County Lines
Learning from tragedy
Debbie Jones looks at the lessons emerging from an independent review focused on the children found guilty of the deaths of three young people in Croydon.
'County lines push leaves CSE response stretched'
A UK-wide push to tackle county lines has watered down public bodies’ focus on child sexual exploitation (CSE), leaving councils at risk of further abuse cases, an expert has warned.
County lines and the blight on our young
The justice system is not providing the adequate protection required by vulnerable children who are being exploited by ‘county lines’ criminal gangs, says Julian Hayes.
Gangs 'one step ahead' of authorities
Criminal gangs that exploit children are ‘one step ahead of authorities,’ mandarins have told peers investigating efforts to protect vulnerable young people.
Authorities missed chance to help murdered County Lines teen
A lack of information sharing meant authorities missed an opportunity to intervene in the case of a teenage County Lines victim months before he was murdered.
Redesigning collaboration along County Lines
Ian Blackhurst explains why local authorities, the police and partner agencies need to share information dynamically and in real time to tackle county lines.
All-round safety for our children
Dez Holmes explains the role of the recently-launched programme to support children’s services to tackle child exploitation in all its forms.
The war against County Lines
Paul Marinko looks at how local authorities are tackling the scourge of County Lines – and finds that the dexterity of gangs in adapting to agencies’ responses makes a ‘monumental task’ even harder.