Support workers to help parents of young county lines victims
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
Children’s professionals are to be deployed across London to support parents and carers of young victims of county lines drug trafficking.
The ‘parent workers’ are being made available to parents and carers of children being exploited by county lines drug networks, whereby urban based drug gangs extend their networks into rural areas and small towns.
-
Blog: The pandemic is golden opportunity for gangs who prey on vulnerable children
-
Feature: Contextual Safeguarding helps Wiltshire to hone social work practice
A key aim of the initiative is to ensure parents and carers are “vital allies” in supporting efforts to help child victims stop being used as drug traffickers and to better understand how gangs exploit young people.
Around four out of ten (42 per cent) parents do not understand the term county lines to describe the use of young people for drug trafficking, according to a Children’s Society survey of 2,000 parents of 10-to 16-year-olds.
The survey also found that more than more than half (56 per cent) of parents did not think their child could fall victim to county lines exploitation. However, the charity says that any child can be targeted.
Support sessions will take place in person, online and over the phone depending on the needs of the families and to adhere to social distancing restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Peer support groups are also being developed through the Children's Society initiative.
Parents will also be supported to navigate the red tape involved in reporting concerns. Child protection, modern slavery and trafficking referral mechanisms can be “difficult for parents and carers to navigate alone”, added the charity.
The ‘parent workers’ are being funded through the National Lottery Community Fund as well as from a “a grant from a generous philanthropist”, said the charity.
The initiative forms part of the Children’s Society’s Disrupting Exploitation Programme, which also supports young people in Greater Manchester and Birmingham.
“Support from a parent or carer can be an important step in a child safely exiting an exploitative situation through which they have been groomed then left terrified and traumatised by threats, violence and abuse,” said Children’s Society Disrupting Exploitation Programme national programme manager Becky Fedia.
“Changes in children’s behaviour like going missing, using drugs or becoming angry and secretive can put a huge strain on family relationships. Finding out that exploitation is to blame for this will seem daunting and scary for parents, causing worry, stress and feelings of helplessness.
“We know that parents and carers can be crucial allies both in helping children and in providing insight and information that can help disrupt perpetrators of exploitation. But, too often, they do not get support and are overlooked by statutory agencies.
“This new help will not only benefit parents and carers, but also their children and any siblings who may also be vulnerable to exploitation".
She added that the initiative will be especially vital during the current coronavirus health crisis due to gangs taking advantage of lockdown by targeting victims online.
“Parents can play a vital role in spotting the warning signs at a time when children may be spending more time at home, hidden from the view of professionals and other people who might ordinarily be able to raise concerns,” she said.
Among parents of young gang victims already supported by the Children’s Society is Jenny*, whose 15-year-old son Robbie* had been exploited by criminals to traffick drugs amid death threats.
Support from the charity included helping Jenny spot signs of exploitation and support with her mental health.
“It was really refreshing to just have someone to talk to and not judge me. Without the support, I was in such an awful place I did think about suicide,” she said.
“There were a few times where it felt like I wanted to give up and stop fighting for him. The help that I received was almost life-changing.”
*Jenny and Robbie's names have been changed to protect their identity.