Blackburn and Darwen schools join child sex exploitation fight (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Blackburn and Darwen schools join child sex exploitation fight

10:40am Friday 27th November 2009 in

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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.