Action for Children is to receive almost £5 million over three years from The National Lottery Community Fund, to expand services tackling the criminal exploitation of children. Areas of focus include supporting criminally exploited girls, looked after children and those on the edge of care. The funding will also examine the role of county lines drug dealing and other forms of extra-familial harm in exploitation, such as sexual abuse.
The funding will be used to support children, young people and families at high risk of criminal exploitation across England, Scotland and Wales. Peer mentors with lived experience of exploitation will be central to this work, providing intensive support to young people and shaping the project’s work to drive forward change.
In the next year, Action for Children will open five new exploitation intervention services. The funding will also support new activity in Edinburgh whilst guaranteeing the continuation of two other existing services in Newcastle and Flintshire.
Areas of focus include supporting criminally exploited girls, looked after children and those on the edge of care. The funding will also examine the role of county lines drug dealing and other forms of extra-familial harm in exploitation, such as sexual abuse.
This money comes from The UK Fund, one of The National Lottery Community Fund’s significant commitments as part of its 2023-2030 strategy, ‘It starts with community’, funding projects that help children and young people thrive – one of the funder’s four key missions.
Action for Children’s Criminal Exploitation Support Service works to protect and divert exploited young people and those at risk of exploitation aged 11-18, and their families. Launched in Glasgow in 2012, it now operates across Scotland, Wales and England and has helped more than 650 children and families since 2020.