Insight to support the development of a communications campaign.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary asked Social Change UK to conduct research with children and parents in Cambridgeshire to explore their understanding and awareness of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in a bid to raise awareness and reduce harm.
Prevent child sexual exploitation.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary want to eradicate child sexual exploitation. They asked us to work with children and young people and talk to professionals and to understand first whether they understood what CSE is, and find out if they could spot the signs.
Our mission was to provide recommendations to the communications and marketing team so they could develop a campaign targeting vulnerable young people who are at risk and educate parents or guardians, so they are aware of the signs and can feel confident in reporting concerns to the police or partner agencies.
Insight for action.
We conducted focus groups with children and telephone interviews with parents and professionals in areas with high levels of CSE. This research looked at the current level of understanding and whether people can spot the signs of exploitation. We worked with children and schools to explore children’s attitudes and decision making was tested when we presented participants with hypothetical scenarios of possible exploitation. Importantly, we also looked at the barriers parents and guardians experienced when they reported CSE.
The impact.
Insights generated from this research supported the development of future campaigns to reach and communicate with parents and children on child sexual exploitation.
“This research has shaped our next campaign on keeping children and young people safe - both online and offline.“
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