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*******PRESS RELEASE*******

 

19th January 2016

 

Wednesday 20th January sees the launch of a brand new approach to tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE). ShieldCPS (CSE) is being launched at the CYPNow conference being held in the Crowne Plaza in Birmingham with a demonstration and opportunity to meet the team responsible for its design and manufacture.

 

Tackling CSE has been made a priority by the government since the publication of several damning reports into systemic failings in investigating and addressing the risk it poses to children and communities across the UK.

 

Many organisations, such as Barnardo’s and the National Working Group into child sexual exploitation have drawn up an assessment tool designed to establish just how safe children who are vulnerable to exploitation are. The form was enhanced by the West of England Child Sexual Exploitation Victim and Identification Service to include information about those to who may pose a risk to these vulnerable children and young people. These are usually paper forms completed by a social worker, police officer or support worker with the young person and their family. It is intended to show how a child is vulnerable to being targeted by working through a detailed checklist of risk indicators.

 

The disadvantages of using a paper form in this way is that they may be stored by agencies internally and those agencies whose job it is to protect children and prosecute offenders/perpetrators might not be aware of the information already held on that particular child or those who may be targeting them.

 

ShieldCPS (CSE) is intended to address this. Using the form designed by the West of England Child Sexual Exploitation Victim and Identification Service, we have designed a mobile phone application and accompanying database system which allows an agency to gather the information about every child who may be at risk. The information gathered in the database allows safeguarding agencies to identify which children are vulnerable, who may be targeting them, including locations which are known as “CSE Hotspots”. The information in the forms can provide vital intelligence which can help the police and safeguarding agencies to build a detailed picture of how abusers operate in their area and gather vital evidence for court.

 

Being portable, the app can be used by anyone, anywhere. It means people working with children, young people can assess the risks and gather the information needed to protect them at any time, in any location, including on the streets. The simple app is self-explanatory, asking a series of questions which the app then uses to work out what level of risk is posed and ensures those completing it pass the information onto the right people. No paperwork means the information can’t be lost or overlooked.

 

How does it work?

 

Every app form completed by the worker assessing the child is fed into a database held by the agency who owns the licence for the apps. The information contained in the form is then analysed to provide more detail about the risks and how perpetrators may be operating within the area. The analysis includes detailed maps, graphs, vulnerabilities, even down to the make and registration numbers of cars being used. Using the information in the form it can tell you if someone’s name is cropping up regularly, if a particular school or club is being targeted or whether a particular car is being seen frequently.

 

The assessment tool includes information about gang activity in respect of sexual exploitation making it easier to understand the involvement of gangs in targeting and exploiting vulnerable young people.

 

The beauty of the ShieldCPS (CSE) system is that anyone with the app can compete the information in the form and send it straight into the database. The system is secure and the information collected through the app is only held by the agency purchasing the system. The completed form can then be saved as a PDF and stored on the child’s agency file or sent to other safeguarding agencies.

 

We at ShieldCPS believe there is huge potential with this system to better protect children, young people and vulnerable adults from the risk of sexual exploitation. In our view it represents a significant advancement in the use of modern technology to better protect children, young people and vulnerable adults.

 

Technical specification:

 

The system was designed to meet the increased requirements from the report from the Office of the Children’s Commissioner entitled “If it’s not better, it’s not the end” and the recommendations from the report's appendices. The report highlighted failings in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements to protect children and young people at risk of sexual exploitation across the country. It increased the demands on agencies to identify and intervene with gangs and sexual exploitation more effectively and consistently.

 

Information security: the system complies with ISO/IEC 18033-3

 

*******ENDS*******