"If you see a foreign child soldier on the news, you feel sorry for them.

If you see a child with a knife in this country, you want to throw away the keys." 

Criminal Exploitation is a form of abuse that occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance in power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child into taking part in criminal activity (e.g. carrying drugs or weapons, fraud, robberies or involvement in cannabis production). This can create a challenge for how professionals perceive victims, as many are judged by their actions and the criminal behaviour, rather than through the lens of being a child who has experienced trauma and grooming. At the very least, this leads to victim-blaming, and in the worst case, this can exacerbate and prolong the harm caused to children

 In this clip, Unique Talent discusses how to identify subtle signs of CCE that standard definitions may miss. 

Understanding the Harm of Children Being Involved in CCE.

Being involved in CCE carries severe, life-altering risks for children. These include:

Physical Harm & Safety Risks

The most immediate danger to children involved in criminal exploitation is physical violence. As they are often placed on the front lines of illegal activities - such as moving drugs (often referred to as County Lines) or carrying weapons- they are highly exposed to danger.

• Assault and Violence: High risk of severe physical abuse from rival gangs or their own exploiters.

• Sexual Exploitation: Strong overlap with Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE); abuse is frequently used as a control mechanism.

• Dangerous Environments: Forced to stay in unsafe locations or travel long distances without basic necessities.

Psychological & Emotional Trauma

The methods used by exploiters are inherently abusive and leave deep psychological scars. Even if a child appears to be acting willingly, they are usually under intense emotional pressure.

• Fear and Anxiety: Chronic stress from constant threats of violence or retaliation against loved ones.

• Isolation and Traumatic Bonding: Exploiters cut the child off from family and teachers to force dependence, creating a cycle of misplaced loyalty.

• Mental Health Disorders: High risk of long-term depression, anxiety, and PTSD extending into adulthood.

Criminal Justice Consequences

Despite legal protections for modern slavery victims, children face severe systemic bias and legal hurdles.

• Criminal Record: Arrests for coerced crimes (drug distribution, weapons possession) permanently restrict future employment and travel.

• Imprisonment: Detention in youth offending institutions risks further exposure to criminal networks.

Educational & Social Disruption

Exploitation can completely derail a child's developmental trajectory.

• School Exclusion: Exploiters mandate truancy or disruptive behaviour to maintain control, leading to permanent exclusion.

• Lost Opportunities: Disconnection from education and positive social circles leaves fewer paths out of poverty or crime.

"A child cannot legally consent to their own exploitation.

There is no excuse for putting a child in those situations." 

Unfortunately, professionals often misinterpret the survival strategies of exploited children as deliberate criminal choices. When children are viewed as problems to manage rather than children to protect, the system meant to safeguard them becomes a source of further harm. 

There is a common professional assumption that because a child physically walked away to deliver drugs or carry a weapon, they did so freely. This completely ignores the reality of coercive control. Once a criminal group establishes debt bondage or threatens a child's family, the child no longer has free will. Their compliance is a survival tactic, not complicity. 

What Can Professionals Do?

Shifting from a punitive to a safeguarding mindset requires a deliberate change in professional practice, culture, and training.

The Crime and Policing Act (2026) has introduced several new measures to protect children at risk of, or experiencing, CCE. Ensure your school policies and practices are updated to reflect this new legislation, which includes a new legal definition of CCE and new offences of cuckooing and internal concealment.

"Child criminal exploitation is a form of child abuse where a child is exploited into taking part in criminal activity, often by criminal gangs. County Lines exploitation is one of the most recognised forms of child criminal exploitation, whereby drug-dealing gangs exploit children into drug running across the country, often exposing them to violence, threats and intimidation. It has a devastating impact on victims, subjecting them to a range of harms and reducing their life chances."

HM Gov, 2026

For more information on this, see our recent blog: 

What does the Crime and Policing Act 2026 mean for schools?

We must look past the immediate child's behaviour and analyse the context. If a child or children are missing from school, carrying weapons, or found far from home with multiple phones, the starting assumption must be exploitation, not delinquency. Systems Theory, can help professionals to better understand a child's unique situation and experiences.

Areas for consideration:

• Are all staff familiar with the different experiences that would constitute CCE? Children can be criminally exploited to carry drugs, but there are also many other examples of CCE. Unless our staff are aware of this, they will be unlikely to recognise it or respond effectively.

  💭 Reflection: Does your staff training give explicit examples of different forms of CCE?

• Noticing a red flag is one thing, avoiding automatic assumptions and digging into it is another.  We should consider multiple perspectives and multiple possibilities. Sudden drops in attendance, uncharacteristic mood swings, or expensive new items require us to look past the surface. When a young person shrugs it off with bravado or outright denial, we cannot simply take their word for it. Active curiosity means looking for the story behind the behaviour. Do not accept a child's initial response at face value. 

  💭  Reflection: How can schools help staff to foster deeper professional curiosity?

• Organisations must actively train staff to recognise adultification. Race, gender, and socioeconomic status should never dictate whether a child is treated as a victim or a suspect.

  💭  Reflection: Have you covered this in staff training sessions?  

• To what extent do your relationships within school with children and their families, help to develop contextual safety? Adopting relational practice, professionals seek to assist families to resolve their difficulties by adopting a more curious and appreciative stance with an emphasis on transparency, collaboration and compassion. 
  
  

  💭  Reflection: How firmly established is relational practice in your setting?  Take a look at our free resources here: relationalpractice.lgfl.net

To find out more about this topic, hear part 2 of the podcast and explore the full offer of CCE resources, training and support from LGfL, please visit 

CCE.lgfl.net 

Subscribe to our SafeguardED newsletter for further updates and follow us on LinkedIn.