Appendix 1: Child Sexual Exploitation Risk Assessment Tool

Child/Young Person Details / Agency Details
Name / Date of risk assessment
Suggested review date
Date of birth / Name of worker(s) completing risk assessment
Address / Young person aware
Parents aware / Yes No
Yes No
Gender / Consent gained / Yes No
Ethnicity / CareFirst number
Parent’s details / CATS number
School details / Is child/young person involved with youth justice system? / Yes No
Language spoken / Have child protection procedures been initiated? / Yes No
If yes when:
Physical/learning disabilities / Is child/young person receiving support from any other agency? (If yes please list them) / Yes No
Legal status / Is the young person currently allocated?
If so, who?
Name, Team, Tel No / Yes No
Known to Children’s Services / Yes No / Has CSE previously been identified as a specific issue for this child/young person? / Yes No
If yes when:
Perpetrator Details
Is the perpetrator a family member / Yes No Possible
Is the perpetrator known to the young person / Yes No Possible
Health Domain / Yes /No/ Possible
  1. Physical injuries such as bruising suggestive of either physical or sexual assault

  1. A sexually transmitted infection (STI), particularly if it is recurring or there are multiple STI's

  1. Pregnancy and / or seeking an abortion

  1. Sexually risky behaviour

  1. Self-harming

  1. Thoughts of or attempted suicide

  1. Eating disorder resulting in weight gain or loss

  1. Evidence of misuse of drugs/alcohol, including associated health problems

  1. Change in appearance including losing weight, putting on weight,

  1. Learning Disability

  1. Other mental health concerns

Comments/evidence/description of ‘ticked’ or ‘question marked’ indicator:
Education Domain / Yes /No/ Possible
  1. Truancy or disengagement from education

  1. Missing from educational setting

  1. Considerable change in performance at educational setting

  1. Peer issues within educational setting

5. Home education
6. Frequently changing schools
Comments/evidence/description of ‘ticked’ or ‘question marked’ indicator:
Behaviour Domain / Yes /No/ Possible
1. Sexually offending behaviour
2. Volatile behaviour exhibiting extreme array of mood swings or abusive language which is unusual for the child
3. Physical aggression, aggressive or violent, including to parents, siblings, animals, teachers or peers
4. Becoming angry, hostile if any suspicions or concerns about their activities are expressed
5. Detachment from age-appropriate activities
6. Secretive behaviour
7. Known to be sexually active
  1. Low self-image, low self-esteem or overconfidence

  1. Young offender or anti-social behaviour

  1. Sexualised language

  1. Hostility in relationship with parents/carers and other family members

  1. Getting involved in petty crime such as shoplifting or stealing

13. Persistently missing, staying out overnight or returning late with no plausible explanation
14. Missing for long periods, with no known home base and/or homeless
15. Possession of excessive amounts of condoms
Comments/evidence/description of ‘ticked’ or ‘question marked’ indicator:
Grooming Domain / Yes /No/ Possible
  1. Entering or leaving vehicles driven by unknown adults

  1. Excessive use of mobile phones including receiving calls late at night

  1. Concerns raised that young person may be exposing other young people to risk

  1. Reports that the child / young person has been seen in places known to be used for sexual exploitation

  1. Unexplained relationships with older adults

  1. Associating with other young people who are known to be sexually exploited, including in school/residential setting

  1. Sexual relationship with a significantly older person

  1. Phone call, texts or letters from unknown adults

  1. Mobile phone being answered by unknown adult

  1. Accounts of social activities with no plausible explanation of the source of necessary funding

  1. Having keys to premises other than those they should have

  1. Possession of money with no plausible explanation

  1. Acquisition of expensive or inappropriate clothing

  1. Having new mobile phone, or having several mobile phones. Always has credit on their mobile phones, despite having no access to money or having no credit so phone can only be used for incoming calls.

  1. Recruiting others into sexual exploitation or exploitative situations

  1. Seen at public toilets known for cottaging or adult venues (pubs and clubs)

  1. Adults loitering outside the child / young person’s usual place of residence or school

  1. Leaving home / care setting in clothing unusual for the individual child (inappropriate for age, borrowing clothing from older young people)

  1. Wearing an unusual amount of clothing (due to hiding more sexualised clothing underneath or hiding their body)

  1. Returning after having been missing, looking well cared for in spite of having no known home base

  1. Returning after having been missing looking dirty, dishevelled, tired, hungry, thirsty

  1. Swapping sexual favours in exchange for ‘something’ e.g. alcohol, accommodation, status, cannabis

  1. New contacts with people outside of normal social circle

Comments/evidence/description of ‘ticked’ or ‘question marked’ indicator:
Looked After Children Domain / Yes /No/ Possible
  1. Living in residential care

  1. Frequently missing from placement

  1. Multiple placement breakdown

  1. Going missing with other children

  1. Time frame missing from placement

6. Placed in own local authority area
7. If not own local authority area who is responsible
8. Contact with family members, either directly or through social media
Comments/evidence/description of ‘ticked’ or ‘question marked’ indicator:
Family and Social Domain / Yes /No/ Possible
  1. A family member or known associate working in the adult sex trade

  1. Unsure about their sexual orientation, or unable to disclose sexual orientation to their family

  1. History of physical, sexual and / or emotional abuse; neglect

  1. Witness to domestic violence/abuse at home

  1. Parental difficulties; drug and alcohol misuse, mental health problems, physical or learning difficulty. Child or young person is a young carer.

  1. Pattern of street homelessness or sofa surfing

  1. Living in hostel, B & B or temporary accommodation

  1. Conflict at home around boundaries, including staying out late.

  1. Recent bereavement or loss

  1. Gang association either through relatives, peers or intimate relationships

  1. Lacking friends their own age

  1. Living in a gang affected neighbourhood

Comments/evidence/description of ‘ticked’ or ‘question marked’ indicator:
E Safety Domain / Yes /No/ Possible
  1. Evidence of sexual bullying and/or vulnerability through internet or social networking sites

2. Concern that inappropriate images of a young person are being circulated via the internet / phones
3. Concern that a young person is being coerced / bribed / threatened to provide sexually explicit images / engage in inappropriate online activity
4. Concern that a young person is selling sexual services or exchanging sexual images via the Internet in payment by cash, credits or other
5. Accessing dating agencies ,websites, apps or age inappropriate online material
6. Unexplained increased mobile phone use / social networking / shared gaming sites and receiving credits
7. Going online during the night
8. Being secretive using mobile phone for accessing websites etc, more than computers incl. unwillingness to share / show online or phone contacts
9. Concern that a young person is having an online relationship
10. Concerns that a young person’s online friendship has developed into an offline relationship
11. Increased time on web cam, especially if in bedroom
12. Risky online behaviour
  1. Has duplicate accounts on individual social networking sites

Comments/evidence/description of ‘ticked’ or ‘question marked’ indicator:
Rationale/Professional Judgement & Principal Areas of Concern
Risk Assessment Score / Risk Category
Agreed final version Time/date / Agreed by
Risk Level
Non CSE
Threshold Level 1 / No evidence of Child Sexual Exploitation.
Standard
Threshold Level 1/Level 2 / At this stage there is no evidence to suggest that the child is exposed to Child Sexual Exploitation, however there are concerns that a child or young person may be at potential risk of Child Sexual Exploitation in the future due to the presence of identified vulnerability factors or warning signs.
Medium
Threshold Level 3 / There is evidence to suggest that a child or young person may be targeted for opportunistic abuse through exchange of sex for drugs or alcohol perceived affection, sense of belonging, accommodation, money and goods etc.
High
Threshold Level 4 / There is evidence that a child or young person is currently exposed to Childhood Sexual Exploitation and the risk to the child’s safety is significant.
Child Sexual Exploitation- Risk Indicators
Standard Level Indicators
  • Regularly coming home late or going missing
  • Overtly sexualised dress, sexualised risk taking (including on the internet)
  • Meeting people met through BBM/other messenger services/ social networking sites
  • Unaccounted for money or goods
  • Associating with unknown adults
  • Associating with other sexually exploited children
  • Attending the same place of education as other children who are being sexually exploited
  • Gang Association
  • Reduced contact with family / friends / other support networks
  • Spending excessive periods of time online/ using mobile phone and being defensive/secretive about usage
  • Making/ receiving explicit videos/ Sexting
  • Being picked up/dropped off by cars of unknown adults
  • Sexually transmitted infections
  • Experimenting with drugs and alcohol
  • Poor self-image, mood swings, eating disorders or self-harm, suicidal ideation, emerging psychosis
  • Self-neglect
  • Physical Injuries
  • Offending behaviour
  • Non-school attendance

Medium Level Indicators
  • Getting into cars with unknown adults or associating with known CSE adults
  • Being groomed on the internet
  • Clipping (offering to have sex for money / other payment and then running before sex takes place
  • Receiving rewards of money or goods for recruiting peers into CSE
  • Disclosure of physical sexual assault and then refusing to make / withdrawing complaint
  • Reports of being involved in CSE though being seen in ‘hotspots’ (e.g. in certain flats/houses/cars or in the company of known CSE adults)
  • Having a much older boyfriend/girlfriend
  • Missing school or excluded from school due to behaviour
  • Unaccounted for money or goods including mobile phones, drugs and alcohol
  • Multiple sexually transmitted infections
  • Self-harming

High Level Indicators

  • Child under 13 engaging in penetrative sex with another young person over 15 years old
  • Pattern of street homelessness and staying with an adult believed to be sexually exploiting them
  • Child under 16 meeting different adults and engaging in sexual activity
  • Removed from known ‘red-light’ district by professionals due to suspected CSE
  • Being taken to clubs and/or hotels by adults and engaging in sexual activity
  • Disclosure of serious sexual assault and then withdrawal of statement
  • Abduction and/or forced imprisonment
  • Disappearing from ‘the system’ with no contact or support
  • Being bought
  • Chronic drug/alcohol use
  • Indicators of CSE alongside self-harming

There are a range of different health symptoms that have been identified in victims of CSE

Physical

  • Injuries from physical abuse leading to visits to A&E,(e.g. using weapons, force, cigarette burns etc)
  • Weight concerns
  • Lack of necessary nourishment/ not understanding healthy eating
  • Short/ long-term effects of drug/alcohol abuse
  • Missing health appointments due to chaotic lifestyle- poor eye/ dental care, missing immunisations
  • Underage pregnancy/ sharing birth control pills
  • UTI/ Kidney infections
  • Withdrawal and tiredness
  • Poor general hygiene/ personal care

Mental

  • Attachment disorders
  • Anger
  • Eating disorders
  • Self harm
  • Sexually harmful behaviours
  • Disassociation
  • Identity crisis/ low self-esteem
  • Anxiety/depression
  • Emotional detachment
  • Addiction to over-the-counter/ prescription/ illegal drugs and/or alcohol

Sexual

  • STIs
  • UTIs
  • Long term damage to reproductive organs and future conception
  • Contracting incurable diseases
  • Unwanted pregnancies
  • Overtly sexualised behaviour and/or language
  • Tear and object wounds