Child victims of sexual exploitation are being given back control through their interaction with voluntary sector child sexual exploitation (CSE) services.
Research published by the University of Bedfordshire, part-funded the Trust, has found that the voluntary sector effectively engaged with children and young people by building trusting relationships and giving them choices about what support they received and when. Other agencies taking part in the research recognised that this approach was particularly important for children and young people who have experienced violence and control as a result of abuse.
The findings are part of a large-scale evaluation of The Alexi Project, an ambitious development programme that rapidly increased the capacity and coverage of voluntary sector CSE services across England. Designed by a coalition of charitable funders, the project aimed to protect more children and young people from abuse and improve local responses to CSE.
So far the Alexi Project has reached over 7,000 children and young people and over 6,500 professionals with CSE awareness-raising sessions. Over 700 children and young people have received specialist one-to-one support to date.
30 November 2017