75: Child criminal exploitation and the importance of early intervention

Child criminal exploitation (CCE) is a form of child abuse where a child or young person is forced or coerced to engage in criminal activity or commit any type of crime. In this episode, the NSPCC Helpline’s Service Head, Denise Ellis spoke to Tara Mellowes who is a Detective Constable in the exploitation team with Leicestershire Police.  The discussion covered: what CCE is and the different forms it can take why children can be targets for CCE signs of CCE that professionals working with children should look out for why early intervention is so important and what that may look like how the police can respond to CCE. The episode was recorded in January 2025. Since then, the Crime and Policing Bill has been introduced into Parliament, which would introduce a new specific criminal offence of child criminal exploitation. This would target the adult as the primary offender in causing harm to the child by exploiting them to commit criminal activity. You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website. <Link to transcript> 💬 About the speakers Denise Ellis is the service head for the NSPCC Helpline and has almost 43 years’ experience of working with children and families. She previously worked for Manchester Safeguarding Unit and currently delivers training to professionals on identifying the signs of child criminal exploitation. DC Tara Mellowes joined Leicestershire Police in 2020 and works in the field of child criminal exploitation helping vulnerable young people caught up in county lines. She is passionate about helping shape how we respond to and tackle child criminal exploitation and is proud to have been part of Leicestershire Police’s first prosecutions against CCE offenders. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode > Learn more about Childline > Find out more about the NSPCC Helpline > Take our elearning course on county lines > Learn more about county lines > Find out more about child criminal exploitation   Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros

Research by For Baby's Sake suggests that domestic abuse was a factor in almost 50,000 babies a year being referred to children's social care in England between 2021 and 2023. Our NSPCC Helpline domestic abuse project lead, Paddi Vint, spoke with Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO of the For Baby's Sake Trust, about this research and what we can learn from it. They offered insight into the importance of services for pregnant families and babies being able to identify concerns and provide support. The discussion covered the difficulties with working out exactly how many babies are impacted by domestic abuse, blockers to parents seeking support and how important accurate language is to reduce shame and stigma around domestic abuse. You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website. 💬 About the speakers Lauren Seager-Smith is the CEO of The For Baby's Sake Trust, pioneering trauma-informed and therapeutic support to break cycles of domestic abuse and give babies the best start in life. Lauren is an experienced charity leader, with previous roles as CEO of Kidscape and the National Coordinator of the Anti-Bullying Alliance. Lauren is a regular media spokesperson specialising in domestic abuse, online safety, and bullying. Lauren has held numerous board positions and currently serves on the Action for Children England Committee. Lauren is an Associate of the Institute of Responsible Leadership (IRL). Paddi Vint is a Quality and Development Manager overseeing the NSPCC Helpline domestic abuse project. She has been with the NSPCC in Belfast for over five years, joining as a Helpline practitioner and then working as a practice manager. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode > Read the For Baby’s Sake research revealing almost 50,000 babies are referred to children’s social care in England with domestic abuse as a factor > Watch the Channel 4 report on For Baby’s Sake’s research > Find out more about For Baby’s Sake > Learn more about protecting children from domestic abuse > Find out why domestic abuse is so prevalent during pregnancy with this For Baby’s Sake article --   Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros

Mental health difficulties can have a big impact on parents’ ability to provide responsive care for their babies, especially if parents aren't getting the support they need. Black mothers are disproportionately affected by mental health difficulties and are less likely to receive adequate perinatal mental health support.  In January 2025, Alexis Golden and Chi Mumbi from the NSPCC’s Pregnancy in Mind service spoke to Sandra Igwe Founder and Chief Executive at The Motherhood Group about the experiences of Black mothers and the importance of providing inclusive support for maternal mental health. If you haven't done so already, listen to the podcast here You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website. 💬 About the speaker https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/news/2025/may/supporting-black-mothers-facing-perinatal-mental-health-challenges Alexis Golden has been with the NSPCC since 2022 and is a Project Development Manager. She develops evidence-based services for families within the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect in the Early Years Theme. Recently, she led the redevelopment of the Pregnancy in Mind service. With a background in education and early childhood development, Alexis is passionate about the wellbeing of children and young people and is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Sandra Igwe is a trailblazing thought leader in Black maternal health, TEDx speaker, and founder of The Motherhood Group and Blackmums. She leverages community engagement, technology and advocacy to improve outcomes for Black mothers. Sandra is Co-Chair of the National Inquiry into Racial Injustice in Maternity Care, a Trustee of Birthrights Charity, and author of 'My Black Motherhood: Mental Health, Stigma, Racism and the System'. Her work has been recognized by Vogue UK and Forbes as an 'Influential Woman of the Year', and she has received the National Lottery Game Changer Award and Santander Social Entrepreneur of the Year. Chi Mumbi Chi is a Children’s Services Practitioner and Social Worker at the London and South East Hub and is the Lead Practitioner for Pregnancy in Mind. Chi is passionate about the intersection of perinatal mental health and race. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode > Learn more about The Motherhood Group > Find out more about Pregnancy in Mind > View the full list of Pregnancy in Mind delivery locations on the NSPCC website  Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros 

At the end of 2024, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published a national review exploring the challenges in identifying, assessing and responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment. They also published their annual report for 2023-24, which covers the Panel’s work from April 2023 to March 2024. This is the second half of our discussion with Annie Hudson, the Chair of the Panel, and Jenny Coles, a Panel member, about what these reports mean for anyone working with children and young people. In this episode, you’ll hear about how the Panel translates the learning from its reports into improvements to safeguarding practice. If you haven't done so already, listen to part one, covering the findings of the two reports. You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website. 💬 About the speakers Annie Hudson is the Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. A social worker by profession, Annie has held a range of practice, leadership and academic posts, including Strategic Director of Children’s Services for Lambeth London Borough Council and Director of Children’s Services for Bristol City Council. Jenny Coles has been a member of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel since December 2021. Jenny is a qualified social worker and has been a senior manager in local authority children’s services since 1997. Jenny was the President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services from April 2020 to April 2021. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode > Read our CASPAR briefing summarising the National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment > Read our CASPAR briefing summarising the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel annual report 2023/24 > View our full collection of CASPAR briefings, including those covering previous Panel annual reports > Read our CASPAR briefing on the national review into the murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros

At the end of 2024, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published a national review exploring the challenges in identifying, assessing and responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment. They also published their annual report for 2023-24, which covers the Panel’s work from April 2023 to March 2024.  In January 2025, we spoke to Annie Hudson, the Chair of the Panel, and Jenny Coles, a Panel member, about what these reports mean for anyone working with children and young people.  In the first half of the discussion, you’ll learn about the findings from the two reports.  Part two covers how the Panel translates the learning from its reports into improvements to safeguarding practice. Listen to part two. You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website. 💬 About the speakers  Annie Hudson is the Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. A social worker by profession, Annie has held a range of practice, leadership and academic posts, including Strategic Director of Children’s Services for Lambeth London Borough Council and Director of Children’s Services for Bristol City Council.  Jenny Coles has been a member of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel since December 2021. Jenny is a qualified social worker and has been a senior manager in local authority children’s services since 1997. Jenny was the President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services from April 2020 to April 2021. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode  > Read our CASPAR briefing summarising the National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment  > Read our CASPAR briefing summarising the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel annual report 2023/24  > View our full collection of CASPAR briefings, including those covering previous Panel annual reports  > Read our CASPAR briefing on the national review into the murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros 

The online world is constantly changing, and young people are often more informed about online trends than adults. Young people are equipped with their own knowledge and understanding of what they need to know and do to stay safe online. It’s important to listen to their thoughts and opinions, and try to incorporate their voice into your online safety work.  In this podcast episode, you’ll hear from Will and Zara, two young people from the NSPCC’s Voice of Online Youth Group. They provide an insight into what life online is like for them, what makes them feel safe online and what online safety topics they’d like to learn more about. The discussion touches on a wide range of topics, including moderation, privacy settings, algorithms, generative AI and online misinformation. You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website. 💬 About the speakers Will and Zara are members of the NSPCC’s Voice of Online Youth, a group of young people aged 13-17 who help advise the NSPCC and the wider online safety sector on how to help children have safe and happy experiences online. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode > Access all of NSPCC Learning’s free online safety resources  > Take our highly-rated online safety elearning course  > Read our new research report on the impact of Generative AI on children’s safety  > Find out more about the NSPCC’s Voice of Online Youth and read their manifesto for change Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros 

Mental health is as important to a child’s safety as their physical health; mental health issues can sometimes lead to safeguarding and child protection issues. By recognising when a child is struggling with their mental health, and intervening to provide appropriate support, professionals working with children can help prevent mental health problems from escalating into crisis.  A mental health first aid kit is one tool that can be used to help. The kit contains a selection of resources to help young people manage their mental health if they’re struggling, such as ways to distract oneself, relax or calm down, and pointers to further support.  Listen to this podcast episode to learn more about the mental health first aid kit and how you can use it with the young people you work with. You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website. 💬 About the speakers  Gawain Griffiths is a Practitioner in the Childline Online Services team. He works to develop resources and content for the Childline website to help and empower young people using the Childline service.  Alice and Douglas are members of the NSPCC’s Young People’s Board for Change. They meet monthly to discuss issues they care about, giving young people the chance to shape and influence the NSPCC’s work and ensure the young people’s voices are heard both inside and outside the organisation. Mental health is one of the priority areas in the board’s 2023-25 manifesto. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode  > Access the Childline mental health first aid kit resource  > Find out more about child mental health  > View Childline’s mental health information page for young people  > Learn more about promoting mental health and wellbeing  > Take our mental health and wellbeing safeguarding course Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros 

The voices of people with lived experience of child sexual abuse play an important role in understanding how to respond to and prevent this form of abuse. Conducting participatory work with victims and survivors can move the conversation around CSA forward and create positive change.  In this episode, you’ll learn about the benefits of involving victim-survivors including the impact of an IICSA Changemaker event in which victims and survivors shared their testimonies with policy-makers; the importance of creating a comprehensive risk register and safety plans; how to create a safe and inclusive environment for participants; and what to do to support victims and survivors after the participatory work is complete.  The IICSA Changemakers are a group who want to amplify the voices of people with lived experience of child sexual abuse and ensure that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) remains an important moment for child protection. You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website. 💬 About the speakers  Peter Wanless (he/him) was Chief Executive of the NSPCC from 2013 to 2024, during which time he also chaired the IICSA Changemakers group. Before this, Peter ran the Big Lottery Fund for 5 years and worked as a Director at the Department for Education. In the 2021 New Year’s Honours, Peter was awarded a knighthood for services to Children, to Young People and to the Charitable Sector.  Clare Kelly (she/her) is the Head of Programmes for the IICSA Changemakers and has previously worked for the NSPCC as an Associate Head of Policy and Public Affairs. She has a 15-year background in policing and the criminal justice system, holding the role of Chief Executive Officer for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner in Bedfordshire and running a charity focused on supporting vulnerable victims and witnesses of crime.  Denise Pringle (she/her) is the Adult Survivor Participation Manager for the IICSA Changemakers. She has spent her career advocating and working alongside survivors in the wider abuse & and violence sector. In 2024, she was invited to deliver training at UNWomenUk on best practice. She has also provided expert consultancy to the NHS, UK and international police forces, FTSE 100 organisations, and the UK government. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode  > Find out more about the IICSA Changemakers  > Listen to our podcast series on the IICSA final report  > Learn more about protecting children from sexual abuse  > Read our Why Language Matters blog on the use of the term 'victim' in relation to child protection Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros 

We speak to Anne Longfield, the Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives, about what needs to be done to improve the safeguarding support available to teenagers in the UK, the topic of her new book Young Lives, Big Ambitions. In the interview, Anne explains some of the problems facing vulnerable teenagers, and presents the solutions she would implement to give every young person the best chance to succeed in life. View the podcast transcript on the NSPCC Learning website.  💬 About the speakers  Anne Longfield CBE has spent the last three decades working to improve the life chances of children, particularly the most vulnerable. She has recently founded and become Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives. From March 2015 to February 2021 she was Children’s Commissioner for England.  Wesley Powley-Baker is a Safeguarding Manager within the NSPCC’s Safeguarding Unit. He is responsible for supporting the development of high-quality safeguarding practice and providing professional expertise in matters relating to safeguarding and social work practice. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode  > Find out more about Anne’s book, Young Lives, Big Ambitions > Read our Learning from case reviews briefing on teenagers   > Learn more about keeping 16- to 25-year-olds safe from abuse with our elearning course  Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros 

Being exposed to domestic abuse is a form of child abuse and children don't need to be directly involved for this to be the case. They may have seen or heard or experienced the effects of domestic abuse in the family and this can have a big impact on their behaviour, development, education and wellbeing.  In this podcast episode, experts from the NSPCC Helpline and Childline talk about that potential impact, as well as how you can spot the signs of domestic abuse and support children who are affected. You can read this episode’s transcript on the NSPCC Learning website. 💬 About the speakers  Paddi Vint is a Quality and Development Manager overseeing the NSPCC Helpline domestic abuse project. She has been with the NSPCC in Belfast for over five years, joining as a Helpline practitioner and then working as a practice manager.  Cormac Nolan is a Service Head with Childline. He holds responsibility for certain Childline bases delivering the live service as well as for the Childline website and social media.  Joanne Walsh is a Domestic Abuse Practice Advisor with a background as a senior family support worker and local authority domestic abuse champion. 📚 Resources mentioned in this episode  > Learn more about Childline  > Find out more about the NSPCC Helpline  > Get more information about domestic abuse  > Read about healthy and unhealthy relationships on the Childline website  > Learn more about multi-agency working Intro/outro music is Lights by Sappheiros