Child Criminal Exploitation
How are children persuaded into a life of crime? Why is it still happening?
Welcome to SEMH Education. Every week, I share strategies, stories, and expertise I’ve gained from working with children and professionals around social, emotional, and mental health in education.
This week, I’ll be discussing child criminal exploitation (CCE) and outlining what support professionals can put in place to support children who may be at risk.
What is CCE?
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) refers to situations where individuals or groups manipulate, coerce, or deceive a child (under the age of 18) into criminal activity for their own gain. This exploitation often occurs through threats, violence, abuse, or manipulation of the child's vulnerability, such as their age, lack of resources, or social or emotional needs.
From this definition, in my experience, children are usually criminally exploited through manipulation of their vulnerability and social & emotional needs.
My First Experience of CCE
In my first teaching post, I was told that a boy in the class (we’ll call him Ryan) was being criminally exploited. I quickly learnt that it was Ryan’s older brother who was using him to collect and deliver drugs. Ryan was in Year 5, and 9 years old at the time. Therefore under the age of criminal responsibility.
The more I learnt about Ryan and his family, the more I understood his situation. Ryan’s Mum was a single Mum to 3 children with another one due imminently. She was a victim of domestic violence, had a history of substance misuse, was unemployed and at risk of losing her home. Ryan’s older brother had taken to buying and selling drugs (most likely a victim of grooming himself) as a way to financially support his Mum and younger siblings. Social Care had been involved in this family for years. Mum went through periods of engaging and disengaging with their service and other supportive services.
As this was my NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher) year, I was absolutely shitting it. You’re not taught how to effectively manage situations like these during your teacher training. I don’t even think CCE was discussed more than once during an afternoon lecture. There were so many external services involved and so many moving pieces to this family, it felt extremely overwhelming. Other teachers in the staffroom voiced that everything had already been tried, they had no idea what else to suggest.
In the classroom, Ryan presented in a similar fashion to Tom; quite disruptive, often shouting out or simply leaving the classroom. He was verbally abusive towards his peers and staff members and couldn't engage in most lessons unless he had 1-1 support, due to his academic level. I’d often lay awake at night thinking “What the F*** am I going to do about Ryan?” This CCE stuff seemed so complex, so unwieldy, like a maze with no end in sight.
A bonus part of your NQT year is that you get more planning time. Rightly or wrongly, I didn’t use this time to plan (I did that between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. like most teachers!). I was fascinated by Ryan’s circumstances, namely because they were so conflicting with my own experiences as a 9-year-old boy. I poured all the extra time I had into understanding Ryan. I worked with the on-site SEMH Team, I did home visits, I chatted with the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Head Teacher, and most importantly, I spent 1-1 time with Ryan.
I quickly realised that underneath Ryan's presenting behaviour, he was just a normal 9-year-old boy. He liked fast cars, football, eating food and being outside. The more I understood Ryan, the less overwhelming this ‘CCE’ monster became. Ryan had no idea what CCE was, he was oblivious to all the professionals that came in and out of his life. He was just doing what his brother told him so he could get his favourite takeaway and sweets every week. He felt protected by his brother and had no idea that what he was doing was illegal. He knew it was ‘bad’ but had no real idea of the potential consequences.
There was one moment that impacted me the most when working with Ryan. He was going about his morning routine in the on-site SEMH provision and I’d just popped in to say good morning. He was sat cross-legged on the carpet playing with a toy digger in the sandbox. When he saw me, he ran over to give me a High-Five. He then wandered back towards another box of toys, humming the song that was playing on the TV - a YouTube show for toddlers. I’d never seen a child regress like this before. The staff members told me that he would often do this in the morning when arriving at school.
For context, Ryan was feared by the rest of the year group, as well as some Year 6’s. He would use language and gestures that teenagers use and laugh in children’s faces when they didn’t understand him. His peers saw him through a completely different lens. Yet here he was, behaving like a toddler. I’m not a child psychologist so I don’t know the reasons for regression. However, I do know that Ryan must’ve felt safe and comfortable enough to behave that way. It made me wonder, is this the only time he ever gets to behave as a child?
I’m aware that not all children who have been criminally exploited have this level of disruption in their lives. Some have more, some have less. I also acknowledge that a life of criminality is glamourized by the media in certain songs, films and TV shows.
I guess what I wanted to point out from that story was that the term CCE can often insight feelings of anxiety for professionals, especially if it’s something new to you. However, there are simple things you can do to support these children, such as being a trusted adult for them.
How Does it Happen?
Slowly, in most cases.
Children don’t just wake up and decide that today is the day they become a criminal. They are often targeted by older children and adults. These individuals will target younger children who are feeling excluded from society. They may have recently been placed on a reduced timetable, suspended or permanently excluded from their educational setting. They might not feel like they belong at home and are therefore out at night.
These individuals prey on vulnerable children by befriending them and offering a sense of belonging which they may be lacking in their lives. They provide money, sometimes alcohol and drugs, and introduce the children to others who make them feel accepted and valued. Once the child begins to trust this new circle, the individuals start asking for small favours in return for large rewards. For instance, they might ask the child to deliver a bag to a specific house in a nearby city, promising up to £2,000 for the task. Faced with such an enticing offer, how could a child say no?
From there, the situation often escalates. The child might be asked to carry weapons for "protection" or target another child’s home by smashing their windows. With each completed task, their reputation and perceived status within the group grow. Over time, they become deeply entrenched in a gang lifestyle. Thoughts of leaving feel impossible, they’ve been threatened with violence against themselves or their families if they try. There’s also little pulling them away from this world: the allure of easy money, access to alcohol and drugs, a sense of power over their peers, and, most crucially, the strong feeling of belonging all make this new lifestyle difficult to resist.
A young person is going through this right now within our service. When his case manager asked him why he was completing these tasks for this new friendship group his answer was: “I just want to help my friends out.” This shows how well these predators are able to groom vulnerable children. Spinning lies about friendship and false promises of cash rewards, they’re able to convince these vulnerable children that the tasks are just a ‘favour’ to a new friend.
How Can You Prevent it?
Maintaining a strong sense of belonging is the easiest and most effective way to prevent children from being criminally exploited. This is crucial for educational settings. Fostering that sense of community and support within a class, year group or campus is one of the most protective factors for CCE.
It’s not the only way though, you can increase children's awareness of exploitation through teaching thinking skills. I’m sure your educational setting already has access to these types of resources but there are some fantastic free ones out there which could also help! Such as St Giles, Abianda, CCE Disruption Toolkit, and The Children’s Society. Further CCE advice and guidance can also be found on the Met Police Website. Currently, there is also ongoing funding for the Turnaround Project within the Youth Justice Service. This is a voluntary service which supports children and their families in relation to CCE. Get in touch with your local Youth Justice Service for more information.
Directing children towards positive activities can also be a huge factor in minimising their risk of criminal exploitation. Find out what a child is interested in and see if there are any local clubs which facilitate that on a weekend, E.G. Art, Cycling, Climbing, Gaming, Sports etc! It’s also a great way for your educational setting to build strong links within your community.
Finally, we have to educate ourselves and others about the signs of CCE. Unexplained absences, sudden changes in behaviour, possession of items they usually couldn’t afford, or associations with older peers can all be indicators. As professionals, we need to stay curious and ask questions without judgment. But it’s not just about us, parents, carers, and communities also play a role. Sharing knowledge about what to look out for can create a collective safety net around vulnerable children.
Did You Miss These?
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Feeling stuck with a particular child or family? This might solve that problem!
Should traditional behaviour policies be scrapped?
It’s heartbreaking knowing there are individuals out there living this way.
I read a study that measured the amount of time children spend in school - around 20% of their waking hours. For many children, it seems like too much onus is on the teacher s to teach them about life, when a huge majority of their time is spent with others who should be playing that role.