Advice for professionals

Make sure you know who the child protection/safeguarding lead in your agency is and be aware of the procedure to follow if you have concerns about a young person. If you are worried or in any doubt, get help from your local specialist exploitation team.

Information sharing and awareness raising is key to tackling child sexual exploitation. Please do all you can to promote CSE awareness on your website and social media channels.

• Physical symptoms (bruising suggestive of either physical or sexual assault)
• Evidence of drug, alcohol or substance misuse
• Volatile behaviour / mood swings / use of abusive language
• Truancy/disengagement with education or change in performance at school
• Low self-image, low self-esteem, self-harming behaviour, e.g. cutting, overdosing, eating disorder, promiscuity
• Physical aggression towards others
• Change in appearance / always tired

• Sexually transmitted infections / pregnancy / seeking an abortion
• Sexually risky behaviour
• Sexual / unexplained relationships with older people
• History of abuse or neglect
• Domestic violence / parental difficulties
• Clothing - inappropriate for age, borrowing clothing from others
• Reports that the child has been seen in places known to be used for sexual exploitation

• Entering or leaving vehicles driven by unknown adults
• Hostility in relationship with parents/carers and other family members
• Reports to suggest the likelihood of involvement in sexual exploitation (e.g. from friends or family)
• Associating with other young people who are known to be sexually exploited
• Inappropriate use of internet and forming relationships, with adults
• Phone calls, text messages or letters from unknown adults
• Adults or older youths loitering outside the child's usual place of residence

• Truancy
• Placement breakdown
• Persistently missing, staying out overnight or returning late
• Returning after having been missing, looking well cared for in spite of having no known home base
• Missing for long periods, with no known home base
• Going missing and being found in areas where the child or young person has no known links

• Petty crime e.g. shoplifting, stealing
• Having keys to other premises
• Expensive clothes, mobile phones or other possessions without explanation
• Accounts of social activities requiring money
• Possession of large amounts of money with no plausible explanation

Wiltshire Children's Safeguarding Board (opens new window) offers information about CSE (opens new window) , a  CSE Handbook (PDF) [598KB] (opens new window)  for professionals and the  CSE Screening tool (PDF) [133KB] (opens new window) .

Social workers can find the screening tool on CareFirst.

Wiltshire healthy schools (opens new window) is provided by Wiltshire Council's Children's Services to help schools effectively address the health and wellbeing of children and young people. All schools have an important role to play in addressing CSE through their programmes of PSHE education. Wiltshire schools can use the Wiltshire Healthy Schools CSE teaching resources (opens new window) to supplement their existing programmes.