Welcome to another week.
The government has just launched a consultation to seek out a new definition for Child Sexual Exploitation, with a view to streamlining existing definitions into one so that all professionals are working to the same principles.
The government’s proposed definition is:
‘Child sexual exploitation is a form of child abuse. It occurs where anyone under the age of 18 is persuaded, coerced or forced into sexual activity in exchange for, amongst other things, money, drugs/alcohol, gifts, affection or status. Consent is irrelevant, even where a child may believe they are voluntarily engaging in sexual activity with the person who is exploiting them. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact and may occur online.’
The government proposes to bring the revised definition into effect on 1 April 2016 and will include it within the statutory guidance, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’.
The consultation is looking to seek views on 2 proposals:
- Revising the current statutory definition of child sexual exploitation
- Including the revised definition in the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015)
The consultation is for:
- local authority chief executives
- directors of children’s services
- chief constables
- local safeguarding childrens board chairs and partners
- senior managers within organisations who commission and provide services for children and families, including social workers and professionals from health services, adult services, the police, academy trusts, education, youth justice services and the voluntary and community sector who have contact with children and families
Our question to you then, is just this: do you think the government’s proposed definition is good enough and if not, what would your definition be?
Researching Reform 
Reblogged this on World4Justice : NOW! Lobby Forum..
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Everybody knows whether something HURTS or feels GOOD!
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Natasha, Governments have all of the answers and have had so for untold years, all they do is to fob off the Nation with more enquiries meeting and debates then have the bloody cheek to say we are short of money so don’t they get paid when debating and making new laws for child abuse, lets not be so stupid they are playing for time until most of the Paedophiles are dead, The only and best change for families and children is that the family courts are shut down, as in the laws of the lands it clearly states it is an offence to harm a child Physically or mentally and by the closed family courts no evidence is allowed only in criminal courts, so what are the governments doing yes we all know, family courts are to steal many children on allegations only and provide jobs and it is well known that many social workers are from third world countries and as reported by the media some are working on false passports and not even social workers just plebs who can buy a CV for a few pounds, So with thousands of children taken into care the law of the land allows the families to get away with abuse if they were to be guilty but that will never happen, so one needs to question the laws
WHY IS IT AN OFFENCE TO ABUSE A CHILD AND NOT GO TO PRISON, OH SORRY THE FAMILY COURTS NEED THE MONEY JOBS AND YOUR KIDS,
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