Webinar: Multi-agency responses to the criminal exploitation of children in Wales

Join the ExChange team for this webinar presented by Dr Nina Maxwell from Cardiff University.

Despite the UK’s robust child protection policies and approaches to modern slavery, there is no specific legislation or statutory guidance to address the criminal exploitation of children. Rather, it is considered under existing provisions under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Yet, frontline workers seldom suspect British children of being victims of modern slavery. It is widely believed that new legislation and a statutory definition will address the lack of coherence in service responses where “safeguarding partners are working to different understandings of what constitutes criminal exploitation” (The Children’s Society, 2021:1) and where local authorities have ‘given way’ to the police (Jay Review, 2024:77). This is particularly problematic in Wales where policing and justice are under the UK Parliament’s jurisdiction whilst social care, health and education have been devolved to the Welsh Government. 

Drawing on findings from an Action for Children funded study which examined professional perspectives about multi-agency approaches in Wales, this session will provide an overview of focus group findings from two local authorities and results from a Wales-wide survey regarding what works and what needs improving to enhance a multi-agency safeguarding approach to criminally exploited children.

This webinar is the first in the ExChange Wales autumn conference series about the criminal exploitation of children.

Find out more on the Exchange event page.

This webinar is being organised by the ExChange team, please contact them if you have any queries.