20 September 2023

A new specialist team dedicated to protecting vulnerable children from exploitation is set to launch in Redcar & Cleveland as part of a major drive to tackle child criminal and sexual exploitation.

In his Annual Report to the Council today, Cabinet Member for Children Cllr Luke Myer, said:

“I am pleased to confirm that with close working and some additional funding from the DfE, we are due to launch a specialist Exploitation Team this year. The team will be named the SAFE team – Safeguarding Adolescents from Exploitation.

Joint working with Public Health has also enabled the creation of 2 specialist roles which will have a remit for education and substance use. The model of intervention from the new team will be robust, providing when needed daily contact with a significant focus on safety, risk reduction and disruption, until we start to see risks reduced for individual children and communities.”

The report also highlighted Redcar & Cleveland’s sector-leading work on Risk Outside the Home, as well as detached youth work which reached more than 3,500 children in hotspot areas, helping reduce antisocial behaviour and divert young people away from crime and exploitation.