SOCIAL media and missing children continue to pose challenges to the police and council in preventing child sexual exploitation (CSE), councillors have been told.

This week, councillors heard an update on the work of Educate and Raise Awareness of Sexual Exploitation (ERASE) – a multi-agency scheme which  operates across County Durham and Darlington.

In an update on the service, operations manager for Children and Young People’s Services at Durham County Council, Lisa Wood, revealed recent statistics for children at risk of CSE.

Between April 2017 and March this year, 135 reports were submitted to the council with 16 young people classed as ‘high risk’, ten as medium ‘risk’ and 109 as ‘low risk’.

Over the same period, there were 239 episodes of County Durham children going missing – a group of young people particularly at risk of CSE – with 61 living in Durham-based children’s homes at the time.

Addressing councillors at Durham County Hall, Ms Wood said the service had identified an increase in young boys and young men being exploited and noted the impact of social media as a space for CSE.

“Parents are under pressure to allow their children to have access to social media at a younger age and it allows perpetrators to have opportunities to exploit children,” she said.

A special joint meeting of the Safer and Stronger Communities and Children and Young People’s Overview and Scrutiny Committees discussed the issue this week.

Cllr Christine Potts described social media as a “minefield” while Cllr Rob Crute added advertising and peer pressure – and the resulting impact on self-esteem – can increase the vulnerability of young people.

Solutions posed by the joint-committee included more awareness work in community venues and starting conversations with parents around the risks of social media.

Looking forward, Ms Wood said a “trust and tell” approach also aims to encourage young people to speak out alongside work with children’s homes and primary / secondary schools.

Detective Sergeant Ian Haddick, of Durham Police, told councillors the force is improving intelligence gathering and is also working with licensed premises to help them “spot the signs” of CSE.

Future work includes focusing on “hotspot areas” such as hotels and B&Bs.