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Child sexual exploitation can be hard to identify and a change in behaviour in a young person may often seem like normal teenage behaviour. But for some, these could be the signs of something far more serious.

It’s not always easy to know what young people are up to and abusers can be very clever in their manipulations.

A young person may feel they are in a loving relationship, while perpetrators will often seek to break the bond between the child and their family.

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Safeguarding children in Wolverhampton is everyone's business!

The Local Authority has a statutory duty to regulate, supervise and enforce legislation with respect to all aspects of the employment of children of compulsory school age within the City.

A child assisting in any trade or occupation carried out for profit or gain is deemed to be employed even if he/she receives no reward for his/her labour. This includes working for a parent's business.

No child under the age of 13 shall be employed.

A child having attained the age of 13 up until ceasing to be of compulsory school age may be employed providing such employment is within the law and that such employment will not be prejudicial to the health and well-being of the child or cause of the child's education to suffer.

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Hello, we are the B-Safe Team.

The B-Safe Team is Wolverhampton's Junior Safeguarding Children Board, made up of local young people who get involved with safeguarding activities and decisions across the city.

The board enables the voice of Wolverhampton’ s young people to be heard and reflected in safeguarding business and activities, empowering young people to contribute to the processes and methods to keep them safe, a nd to increase awareness of safeguarding amongst parents and professionals.

The B-Safe Team has been finding out about issues that matter to young people in this city around staying safe, such as extremism and terrorism, bullying, drugs and alcohol, violence in relationships and mental health.

If you are under 18 and an explicit or nude image of you has been shared online, Childline can confidentially help you to get it removed, click here for more information

It’s always a really good idea to talk to someone that you trust like a parent / carer, family member, youth worker or teacher.

If you would like to talk to someone in confidence you can contact:

• Childline - You can call them free on 0800 1111 and this number won’ t appear on a telephone bill. Available 24 hours a day by phone or on the internet http://www.childline.org.uk/
• Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre the national site that looks after children and young people's online safety. Anyone can report any online activty or sites which make them feel uncomfortable or worried, or if they are worried about someone they are chatting to online.
  

 Other really good video and written information can be found at:

• Thinkuknow
• Childnet

Signs to look out for and things to think about

• Secrets– If someone online asks you to keep secrets, think about why they would want you to do this? If it is because they don’ t want other people knowing about them being in contact with you, ask yourself why? Real friends wouldn’ t mind your parents /carers knowing that you are chatting to them.
• Attention & flattery - someone you don’ t know other than online, says lots of really nice things about you and how you look on your profile page. If someone starts doing this ask yourself – what do they really want?
• Sexy pictures– You might be told everyone does it, but ask yourself why do they really want a picture or film of me? What will they do with it? Will they share it with someone I don’ t know? Remember if you share a photo via the internet it can be shared with anyone without your knowledge or permission. If you are unsure don’t press send! Pictures and film can be used to threaten you and make you send more pictures or do other things that you are uncomfortable with. Don’ t share anything you wouldn’ t want your friends and family to see.
• Sexy talk– someone talking sexy or ‘ dirty’ with you; about what sexual things that they might like you to do, or that they might say they would like to do to or with you. Be careful if someone is very flirty with you or tries to get you to talk about sex or look at pornography – ask yourself, why are they doing this?
• Private chats– the person you have been talking to might ask you to start having private chat so that no-one else can see what you are talking about. If someone asks you to do this, ask yourself why do they need to talk privately with you?

Being online makes it easy for people to lie and pretend to be someone else. Some people use social media to make contact with children and young people with the intention of “grooming” them. To groom someone is to prepare someone to do something sexual for the benefit of the person making contact.

Groomers might try to gain your trust by using a fake profile picture and by pretending to have similar interests as you. They might pretend to be your age and have similar interests to you.

People who try to groom children and young people want you to believe their lies so that they can get information about you:

• your age
• where you live
• who else might use the computer that you use or
• who else has access to your mobile phone

Once they have lots of information about you and have got your trust and friendship, they often move conversations towards sexual experiences and interests, even asking you to send sexual photographs or videos of yourself.

Some might move towards wanting to meet up, others might try to blackmail you by threatening to share any images/pictures or videos you might have sent them already with your friends and family, if you don’ t carry on doing what they ask you to do.

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Think before you send

If you share an image of yourself online by photo, text or video, via your phone, tablet or computer always think first,

“would I be ok with anyone and everyone seeing this?”

Any image of yourself that you send, can and might be shared by the person you sent it to. Once you press send, it is no longer in your control.

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Getting sucked into extremist activity

Social media, the news and websites are all places where young people can be exposed to information about radical groups and terrorism. You may look out of curiosity, or because you want to find out the truth behind the news stories. But there are online radical and terrorist groups which want to recruit young people to their cause.

They use the same techniques as other online abusers. They:

• Lie and tell you not to trust anyone else
• Try and separate you from friends and family
• Make promises and tell you are special and unique

Anyone is potentially vulnerable to becoming radicalised. You need to know how to protect yourself and your friends.

Extremism, radicalisation and terrorism come sin many shapes and sizes and includes:

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What is child sexual exploitation?

Child Sexual Exploitation is where someone is taking advantage of you (or someone you know) sexually for their own benefit.  Sexual exploitation can happen to boys and young men as well as girls and young women. It can happen to anyone and people who exploit you can be any age, male or female.

How does it happen?

Sexual exploitation can be hard to recognise because often it feels like that you are in a good relationship with the person – or people – who 

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WHAT IS PRIVATE FOSTERING?

If you are under 16 (or 18 if you have a disability) and live with an adult who is not a close relative, such as your mum or dad, a brother, a sister, an aunt or uncle, a step parent or grandparent then you are privately fostered. Your mum or dad will have agreed that the other person can take care of you and they may be paying some money to help the person do this.

WHY DOES IT HAPPEN?

Your mum and dad might be experiencing some difficulties and may have asked another adult to care for you. This could be for a number of reasons.

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If you think that you would like to talk to someone about your self-harm and what else might be going on in your life that you are finding difficult, there are lots of different people who can help.

You can go to Accident and Emergency (A&E) at the Royal Wolverhampton Hospital, Wednesfield Road.

Talk to your doctor (GP). They can help you to get any professional help you might need.

Other services that can help if you area worried about self harm, talk to a teacher, youth worker or trusted adult.

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Children at Eastfield Primary School took part in an anti-bullying project and wrote and performed their own video to share what they found out with others.

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No-one has the right to make you feel bad or unsafe, and no-one deserves to be bullied.

 Bullying is anything that others do to you Several Times On Purpose and which makes you feel upset, scared, or hurt.

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 Download our new framework - Wolverhampton Safeguarding Together