Every year on 18 March, organisations across the UK unite for National Child Exploitation Awareness Day, a national campaign urging everyone to think, spot and speak out against child exploitation. The 2026 theme, “Prevention Through Partnerships”, highlights the crucial role that services and communities must play in identifying risks early and protecting vulnerable children.
At Enable Law, our specialist Abuse Team supports children, young people and families affected by exploitation, abuse and safeguarding failures, and we see first hand how early intervention, robust safeguarding and clear communication between agencies can transform outcomes.
What is Child Exploitation?
Child exploitation can take many forms, including:
- Child sexual exploitation (CSE)
- Criminal exploitation (including county lines)
- Trafficking
- Online grooming
- Coercion
Many children do not recognise what is happening to them or feel unable to disclose abuse, which is why awareness and early intervention are essential. Schools, for example, play a vital role in recognising changes in behaviour and supporting children who may be at risk.
How exploitation happens in real life: warning signs from a recent case
A recent case handled by Enable Law demonstrates how exploitation can emerge gradually, often long before the most serious harm occurs. The child involved, referred to here as Amy*, experienced a long history of instability, missed safeguarding opportunities for intervention and increasing vulnerability.
From as early as nursery age, professionals recorded concerns about Amy and inadequate supervision at home, her unexplained injuries, and indicators of household instability. These concerns continued throughout Amy’s childhood, with repeated involvement from social services but inconsistent protective action.
Between the ages of around six and eight, Amy began displaying sexualised behaviours far outside the range expected for her age, including exposing herself to peers and making sexualised comments without understanding the meaning. School staff raised concerns that these behaviours could reflect exposure to harmful environments and increased vulnerability to grooming or exploitation. These behaviours were not isolated events, and instead they formed a pattern documented across multiple years.
As Amy reached late childhood, she was increasingly found spending time with much older peers, including teenagers involved in antisocial behaviour, drugs and weapons. Amy was also spending time with adults who were known to the police as presenting safeguarding risks, exacerbating her vulnerability. Professionals repeatedly flagged that these relationships placed her at heightened risk of exploitation, yet despite these warnings, her case remained at a low‑level safeguarding tier.
By age 11, Amy’s vulnerability had escalated significantly. She often roamed the community unsupervised and was repeatedly reported missing. During this period, she disclosed being sexually assaulted by an adult male after being taken into his home. The perpetrator was later convicted. Following the assault, Amy’s behaviour unfortunately deteriorated further, including regular absconding, increased exposure to criminally involved individuals and evidence of substance misuse. Amy had also very sadly experienced multiple mental health crises where she reported self-harming and intentional overdosing.
Even after the sexual assault and escalating risks, child protection action was delayed, and care proceedings were not issued for more than a year. During this time, Amy continued to experience significant harm, including over 200 missing episodes.
Eventually, the court intervened and Amy was moved into residential care. However, by then she had endured prolonged harm, trauma and instability that earlier intervention might have prevented.
Why these real‑life patterns matter
This anonymised case demonstrates how exploitation rarely begins with a single event. Instead, it often emerges from cumulative vulnerabilities, such as lack of safe adult supervision, repeated missing episodes and unsafe online activity. These are known risk factors for both sexual and criminal exploitation, recognised nationally by safeguarding bodies. Schools, police, health services and social care all play critical roles in identifying patterns and escalating concerns early.
You can read more about how online harm contributes to exploitation here – Why online exploitation must be treated as a child protection emergency | Enable Law
Support and legal action for victims
Enable Law’s specialist Abuse Team supports children, young people and adults who have experienced exploitation, abuse or serious safeguarding failures. We help survivors understand their rights, explore potential civil claims, and access support without pressure or judgement.
Where systemic failures contributed to harm, such as delayed intervention, missed safeguarding opportunities or inadequate supervision, we pursue legal remedies to secure accountability, justice and compensation.
Our team can guide survivors and families through interactions with police, witness processes and criminal court proceedings, ensuring they are supported at every stage. We also work alongside safeguarding professionals, mental health services and schools to help ensure survivors receive the help they need.
Enable Law brings expertise, compassion and determination to every case, supporting survivors while promoting improvements in safeguarding practice nationally.
If you have concerns about a child
If you believe a child is at risk of exploitation:
- Contact your local safeguarding children team
- Call 999 if a child is in immediate danger
- Speak to the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000
If you are a victim of exploitation and would like support:
- Reach out to Enable Law’s specialist Abuse Team at our contact form.
- Contact NAPAC’s confidential support line on 0808 801 0331
Every child deserves to feel safe, valued and protected. When exploitation occurs, the impact can be life‑changing.
How Enable Law can help
If you experienced neglect or abuse as a child, you have the right to seek legal advice. We know that talking about these experiences can be incredibly difficult, and no one should feel pressured to do so before they are ready. When the time is right for you, a member of our specialist team can offer a free and confidential conversation to help you understand your options and discuss whether you may have a civil claim. To have a chat with Helen or a member of our team call us on 0800 044 8488 or fill in our contact form.
*Name has been changed
