Barnardo's welcomes the 'Hidden in Plain Sight' report from the Commission on Young Lives. We're calling on the Government to act to increase investment in vital services to keep children and young people safe from exploitation.
Anne Longfield CBE, Chair of the Commission on Young Lives has published 'Hidden in Plain Sight: A national plan of action to support vulnerable teenagers to succeed and to protect them from adversity, exploitation and harm'.
Lynn Perry MBE, Barnardo’s Chief Executive, said:
“We welcome the final report from the Commission on Young Lives. The report comes at a crucial time as families struggle with the cost-of-living crisis, increasing teenagers’ vulnerability to being exploited and harmed.
“The recommendation to adopt a statutory definition of child criminal exploitation is essential. The lack of a consistent definition drives inconsistency in the response to vulnerable children across the country, often leaving child victims criminalised and without the essential specialist support that they need to escape from exploitation and recover from trauma. With a statutory definition in place, we would be able to identify children who are exploited sooner and support their recovery.
“We also agree that the government needs to increase investment in a range of services for children and young people and we urge the Chancellor to use the Autumn Statement to fund the extension of family hubs to every community.”