Warwickshire County Council (WCC) and partners are launching the second phase of their Something’s Not Right campaign which aims to raises awareness of child exploitation in Warwickshire.
The campaign is appearing on buses across Warwickshire and within Rugby Rail Station encouraging young people, parents, carers and the general public to visit www.somethingsnotright.co.uk to understand more about exploitation, how to spot the signs and most importantly how to report it or get support.
WCC has also re-launched a multi-channel digital advertising campaign using engaging animation across Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Google, with a particular focus on reaching children and young people across the county so that they know where to go for help if they think they’re being exploited. The campaign is also targeting parents and carers so they know what signs to look out for in their children.
The animation video aimed at parents and carers in Warwickshire to spot the signs of child exploitation.
This follows on from the launch of the Something’s Not Right campaign in March 2021 which received over 700,000 impressions (the number of times the advertising was seen by residents in Warwickshire) across digital radio, social media and advertising on takeaway lids in food outlets in Leamington Spa, Rugby and Nuneaton.
Throughout the pandemic, child exploitation has been taking place in many forms and hundreds of children and young people are victims of exploitation every year. Child exploitation is defined as ‘the manipulation and/or coercion of young people under the age of 18’.
It can manifest itself in different forms, including child abuse, sexual exploitation, county lines drug dealing, human trafficking and online grooming. It is a crime that can affect any child anywhere, anytime regardless of their social or ethnic background or whether they are a boy or a girl. Hundreds of children and young people are victims of child exploitation every year in Warwickshire.
The campaign website is packed full of information and resources around child exploitation, including the different types of exploitation, what signs to look for in a child or young person, what support is available and some powerful real-life stories from victims of exploitation.
The website also places a strong emphasis on training and raising awareness in the community, offering targeted training to schools, health organisations and the night-time economy (e.g. taxi drivers and bartenders) and licensed premises such as hotels, pubs and clubs.
There are also downloadable assets available for businesses and professionals to share on their own social media channels and in their premises. Messages are also being shared across WCC’s social media channels and the council is encouraging people to re-share content to raise awareness of the issue using #WarwickshireCE.
John Coleman, Assistant Director for Children and Families said: “We are continuing to raise awareness of child exploitation in Warwickshire and we hope this next phase of our campaign builds on the terrific momentum created by the first phase and reminds residents that we all have a responsibility to protect children and young people, spot the signs of exploitation and report it.
“Keeping children safe and well is a priority for Warwickshire County Council and our partner agencies and we hope through the Something’s Not Right campaign that local communities will join us in tackling this issue that is happening in Warwickshire.”
Detective Inspector Lisa Sears, Strategic Vulnerability and Safeguarding Lead for Children at Warwickshire Police, added:
“I would like to strongly encourage residents across the county to learn about the different types exploitation so they can understand it. It’s important for parents, carers, friends, professionals and the wider community to know the warning signs such as unexplained gifts, changes in physical appearance, going missing, absences from school to name just a few.
“Individuals who exploit children pose a significant risk to our community so we will continue to identify and pursue them through the criminal justice system.
“We are committed to the Something’s Not Right campaign which we hope will ensure as many people as possible think, spot and speak out about exploitation.”
Find out more about child exploitation and the support available by visiting www.somethingsnotright.co.uk.
Follow Warwickshire CE on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and Warwickshire County Council on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to share important content on warning signs, advice and how to report concerns around child exploitation. Get involved by using #WarwickshireCE on your own social media posts.
Where to go for help and support
- For information on how to spot the signs of child exploitation, visit https://www.somethingsnotright.co.uk/spot-the-signs/
- For information and advice go to www.somethingsnotright.co.uk
- If you are worried about a child or young person, contact the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub between 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, on 01926 414144
- You can also make a report to Warwickshire Police via their website or by calling 101, or you can contact your local Children and Family Centre.
- Contact Crimestoppers confidentially and anonymously on 0800 555 111.
- Talk to trained counsellors on the 24-hour helplines run by ChildLine on 0800 11 11 and the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000
- If someone is in immediate danger, call the police on 999