Determining vulnerability to CSE in children under 12 years

Determining vulnerability to CSE in children under 12 years

The Petch Screening Tool:
Determining vulnerability to CSE in
children under 12 years of age
(and responding appropriately)
Bev Petch
Senior Education Improvement Adviser
Aims of this session
• To gain confidence in using the Petch
Screening Tool where there are concerns
about a child
• To respond appropriately to support and
safeguard younger children who are
vulnerable to CSE
• To understand the CSE pathways
Purpose
• Provides a framework for making a sound
professional judgement about the level of
vulnerability of a younger child, aged
under-12, to CSE
• Supports early help and intervention.
• Early identification of low level
CSE concerns reduces the
chances of high level CSE
concerns.
Why?
National: Barnardo’s
‘The biggest child protection
issue for over 10s in this
country…’
National
• The Independent Inquiry into CSE in
Rotherham 1997-2013, by Alexis Jay OBE
(published August 2014) provided some of
the impetus for this work:
‘Girls as young as 11 were raped by large
numbers of male perpetrators’.
Regional and local evidence of
need
• Over time, regional and local data sets
have included a small number of children
aged under 12.
• Evidence of vulnerability to CSE emerging
at time of transition from primary to
secondary school for some children.
• Early identification enables early
intervention and support.
Primary schools and prevention
Key Stage 1
Key Stage 2
Early Years
Foundation
Key Stage
Happy and safe
relationships
Vulnerable
Pupils: identify
and safeguard
Parents
CSE awareness raising for
primary schools
Existing screening tools
(now for aged 12 and over)
• Not precisely focused enough on
indicators for this age group.
• The current definitions of levels of CSE
risk are less helpful for under 12s and
could undermine professional judgements
and responses to protect the child.
• What may be a low-level indicator for a 15year old may translate to high levels of
concern for a child aged 10 or 11.
How does the Petch Screening
Tool work?
Format
Organised into 3 sections :
1. Indicators 2. Vulnerability factors
3. Overall professional judgement & follow up
actions
With a focus on:
• Behaviour and presentation
• Connections and associations
• Health
• Family and parenting
• Indicators are designated either amber or
red, with red indicators presenting higher
risk.
• Red ‘alert indicators’ present a stronger
indication of CSE risk (displayed as !),
Key principles: The Petch
Screening Tool
• Language of vulnerability to CSE for u-12s
Universal vulnerability (typical for age) = no current
CSE risk
Potentially vulnerable to CSE
Vulnerable to CSE
• Vulnerability beyond universal is always a
concern for a child u-12 by virtue of age.
• A MASH referral should always be made.
Caution
• The tool has not been designed to screen
all children
• It should only be used where there are
specific concerns about a child that may
relate to CSE
Used differently, screening may lead to false
positives…
Professional judgement about
vulnerability to CSE
•
•
•
•
Evidence against a very small number of amber indicators is likely to
lead to a professional judgement that the child is currently not at risk of
CSE.
A completed screening tool with evidence against a significant number
of solely amber indicators would be likely to lead to a professional
judgement of the child being potentially vulnerable to CSE.
A completed screening tool with evidence against a combination of
several red and amber indicators could lead to a professional
judgement of either potentially vulnerable to CSE or vulnerable to
CSE.
Where the completed screening tool provides clear evidence against
one or more of the red ‘alert indicators’ that present a stronger
indication of CSE risk (displayed as !), the child would always be
deemed to be vulnerable to CSE.
Meet Sam, aged 10½
Meet Sam, aged 10½
• Sam loves spending time on the computer
and has a social media account
• Sam sometimes goes to the local park or
McDonald’s after school with older sister
(aged15)
• Sam’s attendance at school has just
slipped below 90%
• Sam receives support from Solar for low
level anxiety
How concerned are you?
How vulnerable to CSE is
Sam?
What would you do at this
stage?
• Sam is unusually agitated at school and is
finding it difficult to concentrate on learning
• Sam’s teacher reports several incidents
involving Sam have been recorded in the
behaviour log in the last few weeks
• Mum reports that Sam is sharing pictures on
social media ‘but they all do that don’t they?’ (No
parental controls in place)
• Attendance at school is becoming erratic. Two
absences last week remain unexplained
• A recent police input at LSCB CSE training
highlighted public areas of concern that included
the local park and McDonald’s
How concerned are you?
How vulnerable to CSE is
Sam?
What would you do at this
stage?
• Mum concedes that Sam’s behaviour has changed
at home. Sam’s older sister has been ‘in trouble’
with the police recently
• Mum says that she is not at home to supervise after
school until about 9 pm because of her job.
• Some children tell you that Sam has lots of grown
up male ‘friends’ on social media
• The local secondary school inform you that Sam’s
older sister has been deemed to be at risk of CSE
• Sam has a new smart phone
• Sam has tried to abscond from school
How concerned are you?
How vulnerable to CSE is
Sam?
What would you do at this
stage?
Access to screening tools and CSE
team contact details
• Screening tools and FIB forms available via:
http://www.solihulllscb.co.uk/practitionervolunteers/child-protection-procedures-19/toolbox-96.php
• CSE email: [email protected]
• Secure email account: [email protected]
• Contact number: 0121 709 7000
Intelligence Sharing via FIB
forms
CSE pathways determine
process
• Being adapted to reflect 2 different
screening tools
• Over 12s - either pathway, dependent on
risk level
• Under 12s - where vulnerability is beyond
universal (ie beyond typical for age),
always serious and always Level2/3
pathway
Category 1 (at risk of harm): a child who is at risk
of being groomed for sexual exploitation.
Category 2 (significant risk of harm): a child who
is targeted for abuse through the exchange of sex for
affection, drugs, accommodation and goods etc. The
likelihood of coercion and control is significant.
Category 3 (serious risk of harm): a child who is
entrenched in sexual exploitation, but often does not
recognise or self-denies the nature of their abuse
and where coercion/control is implicit.
In summary
• Small numbers so far, but it is working.
These children are safer and being
supported.
• Evaluation group monitors use and impact.
• Other areas are beginning to share some
impact.
• Please share any evaluation information; it
will shape future versions. Thank you!
Questions:
• What CSE training have DSLs accessed?
• What has been the impact on knowledge,
confidence and resulting vigilance for all staff?
How far are staff considering and identifying
potential CSE risk/vulnerability?
• Explore numbers of children/young people
screened in last 12 months. Explore robustness of
decision making where screening considered - but
not undertaken?
• What evidence do you have to demonstrate that
CSE has been considered when supporting your
pupils and understanding their behaviour?
Questions
• What understanding do Governors have
and how is this reflected in safeguarding
responses to children (e.g CMfE) and the
curriculum?
• What specific steps do you take to support
those at risk of CSE? (e.g. not excluding,
reporting when missing from school, work
with families, involving supporting
services, managing pupil groups carefully)
Opportunities to teach safeguarding
• Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure
children are taught about safeguarding,
including online, through teaching and learning
opportunities, as part of providing a broad and
balanced curriculum. This may include covering
relevant issues through personal, social, health
and economic education (PSHE), tutorials (in FE
colleges) and/or, for maintained schools and
colleges, through sex and relationship education
(SRE). (KCSIE, Sept 16, Part Two, pg18.)