County lines: a co-ordinated Welsh community response to child criminal exploitation

It is estimated that there are over 100 networks bringing crack cocaine and heroin into Welsh towns (National Crime Agency, 2019). While particularly prevalent in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, recent police raids have highlighted the presence of county lines in smaller Welsh towns (Evans, 2020).

There is evidence of children being exploited by single perpetrators (such as family members), children being brought into Wales by county lines based in England, and children being exploited by gangs in Wales (All-Wales Practice Guide, 2019). Some children may not realise they are being exploited and can present as both victims and perpetrators (Home Office, 2018). This means some children will not seek help, while others feel unable to access help for fear of repercussions from their exploiters (Hudek, 2018). For those that do come to the attention of services, county lines involvement can be perceived as a lifestyle choice which conceals their right to safeguarding until they are 18 years of age (The Children’s Society, 2018). The current lack of effective approaches and strategies means that children may only become known to services when they are at crisis point (Violence and Vulnerability Unit, 2018).

The project will examine how children are targeted, recruited and involved in county lines in Wales and what services need to effectively identify, engage and safeguard these children. The research objectives are:

1. How does county lines manifest in Wales?
   a) How are children targeted and recruited?
   b) How are children involved in these activities?
   c) What are the similarities and differences in manifestation across high, medium and low CCE prevalence areas?
    
2. What approaches and interventions are most effective in the identification and prevention of CCE?
   a) What are the current barriers services face in engaging with children?
   b) What changes in practice could facilitate their involvement?
    
3. How can contextual safeguarding be used in practice across services?
   a) What factors facilitate contextual safeguarding in everyday practice?
   b) What are the current barriers to adopting a contextual lens to safeguarding?

The project aims to create a toolkit for an effective service response to improve the outcomes for children. The views and experiences of young people, parents and professionals gathered in phase one, will be used to inform design of the toolkit. For phase two, a project advisory group will be assembled consisting of young people, parents and representatives from social care, health, education, police, housing and youth services. The group will advise on toolkit content, mode of delivery and intended audience. Once the toolkit is launched, feedback will be gleaned from young people, parents and professionals so that the toolkit can be refined in phase three. Such engagement across all aspects of the project will ensure that the toolkit is accessible, relevant and appropriate for developing professional skills in working with children and adolescents at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation.

It is anticipated that the toolkit may comprise training and/or an online resource. A range of dissemination tools will be used, including newsletters, reports, articles and workshops in order to reach policy makers, child welfare professionals and managers, young people and parents, and academic audiences.