Children with special education needs and disabilities at risk of criminal and sexual exploitation due to gaps in policies and services

Opportunities to protect children and young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) from being groomed and exploited in what often amounts to modern slavery are being missed by services meant to protect them, according to a new study.

These failings are reportedly due to the absence of a national prevention strategy, adequate funding and relevant training for frontline workers.    

The research, led by Manchester Metropolitan University in partnership with the University of Portsmouth and Portsmouth City Council, and funded by the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre, shows there is little recognition in policy and guidance of increased vulnerability and risk of being coerced and exploited for children and young people with SEND.

Over 1.5m children in England and 75,000 in Wales have a recognised special educational need – with the vast majority of these children in mainstream education. The study found many are waiting years for recognition of their needs, diagnosis and the right support, despite concerns raised by parents. 

This leads to increased levels of isolation, segregation within school and periods of missing, or being excluded from, school, according to the study - exposing children to greater risks of grooming and exploitation, leading to high levels of harm. 

In 2023, there were 7,432 referrals of potentially exploited children to the National Referral Mechanism, with 51% referrals involving criminal exploitation (3,827) and 15% involving sexual exploitation (1,119), with anecdotal evidence suggesting a high proportion of cases involving children with SEND. 

The report states that despite the parents’ desperate efforts to get support when exploitation is discovered, lack of support is leading to devastating consequences such as attempts by children to take their own lives and self-harm, enforced house moves, and children placed away from home. 

Many families are living in fear of violence and with intense levels of stress, sometimes leading to family breakdown, and siblings experiencing trauma. 

As a parent who took part in the research described: “If this (exploitation) had been addressed when she was 14, ...we might not be where we are now. But now I'm left with an 18-year-old who regularly self-harms... uses substances. It's just a real massive challenge that didn't really need to be there.”

Professor of Childhood Studies and lead researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University, Anita Franklin, said: “The research starkly indicates the need for parents and children and young people with SEND to be listened to when raising concerns about unmet needs and treated with paramount importance when they raise concerns about exploitation. 

“The evidence illustrates the importance of agencies working together to understand and address the interplay of SEND and exploitation in terms of risk and response. The consequences of inadequate or inappropriate responses are having a devasting impact on children and families across the UK. 

“We require joined up policy and guidance from national government, and resources and trained practitioners in order that appropriate prevention and responses address this child protection issue. Children and families have a right to be protected.”

A parent, reflecting on their child’s experiences, said: “He had felt rubbish for so many years, because he'd go to school… he felt as though he didn’t belong, he wasn’t respected, he was a nobody… They [the exploiters] made him feel really good, and he was like…’somebody appreciates me, someone gets me, someone understands me’.”

Both parents and professional participants in the study including social workers, police, and those working in youth justice and children’s mental health services highlighted the importance of helping children stay in school in order to keep them safe. 

The research found that the relationship between SEND and exploitation is inadequately understood, recognised, recorded and monitored between and within agencies. Opportunities to prevent exploitation are being missed because professionals often do not have sufficient time, support or awareness of both SEND and exploitation to intervene. 

For example, children going missing is cited as a key indicator of potential risk but is not being sufficiently acted upon, despite parents repeatedly reporting to authorities. 

The report found that in many cases services are not recognising the need to adapt practice to meet the specific communication, social and learning needs, or recognise the additional risks for this group of children and young people - before harm occurs, when harm is discovered and to prevent further harm. 

Although statistics on modern slavery and SEND are not routinely collected, practitioners in the study anecdotally reported a large proportion of their case load include children and young people with SEND. Researchers say the lack of data is a major gap and especially concerning as disability is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act (2010). 

The report calls for an urgent implementation of improved support for children with SEND as part of efforts to prevent exploitation. It recommends the Department of Education and Home Office updates specific guidance on safeguarding disabled children and young people and implement national mandatory training to address the lack of understanding of modern slavery and SEND across education, health, social care and the voluntary sectors. Practice and policy that works with parents as important safeguarding partners should also be implemented. 

Co-author of the report Sarah Atkins from the University of Portsmouth said: “The launch of this report comes at a time when the recently elected UK government has many opportunities to reform. The research findings contained are a significant indictment of the lack of joined-up thinking by previous governments regarding adequate safeguards against trafficking and exploitation for children and young people with SEND. However, the recommendations in this report contain constructive steps by which the new government might better support stakeholders and parents alike, and ultimately mitigate these risks for children and young people with SEND.”

Liz Williams, Policy Impact Manager at the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre, which commissioned the research, said: “Children who have special educational needs face disproportionate levels of exclusion and therefore may be more vulnerable to being targeted, groomed and exploited. This research shows how important it is to implement a well-resourced systemic response that includes schools, social, mental health and other services to prevent exploitation and respond swiftly if such abuse happens.”