Child Exploitation

Child Exploitation is where an individual or group takes advantage of a young person under the age of 18 for their own personal gain. This can take many forms, including sexual exploitation or forcing the child to commit crime. Although this is not something we commonly see at Comberton Village College, we all need to be aware of the signs and report where there is concern.

Drugs – County Lines

The most common form of criminal exploitation is when a child is forced to sell drugs for an older person. They are often sold a dream of cash, designer goods and a sense of belonging, but the reality is quite different. They end up dirty, hungry, and risking their life.

Drugs and the crimes linked to them are not confined to big city areas. Most drugs are not produced locally – they are imported to major cities and distributed through networks of young dealers that run drugs into rural and suburban areas. More information can be found on the Cambridgeshire Police website and the NSPCC website.

Child Sexual Exploitation

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is where a young person is abused by an older person they may initially see as their boyfriend. Perpetrators regularly buy the child gifts and trick them into believing they are in a loving relationship before abusing them. 

These types of abuse can happen to any child, at anytime, anywhere and is why tackling it remains a high priority.

More information on Child Exploitation and the signs to be aware of, look at the Cambridgeshire Police website the NSPCC website and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Safeguarding Partnership website.

Reporting Concerns

If you are concerned about a student at Comberton Village College email safeguarding@combertonvc.org. If this is of an urgent matter, please call 101 or in an emergency always call 999.