Combating child grooming and county lines – Education Committee holds evidence session
The Education Committee examines what government, schools, police and other agencies can do to protect vulnerable children from being groomed into county lines gangs.
Meeting details
Such gangs have become renowned for exploiting young people to be used as ‘runners’ for moving drugs from cities to provincial areas of the country where they will be stored or sold.
The National Crime Agency called county lines exploitation “the most frequently identified form of coerced criminality, with children representing the vast majority of victims”. The Home Office’s 2020 Drugs Review by Dame Carol Black found strong associations between young people being drawn into county lines and increases in child poverty, the numbers of children in care and school exclusions.
The cross-party Committee will question charity leaders on what more can be done to protect vulnerable, at-risk children, and how resources should be focused to prevent children being groomed into gangs.
There will also be questions about what support and guidance could be offered to help teachers spot and prevent child exploitation, and about the relationship between exclusions and grooming.
MPs will want to hear from the witnesses about the multi-agency ‘public health’ approach to tackling youth violence and involvement in gangs, where emphasis is put on helping young people sucked into gangs rather than on enforcement.
For advice or support regarding the issues discussed in this session, please reach out to one of the following organisations:
Childline – A confidential service for children and young people under 19 for help "with any issue they're going through".
NSPCC – Trained professionals who can provide expert advice and support if you have concerns about a child.
Missing People’s SafeCall service – A confidential and non-judgemental space offering emotional support and practical advice to young people affected by gang exploitation and concerned family members and carers.
If you think a child is in immediate danger, please call the police on 999 straight away.
Additional information and support:
#LookCloser To Spot Exploitation | The Children's Society (childrenssociety.org.uk)
Criminal exploitation and gangs | NSPCC
County Lines Support and Rescue - Catch22 (catch-22.org.uk)
ROUTES Bristol | Barnardo's (barnardos.org.uk)
Independent Guardian Service | Barnardo's (barnardos.org.uk)