Barnardo’s Tees Valley Services has launched a new Cleveland-specific training programme designed to help hotel staff identify and respond to signs of child exploitation.
Cleveland’s Violence Reduction Unit or CURV allocated £5,000 to the children’s charity.
Support will help deliver free training to safeguard children and young people from exploitation. It will do so by increasing awareness among hospitality businesses and services.
The sessions are part of Cleveland Police’s Operation Makesafe. It is a national initiative to empower hotels to recognise, respond to, and report concerns of child exploitation.
Training sessions teach hotel staff about Operation Makesafe. They explain what child exploitation is, how it can happen in hotels and what steps staff members should take if they have concerns for a child within their premises.
It ensures hotel staff are aware of concerns in Cleveland. That’s so they can feel fully equipped on how to safeguard children and young people.
Everyone’s Business
Consultant Social Worker and Trainer Sarah Pritchard from Barnardo’s Tees Valley, said: “Safeguarding is everyone’s business. If we are going to reduce the opportunity for criminals to exploit our children, we need people in the spaces where our children are being harmed to be upskilled and to know what to look out for and what to do if they have concerns.
“The conversations with hotels have proven so far to have been invaluable, having the opportunity to make it specific to Cleveland has really brought into focus for the staff, generating lots of helpful ideas on how to reduce further harm.”
Detective Sergeant John Bentley from the Complex Exploitation Team (CET) at Cleveland Police said: “Child exploitation is a very real issue that we’re committed to tackling as a force. It’s crucial we work with partners and businesses to help them spot the signs of child exploitation so they can identify potential victims and appropriately report concerns to us.
“We will continue to work closely with agencies to protect young people in our area and bring offenders to justice. Anyone with concerns is urged to contact us on 101.”
CURV is a partnership which sits within the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner. It works to develop long-term solutions to tackle serious crime and violence across Cleveland.
Head of CURV John Holden said: “Sadly, child exploitation is happening now across Cleveland. The signs may not always be obvious but the ‘red flags’ are always there for when a child is being exploited, often for criminal or sexual purposes.
“I feel Barnardo’s training is invaluable to help staff understand what child exploitation is, so they can help play a part in preventing it.
“Being able to spot the signs no matter how subtle they are, and then be able to act to help those at risk is critical in order to protect victims.”
If you are part of hotel that would like to participate in Operation Makesafe through a Barnardo’s training session, email: [email protected]