Source · Select Committees · Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Accepted
Paragraph: 48
Undertake an audit of Northern Ireland’s framework for safeguarding children from paramilitary exploitation.
Recommendation
To counter the risk and reality of people romanticising paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland, it is crucial that public agencies and wider civic society use language rooted in safeguarding and child protection when describing the activities of these criminal gangs which include the abuse and exploitation, including sexual abuse and exploitation, of children and young people. The Government, or the Executive when it returns, must undertake an audit of the extent to which the Northern Ireland framework for safeguarding children and young people protects those abused by paramilitary or organised crime gangs. This should include an assessment of the extent to which the PSNI and other crime agencies currently utilise the powers contained in the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 with respect to the exploitation of children. The Government must work with the Executive, when it is established, to develop an integrated strategy to protect children and young people from the harm perpetuated by these groups. In particular, the Government must work with the NI Department of Justice as soon as possible to agree a definition for Child Criminal Exploitation which takes account of current Home Office guidance.
Government Response Summary
The government notes that the NI Executive's Child Criminal Exploitation Task and Finish Group is developing a CCE definition aligned with Home Office guidance, with updated policies expected by year-end. The CCE action plan and draft MSHT Strategy also aim to improve awareness of child exploitation offences and NRM referrals.
Paragraph Reference:
48
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The UK Government acknowledges the importance of work to ensure that the Northern Ireland framework for safeguarding children and young people protects those abused by paramilitary or organised crime gangs. This is a policy area for which responsibility has been devolved to the NI Executive. The restoration of the NI Executive provides an important opportunity to make progress on this issue. Following advice from the NI Children’s Commissioner, a Child Criminal Exploitation Task and Finish Group was established by the cross departmental Child Protection Senior Officials Group (CPSOG) to make recommendations on an improved system wide response to child criminal exploitation, drawing on lessons learned from the EPPOC. The Northern Ireland Department of Justice, working jointly with the Department of Health, led on the work of the Task and Finish group and its recommendations were subsequently approved by CPSOG. The CCE action plan that has been developed is monitored through the CPSOG sub-group with an implementation timescale of 24 months. Funding has also been secured from EPPOC for a dedicated CCE Professional Officer employed by the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI) and work on a number of key CCE actions will be coordinated through the SBNI Child Exploitation Committee. Across the departments and partner agencies involved in the Task and Finish group, a definition for child criminal exploitation has now been agreed for NI, informed by research with young people on their perceptions and experiences of child criminal exploitation in NI. The definition takes account of Home Office guidance. Work is ongoing to include the new definition in relevant policies and procedures. It is intended that policies will be updated before the end of the year. In turn the implementation of these policies should strengthen the criminal justice system’s ability to prosecute offenders and improve prosecution rates. Other actions in the CCE action plan include, in line with the draft three-year Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT) Strategy 2024–27, increasing awareness of offences as they relate to children in the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act NI 2015 (“the 2015 Act”) and consideration of whether it is in the child’s best interests to make a referral into the National Referral Mechanism. The draft MSHT Strategy 2024–27 also includes a number of actions to improve support for child victims and to increase awareness of the NRM across a range of agencies in Northern Ireland.