Guidance

Threats to life

Threats to life whether from paramilitary groups, organised crime, or other sources are a serious safeguarding concern and must be addressed under statutory obligations, including Article 2 of the Human Rights Act. These threats often arise in contexts such as Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE), Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), drug-related coercion, and organised crime.

Where an immediate risk to life is identified, practitioners must activate emergency safeguarding procedures: refer to police, initiate multi-agency risk assessment, and involve social care as appropriate. Early identification, trauma-informed engagement, and robust information-sharing are essential. Exploitation frequently involves grooming, coercion, and violence, and victims may present as individuals involved in offending behaviour, prompt action is critical to prevent harm.

The flowchart below taken from the UNOCINI Framework, outlines the key steps in the Preliminary Assessment Process under UNOCINI, guiding practitioners through the decision-making process to ensure decisions made are defensible and take cognisance of safeguarding concerns, to enable an effective response.

Practitioner Considerations

  • Exploitation may not be immediately visible and can be masked by behaviours such as aggression, withdrawal, or truancy.
  • Children and young people may not disclose exploitation willingly. Behaviours that may appear challenging or risky should be interpreted through the lens of trauma, coercion, and unmet needs. Assessments must be trauma-informed and non-blaming.
  • UNOCINI supports early intervention and avoids duplication by building on previous assessments.
  • Risk and needs assessment must incorporate professional curiosity and judgement, detailed analysis, and multi-agency input.
  • Exploitation rarely occurs in isolation from a child or young person’s wider environment. Practitioners must adopt a contextual safeguarding lens, which is an approach that will involve them examining the influence of social, familial, peer, and community contexts on a child or young person’s safety and well-being that may contribute to community influences, and environmental risks, and exploitation.
  • Risk assessments must not solely focus on the child or young person’s actions. Practitioners should seek to understand the methods, motivations, and relationships used by perpetrators to manipulate and control children and young people.