Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Criminal Exploitation
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE): A form of child sexual abuse where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate, or deceive a child into sexual activity. This often involves exchange for something the child needs or wants, such as money, gifts, or affection, and can occur online or offline.
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE): When children are manipulated, coerced, or forced into committing crimes for the benefit of others. This often includes activities such as drug trafficking (including county lines), theft, or other illegal acts, and typically involves exploitation of vulnerability and control through threats, violence, or debt.
This page brings together key guidance, research, and practical tools for professionals working to protect children from sexual and criminal exploitation. It includes evidence-based insights, communication strategies for supporting children and families, and frameworks for multi-agency practice in Scotland. The aim is to equip practitioners with the knowledge and tools needed to safeguard children effectively and promote collaborative approaches to tackling exploitation.
Forth Valley CSE& CCE Guidance:
Forth Valley CSE Guidance Version 5 (November 2025)
Forth Valley CSE Vulnerability Checklist and Risk Factors Matrix
Child-Trafficking-and-CCE-Guidance.docx
Preventing and Addressing Child Sexual Exploitation n Forth Valley – Guidelines for Schools
Missing People – Forth Valley Practitioner Pages
7 minute briefing – Tackling criminal exploitation
National Referral Mechanism
Information pack for young people in the NRM turning 18
Understanding the NRM – A guide for Primary School Aged Children
Understanding the NRM – A guide for Secondary School Aged Children
National Referral Mechanism Toolkit March 2021.pdf
Centre of expertise on Child Sexual Abuse
Key messages from research | CSA Centre
Signs and indicators: A template for identifying and recording concerns of child sexual abuse
The Children’s Society
What Is The Dark Web – Information for professionals
Disrupting Exploitation – A Best Practice Guidance
NSPCC LEARNING
Protecting children from sexual exploitation | NSPCC Learning
Why language matters: why professionals need to talk about child sexual abuse | NSPCC Learning
Disclosing child sexual abuse: children and young people’s experiences | NSPCC Learning
Supporting young people to report nude images: Report Remove | NSPCC Learning – When a young person loses control of a nude image of themselves, it can be very distressing. It’s important that young people don’t feel judged when this happens and you should reassure them that they haven’t done anything wrong.
You can also help a young person aged under 18 to use the Report Remove tool to see if the image or video can be taken down, and Childline can provide further support. Find out more in the video below.
CYCJ – Children and Young Peoples Centre for Justice
This Framework is designed for multi-agency professionals across Scotland involved in identifying, supporting, and protecting children at risk of or experiencing criminal exploitation, Criminal Exploitation of Children (CEC) Framework for Practice – Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice
Scotlands-Framework-for-Practice-The-Criminal-Exploitation-of-Children-2025.pdf
Blank Screening tool – word version
Referring a Child to the Children’s Reporter with concerns of criminal exploitation Practice Note
Thinkuknow
Thinkyouknow is the education programme from NCA-CEOP, a UK organisation which protects children both online and offline.
There are six Thinkuknow websites for advice about staying safe when you’re on a phone, tablet or computer.
Barnardo’s
Child sexual abuse and exploitation: support for parents and carers | Barnardo’s
Definitions: child criminal exploitation and sexual exploitation | Barnardo’s
Child Exploitation and Online Protection CEOP
Website for the public – children, young people and adults – to report concerns about online abuse. https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/
It’s Not Okay
Information and resources for people who work with young people or have a duty of care towards a child. If you work with or come into contact with young people
Digital safeguarding
Online harm and abuse: statistics briefing | NSPCC Learning
Traffic_Light_Guide_Teenager.pdf
Online Sexual Harm Reduction Guide
Contextual Safeguarding
Contextual Safeguarding is an approach that recognises that young people can experience harm in extra‑familial settings including in peer groups, schools, neighbourhoods, and online spaces-where risks such as sexual or criminal exploitation, violence, and coercion may occur beyond the control of parents or carers.
This approach was developed to broaden traditional child protection systems, which have historically focused on risks within the home. It highlights the need for safeguarding responses that address harmful environments themselves, not solely the behaviour or actions of the young person.
In Scotland, the National Guidance for Child Protection (2021, updated 2023) embeds this perspective, emphasising that harm may arise “in a range of contexts for all children, pre‑birth to 18,” and that effective Child Protection Plans must work to change the contexts where harm occurs
Find out more here:
Podcast: An introduction to contextual safeguarding | NSPCC Learning
Contextual Safeguarding Research Durham University
Tools for Practice
These tools can help practitioners assess, understand and respond to risks in extra‑familial contexts:
Context Weighting tool | Contextual Safeguarding
