevent further exploitation. In situations involving an unknown perpetrator, SEPLs ensure timely actions are pursued to identify this person.
Identifying sexual or criminal exploitation
Due to their experience of trauma, children and young people, who are known to Child Protection experience high levels of vulnerability that leave them at significant risk of sexual and criminal exploitation. Children and young people may be at risk of exploitation regardless of where they reside or who provides primary care.
Children and young people are most often at risk of exploitation when they lack a purposeful routine or do not have a positive connection to family, culture or peer influences (online or in person).
Children and young people may also be at risk of exploitation when they have un-met needs for connection. Children naturally seek connection and a sense of belonging but are susceptible to being lured and manipulated by persons willing to exploit them.
For more information refer to the Understanding and responding to child sexual and criminal exploitation: Practice guide.
Responding to child exploitation
When identifying children and young people at risk of exploitation, the case manager and key professionals need to establish appropriate strategies to protect a child and gather and share information.
Practice considerations should include:
- regular care or professionals team meetings
- working collaboratively with significant adults in the child’s life and relevant professionals, including Victoria Police
- adherence to the following principles:
- a child is defined as a person under the age of 18 years
- children cannot consent to sexual or criminal exploitation and/or give consent whilst under the influence of substances, whilst in an unconscious state and/or where there is a significant power imbalance (between the child and adult) even if they are over the ‘legal age of consent’(16 years).
- the child is the victim and responsibility for harm must be placed on the adult abusers.
- sexual exploitation of children is child abuse and should not be minimised as ‘experimentation’, choice or ‘payment’
- understanding the vulnerabilities which were exploited will help to guide efforts to establish meaningful connections and provide therapeutic supports
- aim to understand the contexts and people that increase or decrease the child’s sense of safety
- disruption methods can be effective in keeping children safe and must be implemented wherever possible
- the effectiveness of disruption methods must be reviewed regularly and adjustments made as required
- children being groomed and/or exploited will require more support and likely time away from the person of interest/offender before making statements to police or key support persons/professionals.
- regular consultation with Child Protection managers (including the SEPL)
- involvement of Victoria Police, where necessary for investigative or POI disruption purposes
- the importance of providing therapeutic supports to the child.
See procedure 1604 Child exploitation for tasks that must be undertaken.
1006 Child in contact with sex offender – procedure.
1212 Application for a family violence or personal safety intervention order on behalf of a child – procedure.
1602 High-risk youth – procedure.
1603 High-risk panels and schedules – procedure.
1604 sexual exploitation – procedure.
2825 Police – protocol
Adolescents and their Families - Specialist practice resource
Sexual exploitation information template
Child sexual exploitation template process map
Understanding and responding to sexual and criminal exploitation: Practice Guide