Child Zeta - a call for safeguarding reform

Knife possession must be treated as a safeguarding issue. While professionals were aware that ‘Child Zeta’ carried a knife from early 2022, the reasons for this behaviour, fear, threats, and need for protection, were not sufficiently explored or addressed in planning.

Recommendation: Where agencies are aware that a child is carrying a knife, this must be clearly stated in assessments and plans. Plans should explain why the knife is carried and what measures are in place to reduce the perceived need. This must be reviewed regularly and include consideration of non-statutory support to help children exit exploitation.

Disruption strategies such as arrests and stop-and-search increased ‘Child Zeta’s exposure to debt bondage, as exploiters punished him for lost drugs. Encrypted communication and a lack of intelligence-sharing meant exploiters higher in the chain were not identified. Despite a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referral and a positive decision, court proceedings continued without proper safeguarding consideration.

Recommendation: The Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the Solicitors Regulation Authority should jointly consider issuing guidance for criminal lawyers on what to do when they become aware of safeguarding concerns involving child clients.

‘Child Zeta’s out-of-area placement was secured quickly and involved him in decision-making. However, contact with exploiters continued through social media and in-person visits. Differing interpretations of risk between authorities resulted in inconsistent safeguarding responses.

Recommendation: When children are placed out of area, agencies in both locations must ensure child-centred assessments of risk, including shared understanding of thresholds and how risk is addressed in each plan.

Social media played a key role in ‘Child Zeta’s ongoing exploitation, yet was not routinely included in risk assessments or safeguarding plans.

Recommendation: Professionals working with children suspected or known to be exploited must talk to the young person about social media use and include findings in all assessments and safety planning.

‘Child Zeta’s case raises questions about how cultural background, racial identity, and refugee trauma intersect with safeguarding. Though Brighton & Hove has made progress through anti-racist strategies and reflective practice, the review highlights the need for continued development in cultural competence and unconscious bias.

Recommendation: Brighton & Hove City Council should facilitate regular reflective spaces for practitioners to explore lived experiences related to race, culture, and religion. These must foster psychological safety, challenge biases, and incorporate the findings of the National Panel report “It’s Silent”: Race, Racism and Safeguarding Children.

‘Child Zeta’ attended court in Brighton, an area known to his exploiters, without protective measures. His Conclusive Grounds NRM decision (meaning authorities officially recognised him as a victim of modern slavery and exploitation) was not taken into account in managing court processes, and his family were not informed due to his request for privacy. The legal system lacked trauma-informed processes and safeguards.

Recommendation: The Surrey & Sussex Criminal Justice Partnership Board should review best practices for listing exploited children in court to prioritise safety. A national CSPR recommendation is also required to guide judicial practice in such cases.