Strengthening System Responses to Child Sexual Exploitation | The Centre

Children and young people in residential care settings face heightened vulnerability to child sexual exploitation, requiring informed, coordinated and compassionate responses across the service system.

This event bring together researchers and practitioners to share insights from a recent qualitative study exploring how frontline workers understand, identify and respond to CSE- and what helps or hinders effective action. Presenters will unpack key findings from their research, offering practical reflections on workforce capability, training effectiveness, and the systemic conditions shaping outcomes for children and young people.

What the session will cover:

• The impact of training on practice- Participants in the study consistently highlighted that targeted CSE training improves knowledge, challenges, misconceptions, and strengthens practitioners ability to identify and respond to risk.
• Barriers to effective system responses- Including knowledge gaps and attitudes towards CSE, levels of training and self-reported satisfaction with training, resource constraints, workforce turnover, and inconsistent understanding across agencies- that can limit effective efforts.
• What enables better collaboration- Presenters will discuss the key factors that support stronger multi-agency responses , including shared knowledge, coordinated approaches and localised initiatives and professional relationships.
• Implications for policy and practice- The session will highlight opportunities to strengthen training, improve cross-sector collaboration, and better equip practitioners working with vulnerable children and young people.

Who should attend?

This event is designed for professional working across child and family services, including put-of-home care, child protection, youth services, and related sectors.