Home Office: Criminal exploitation of children, young people and vulnerable adults (County lines) Guidance update
Updated May 2024
Introduction
Criminal exploitation involving children, young people, and vulnerable adults in drug supply and transportation of money and weapons severely impacts victims, families, and communities. Often, those in a position to notice this exploitation do not recognise it. This guidance aims to clarify the nature of such harm, helping practitioners identify its signs and respond effectively to provide necessary protection and support to victims and potential victims.
Who is the Guidance for?
This guidance is primarily aimed at frontline staff in England and Wales who work with
children, young people and vulnerable adults. This includes professionals working in:
• education;
• health;
• adult social care, children’s social care and early help/family support;
• housing;
• the benefits system;
• policing;
• prisons, probation and youth justice;
• multi-agency partnerships; and
• related partner organisations, for example in the voluntary sector.
What is County Lines?
"County lines" refers to a violent and exploitative method of drug distribution. It typically involves the exploitation of children, young people, and vulnerable adults who are coerced into delivering or storing drugs, money, or weapons for dealers or drug users, either locally or in other areas.
What is Criminal Exploitation?
Child criminal exploitation is prevalent in county lines. It involves individuals or groups exploiting power imbalances to coerce, control, manipulate, or deceive children or young people under 18. This exploitation can occur even if the activity seems consensual and doesn't always involve physical contact, as it can also happen through technology.
Forms and Methods:
County lines exploitation can be carried out by individuals or groups of any gender or nationality, and can range from unsophisticated to organised. It involves a power imbalance used to force, coerce, groom, or entice victims into criminal activity through various methods:
Exchange Offers: Victims carry drugs in return for money, clothes, drugs, status, protection, friendship, a sense of belonging, identity, or affection.
Physical Violence or Threats: Intimidation and punishment of victims and their families, often involving weapons.
Abduction or Kidnapping: Forcibly moving and holding victims away from home.
Emotional Abuse or Psychological Coercion: Manipulation, threats, control, or monitoring of victims' movements.
Sexual Abuse and Exploitation: Affecting all genders.
Blackmail: Forcing victims to commit crimes and threatening to report them if they do not comply.
Online Platforms: Using social media, messaging apps, gaming sites, and other online means to build false trusted relationships, post fraudulent job adverts, or cyberstalk victims.
Cuckooing: Criminals take over the homes of vulnerable individuals to use as bases for criminal activity.
Coerced Internal Concealment (Plugging): Forcing victims to conceal drugs or SIM cards internally to avoid detection.
Debt bondage is a form of entrapment where victims owe money to their exploiters and are forced to repay it through financial means or tasks such as transporting drugs. Exploiters may initially groom victims by providing money or goods, then demand repayment, or create debts by staging robberies to extort money from families or ensure continued compliance. These debts can also be inherited from family members.
Financial exploitation involves criminals targeting vulnerable individuals to facilitate money laundering. This exploitation, driven by an imbalance of power, manipulates victims into moving illicit funds, which can include physical cash or payments through bank and cryptocurrency accounts.
Who is Vulnerable?
Any child, young person, or vulnerable adult can be a victim of county lines exploitation, as exploiters continually adapt their targets to avoid detection.
Age: While 15-17 year-olds are the majority, children of primary school age and adults are also targeted.
Sex/Gender: Individuals of all genders can be exploited. Women and girls may perform different roles and face additional harm, often leading to under-identification as victims.
Ethnicity: Victims come from all ethnicities and nationalities, with varying demographics across regions. Some areas see an over-representation of black and mixed ethnic groups, while others primarily involve white victims.
Location: County lines operate nationally in both rural and urban areas. They may involve drug movement across county borders or supply local markets. Grooming occurs in various settings, including homes, public spaces, schools, universities, prisons, youth offender institutions, and online.
Various factors can increase the risk of a child, young person, or vulnerable adult being exploited in county lines activities:
Criminal Justice System Contact: Even minor offences can be a risk factor.
History of Abuse or Unstable Home Environment: Past or present neglect, abuse, domestic violence, parental substance misuse, or criminal involvement can impact trust and access to support.
Social Isolation or Difficulties: Lack of a support network reduces access to help.
Economic Vulnerability: Offers of money or possessions may be more tempting due to financial need.
Homelessness or Insecure Accommodation: Lack of a safe and private environment increases vulnerability.
Gang Connections: Individuals may be targeted through family or friends involved in criminal activity.
Disabilities or Neurodivergence: Physical or learning disabilities and neurodivergence can make it harder to recognise or communicate exploitation.
Mental Health Issues: Poor emotional wellbeing or low self-esteem can make individuals targets.
Substance Misuse: Victims may be given substances instead of payment.
Care Experience: Being in or leaving care can heighten vulnerability due to less access to support.
Educational Exclusion: Exclusion from mainstream education or attendance at alternative provisions can indicate exposure to exploitation and provide unsupervised time for exploitation.
Insecure Immigration Status: Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and refugees may face increased vulnerability due to social isolation and potential links to organised crime.
Signs to Look out For
Professionals should not expect victims to report their exploitation, as they may not recognise it or be too afraid of their exploiters to speak out. However, county lines exploitation often leaves signs. Any sudden changes in a person's lifestyle should be investigated and discussed with them. Including: behaviours, possessions, relationships, appearance.
What to do if you are Concerned?
Any child, young person, or vulnerable adult at risk of county lines exploitation requires a safeguarding response. The statutory guidance "Working Together to Safeguard Children" outlines the responsibilities of professionals and organisations in England to protect and promote the welfare of children and young people. It emphasises that everyone working with children is responsible for their safety and that multi-agency collaboration and information sharing are crucial for providing timely and appropriate help. The guidance also stresses the importance of a child-centred approach in all welfare and safeguarding inquiries to ensure the child's best interests are always prioritised.
Ways of Working
Putting the victim first…
When working with someone suspected of being exploited by county lines, their activity might seem consensual, they may not recognise the exploitation, and the line between victim and perpetrator can be unclear. This ambiguity is particularly common for individuals transitioning into adulthood.
Partnership with Multi-Agencies
Effective collaboration and information sharing among agencies are vital for protecting victims and disrupting offenders in cases of county lines exploitation. Providing comprehensive information during the safeguarding referral process is crucial. This allows assessments to consider all available evidence and address harm effectively.
Resources:
Criminal Exploitation Toolkit: https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/information/professionals/resources/county-lines-toolkit
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