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Blackburn and Darwen schools join child sex exploitation fight (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Blackburn and Darwen schools join child sex exploitation fight
10:40am Friday 27th November 2009
SCHOOLCHILDREN as young as 10 will be taught about safe relationships in a bid to reduce sexual exploitation.
One primary school and one secondary school will take part in the pilot project, the latest initiative from multi-agency team Engage.
It is part of Blackburn with Darwen’s first ever prevention strategy for child sexual exploitation, a plan for professionals working with children and young people that sets out how awareness should be raised around sexual exploitation.
Engage workers will pilot staff training and lessons for pupils in partnership with teacher consultants from next spring.
The lessons for year six and eight pupils will be ‘age appropriate’ and aim to raise awareness around such topics as the balance of power in relationships as well as services available to them.
Nick McPartlan, Engage manager, said: “The work done in schools will be very age appropriate and will be about awareness raising.
“It won’t be specific to Engage work but will be around internet safety and general personal safety.
“We are pleased to have the opportunity to go into schools where we can educate teachers and other professionals on how to spot any warning signs or show them how they can best support pupils.”
Meanwhile, parents of children who are victims of sexual exploitation are being given help and support.
Parent worker and former probation service officer Lindsay Dalton, 31, is the latest addition to the Engage team, with her position funded by the charity Coalition for the Removal of Pimping (CROP).
The aim of Lindsay’s new role is to support and empower parents in families affected by sexual exploitation.
She said: “I am currently working with 22 parents, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“Some parents are resistant because of a fear about what we are going to do, most parents are frightened, imagining their child will be taken from them. I am there to reassure them that we are there to support and help them to safeguard their child and not to blame them.”
Operation Engage was launched as a Lancashire Telegraph investigation revealed the problem of girls being groomed for sex by groups of young men, then abused.
Contact the Engage team on 01254 267790.
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Your Say YourTelegraph
cutthebull, Blackburn says...
11:39pm Fri 27 Nov 09
Lifeinthemix, Accrington says...
11:17am Sat 28 Nov 09
Let me put it another way...if ever my children were pimped, the pimp would very soon not be doing it..., without any need for any state help in the matter..
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Take control of your lives again and that of your family....simple really.
Alixet, Accrington says...
11:30am Sat 28 Nov 09
n
Akki, Accy says...
1:57pm Sat 28 Nov 09
.
To put it bluntly, in general you do not see young asian girls wandering the streets at night wearing next to nothing.
Having said that the authorities need to be very harsh on the males commiting these crimes, a year or two in prison is not long enough.
.
And of couse kenny shuffles is right again.
RK, Blackburn says...
3:29pm Sat 28 Nov 09
Akki, Accy says...
5:39pm Sat 28 Nov 09
.
The age of consent in Spain is 13 which of course is wrong and immoral.
pocketdragon, bolton says...
6:45pm Sat 28 Nov 09
In my opinion its our duty to ensure that no harm comes to anyone below an age that means they cannot make good judgement and protect themselves in a competent manner. This means against any predator of any kind be it white, asian, religious or persons in authority. And i'm afraid to say it AKKI but that also includes people who take advantage of an opportunity ie you ridiculous opinion of the NI story.
Lets just hope that you either dont have a daughter already or ever have one...
Just a thought...maybe the only way to deal with the matter as a whole would be to deal with these sick people ourselves and not rely on people who are more concerned on being pc to bring justice...
RK, Blackburn says...
6:47pm Sat 28 Nov 09
Paul Cockerton, Lancashire Telegraph web editor says...
5:40pm Mon 30 Nov 09
cutthebull wrote:1. Far from trying to close down free speech, we brought the issue to light. We launched a campaign, Keep Them Safe, three and a half years ago to highlight this issue.
I'm disappointed in the LET with the removal of the article which discusses the Engage Team which was on here within the last week. All discussing what Wheres the beef has said, there was valid points of views as well as the facts. But the article obviously proved close to the bone as it was removed. So much for free speech and LET being about representing the people, obviously reporters being ID for advent calenders are easier for real reporters to cope with!
You can read all our past stories at http://www.lancashir
etelegraph.co.uk/new
s/campaigns/keepthem
safe/
2. We have not removed last week's front page story. Obviously, older stories drop down the news index but they do not disappear. The story is in the campaigns section - see link above.
Ken Shuffles, burnley says...
3:06pm Tue 1 Dec 09
??
FRONT LINE: Nick McPartlan
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Ken Shuffles, burnley says...
4:45pm Fri 27 Nov 09
Obviously, the Police are kept busy inventing strategies to combat all those out of wedlock adult sexual transactions taking place down there at Bank Top.