Recommendation 36

HM Government Deferred

The Government accepts these recommendations. The Drug Strategy sets out a whole-system approach to tackling county lines, combining targeted law enforcement action with comprehensive measures to reduce demand for drugs and to re-build the drug treatment and recovery sector. This includes a clear focus on preventing children and young people from becoming exploited by county lines and supporting those who have been exploited. Since the launch of the Drug Strategy in 2021, over 1,300 county lines have been closed, over 2,000 arrests have been made, and over 3,200 safeguarding referrals have been made to support vulnerable children and young people. To prevent children and young people from becoming exploited by county lines, the Government is investing in a range of early intervention and prevention programmes. This includes the £17m Early Intervention Fund, delivered via Violence Reduction Units (VRUs), which supports young people at high risk of involvement in serious violence. Many VRUs deliver trauma-informed training to frontline professionals who support children and young people at risk of involvement in serious violence, including those exploited by county lines. The Government is also working to ensure that children and young people exploited by county lines are kept out of the criminal justice system where appropriate. This includes supporting the use of diversion schemes, which offer an alternative to formal criminal justice sanctions for young people who have committed low-level offences. We are currently rolling out pilots to expand the use of Out of Court Disposals (OOCDs) for drug possession offences, and to better understand efficacy of educational interventions for offenders. As part of this, the Home Office aims to establish a more detailed national picture of OOCDs, by examining their provision in all 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales. The Government is committed to ensuring that drug treatment services for children and young people are linked up with exploitation services to ensure that they receive holistic support. OHID has provided guidance and support to local areas on developing needs-led services for young people, and is working with NHS England to ensure better integration between drug and alcohol treatment and children’s mental health services. The Government also recognises the importance of a clear and consistent approach to identifying and responding to child criminal exploitation. In February 2023, the Government published new guidance on Child Criminal Exploitation, which provides a comprehensive framework for identifying, assessing and responding to CCE. The guidance was developed with extensive input from a range of stakeholders, including law enforcement, local authorities, and children’s charities. The Government will consider the Committee’s recommendation to adopt a statutory definition on Child Criminal Exploitation, as part of ongoing work to strengthen the response to CCE. This includes considering the findings from the consultation on the review of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which closed in May 2023.