Invisible Children

During the school holidays, some children spend more time without adult supervision and can become "invisible" to statutory agencies. New research published by Barnardo's argues that children at risk of sexual and criminal exploitation are not being identified and supported effectively during school holiday periods.

Following Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to police forces across the UK, we've found that during months with school holidays of two weeks or longer, there are dips in the monthly average police records of child sexual exploitation (CSE). We know from our frontline work with children who have been exploited that this abuse doesn't stop when schools are closed. We're concerned that this data indicates that when children are exploited during the holidays it is less likely to be identified and reported to the police.

We're also concerned that the cost-of-living crisis will mean more children are at risk of exploitation, and statutory and voluntary sector services will struggle to respond to this increased demand. We know that the cost-of-living crisis is having an unprecedented impact on children, young people, and families, with many struggling to access food, fuel, clothing and safe and warm housing (Barnardo’s, 2023​​​​​​).

Further FOI results obtained from Local Authorities and Police and Crime Commissioners across the UK, also show a concerning lack of specialist support services for victims of child sexual and criminal exploitation. Two thirds (68%) of local authorities, and four in ten (39%) Police and Crime Commissioners have not commissioned any child sexual, criminal or combined exploitation services in the past 12 months. This means that, despite the potential increased risk of child exploitation, many victims are not able to get the support they need to recover from their trauma.

• We urge all governments across the UK to invest in and expand the provision of specific support services for victims of child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation (CCE). The UK Government should use the Victims and Prisoners Bill to place a duty on the relevant authorities to commission sufficient and specific support for children who are victims of crime, including abuse and exploitation.
• The UK Government should introduce a statutory definition of child criminal exploitation in England to better help professionals to identify victims, and make sure that victims are supported appropriately.
• The UK Government should strengthen protections from online child criminal exploitation within the Online Safety Bill.
• The Scottish Government should publish an updated National Action Plan to tackle child exploitation and abuse in Scotland.
• All governments should invest in and expand the provision of support for children and young people to help protect them and prevent exploitation. This should include increased investment in youth services; expanding access to the Holiday Food and Activities Programme to all families in receipt of Universal Credit; and ensuring that Mental Health Support Teams in schools have funding to continue supporting children across holiday periods.
• All governments should provide enhanced training and support for all professionals working with children regarding child exploitation and abuse.
• All governments should invest in and commission research on the scale, nature and prevalence of child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation.

Read Invisible Children: Understanding the risk of the cost-of-living crisis and school holidays on child sexual and criminal exploitation to learn more.