Universal Service Pathway – education and prevention

Primary prevention aims to stop CCE before it starts by addressing the root causes of vulnerability and promoting protective environments. All children and young people benefit from universal services such as education, healthcare, and youth support, which play a foundational role in safeguarding. While a preliminary UNOCINI assessment could be completed by a health practitioner and it does not meet the threshold for referral to formal UNOCINI assessment by a Social Worker, it may result in other referrals and actions such as referral to community and voluntary sector support services.

Children and young people may become more susceptible to CCE when they have large amounts of unsupervised time and increased presence on online spaces, or other vulnerabilities that heighten their susceptibility to CCE. These can be understood as indicators that the child may fall within the definition of a Child in Need under Article 17 of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, which is used in practice to determine safeguarding thresholds.

Early identification of these vulnerabilities is critical to safeguarding children and young people, through a coordinated, multi-agency approach. Parents, carers, and practitioners working in education or universal services often have the closest day-to-day contact with children and young people and may be the first to notice signs of concern. However, it is essential that all services remain alert to early indicators of vulnerability or CCE, and respond with care, curiosity, and coordination.

Examples of primary prevention strategies: Universal approaches that aim to reduce risk and build protective environments before harm occurs:

• School-based education programmes on healthy relationships, consent, recognising manipulation, and online safety delivered in age-appropriate, inclusive ways.
• Inclusive school environments – whole-school approaches that promote
  belonging, reduce exclusion, and support engagement for all learners.
• Community awareness campaigns. Public education initiatives to raise awareness of CCE and challenge stigma and myths.
• Policy and structural initiatives aimed at reducing poverty, improving access to education, and addressing systemic inequalities and deprivation that increase vulnerability.
• Parenting and family support programmes delivered through Family Support Hubs to strengthen family relationships, build resilience, and support early help.
• Youth development programmes and activities that foster confidence, leadership, and life skills, helping young people build positive identities and aspirations.
• Safe community spaces through urban planning and community development that prioritise safe, inclusive environments for children and young people.
• Media and digital literacy awareness raising that empowers children and young people to critically assess online content, resist harmful influences, and stay safe online.
• Measuring impact - While baseline data on CCE in Northern Ireland is limited, progress can be tracked through indicators such as increased awareness and understanding of CCE, improved practitioner confidence and training, stronger multi-agency collaboration, and positive shifts in community and public attitudes toward exploitation and safeguarding.

Diagram 2 above provides a structured overview of the multi-agency service provision for responding to CCE in Northern Ireland. It integrates both Child Safeguarding and Child Protection systems, recognising that children and young people affected by exploitation may move between different levels of support depending on their changing levels of risk and need. The submission of a UNOCINI assessment is intended to address the presenting issues of a “Child in Need.” This ensures that concerns related to vulnerability, risk of exploitation, or early indicators of harm are responded to within the statutory framework and that appropriate multi‑agency support is coordinated effectively.

Family Support Pathway – early help for emerging concerns

Secondary prevention focuses on children and young people who are at increased risk of CCE due to contextual, familial, peer, or individual factors. These factors may include paramilitary influence, community violence, family breakdown, school exclusion, or housing instability. Children and young people may not recognise they are being targeted, especially when coercion is subtle and embedded in relationships.

The Family Support Pathway can be initiated when early signs of harm emerge. Practitioners play a key role in identifying concerns, applying professional judgement, and completing a UNOCINI assessment to inform appropriate support.

Warning signs can include disengagement from education, unexplained possessions, frequent absences, or contact with the justice system, which may reflect underlying exploitation. Practitioners are encouraged to look beyond presenting behaviours and ask what has happened to this child.

In the context of CCE, secondary prevention involves practitioners:

• Using UNOCINI assessments to understand the full context of the child or young person’s circumstances and needs and to inform support plans.
• Assessing vulnerabilities through practitioner-led discovery of CCE, using professional curiosity, careful observation, and the development of trusted relationships.
• Listening to the voices of children, young people, and families to co-create meaningful, practical solutions
• Initiating Inter-agency Referral Discussions (IRD) when concerns escalate.
• Empowering families through collaborative planning and voluntary engagement.
• Co-ordinating support through the Family Support Pathway and developing Family Support Plans with multi-agency input.
• Provide trauma-informed, non-stigmatising support.
• Liaising with youth services, schools, families, and community organisations to share concerns and coordinate support.
• Providing timely, proportionate interventions that address emerging risks.
• Aiming to prevent escalation to statutory intervention through multi-agency collaboration and empowerment of families.

Examples of secondary prevention interventions to support children and young people at higher risk of CCE:

1. Targeted mentoring programmes and peer support groups to respond to contextual risks in high-crime or high-risk areas with a focus on safeguarding, developing safety and contingency planning and building trust.
2. Family Support Hubs offering practical help, parenting support, and signposting to community resources. Tailored support for families experiencing known risk factors such as parental mental health challenges, or housing instability, to strengthen protective factors and reduce vulnerability.
3. Provision of universal services - midwives, public health nurses, delivering targeted interventions to children, young people, families and communities.
4. Specialist education support and programmes for children and young people excluded from mainstream education, offering inclusive, trauma-informed learning environments and pathways to re-engagement.
5. Proactive outreach and engagement services to children who are homeless, missing from care, or disengaged from services, ensuring they are supported in safe, non-judgemental ways.
6. Support for young people in conflict with the law. Interventions through Youth Justice Agency (e.g. Children’s Diversion Forums) or youth services that recognise the role of exploitation and trauma in lower-level offending, focusing on personal growth and development to desist from further offending, and resilience-building.
7. National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referrals should be completed for all suspected child victims of exploitation. Relevant criteria are outlined in section 2 of the NRM Guidance.
8. Skills and empowerment interventions including strengths-based programmes for children and young people with learning difficulties or behavioural needs, promoting self-efficacy, emotional regulation, and positive identity development.
9. Health Services addressing physical and emotional wellbeing, including access to CAMHS, if needed.
10. Community and Voluntary Sector organisations offering tailored support such as counselling, advocacy, and peer support.

Child Protection Pathway

Tertiary prevention focuses on children and young people at immediate risk or already experiencing significant harm due to CCE. At this stage the Child Protection Pathway is activated. Children and young people often face complex trauma and remain at risk of continued or repeat harm. This level of intervention involves intensive, statutory safeguarding and long-term support to ensure safety, disrupt perpetrators of CCE, and promote recovery.

In the context of CCE, tertiary prevention priorities include:

• An allocated Social Worker who takes responsibility for activating the Child Protection Pathway to remove the child from danger following an Inter-agency Referral Discussion (IRD) and Child Protection Case Conference.
• Development of a Child Protection Plan or A Looked After Care Plan where the child or young person is in the care of a HSCT either through voluntary accommodation or legal orders, should be undertaken in line with the Protecting Looked After Children (PLAC) guidance, with urgent safeguarding actions clearly outlined.
• Multi-agency response (PSNI, HSCT, Education Services, Youth Justice, CVS) to disrupt perpetrators and exploitation networks through multi-agency safeguarding and enforcement.
• NRM referrals should be completed for all suspected child victims of exploitation. Relevant criteria are outlined in section 2 of the NRM Guidance.
• Across Northern Ireland, the Independent Guardian Service offers support and guidance to children and young people who have been, or are suspected to have been, trafficked. The role of an Independent Guardian is outlined in the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Criminal Justice and Support for Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2015. The purpose of the role is to strengthen the protections available to children and young people who have been, or may have been, victims of human trafficking and/or who are separated from their primary caregivers. Further information can be accessed in the IGS Guidance. Where a child is not Looked After but requires safeguarding support, practitioners should consider the Child in Need Plan/Pathway.Emphasis is on contextual safeguarding and a flexible, responsive approach to changing levels of risk.
• Intensive case management and wraparound services tailored to individual needs.
• Review and Monitoring timelines - regular Core Group meetings should be held to review the plan, with adjustments made in response to the child or young person’s changing needs and circumstances. Where the child or young person is Looked After, reviews must be carried out in compliance with the Protecting Looked After Children (PLAC) Guidance and its associated requirements.

Examples of tertiary prevention strategies:

1. Trauma-informed therapeutic support - Access to specialised counselling and mental health services such as CAMHS or support for substance misuse.
2. Safe and supportive accommodation to remove the child or young person from exploitative environments (e.g., foster care, residential care). Safety planning may include additional risk assessments (e.g., Threat to Life) and supervision strategies.
3. Education and employment pathways – programmes that support re-engagement with education, training, and employment, helping young people rebuild confidence, skills, and future aspirations.
4. Intensive case management which requires coordinated, multi-agency support through dedicated practitioners, ensuring continuity of care and responsiveness to complex needs.
5. Peer support and mentoring providing opportunities for children and young people to connect with trained mentors or peers with lived experience, fostering trust, belonging, and hope.
6. Family and Community Support to help reduce risk factors (e.g., housing, financial support, parenting help, creating safe spaces).
7. Transition planning for older young people preparing to leave care to empower them to plan for their future as this is recognised as a period of risk.
8. Restorative justice approaches that recognise the role of coercion and trauma in offending behaviours, promoting safety and desistance.
9. Disruption and protection measures – targeted actions to disrupt exploiters and safeguarding children and young people, including intelligence-led policing, community safety initiatives, and contextual safeguarding strategies.