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1/9 For the second long read from Crest’s 'County Lines and Looked After Children' research project, @JoeCaluori examines whether the growing use of unregulated care homes has increased the risk of exploitation in #CountyLines drug networks
2/9 for vulnerable adolescents in the care system, drawing on the findings of field research in Merseyside.
3/9 What are the lessons from Merseyside and will the Government’s proposals go far enough to resolve the weaknesses in the current system?
4/9 Is the present system placing vulnerable adolescents in settings which are little more than ‘Government-funded trap houses’, used by organised crime groups to recruit and exploit them in county lines?
5/9 For the research, Crest analysed data on children reported missing in the Merseyside Police Force Area and spoke to a number of senior police officers charged with disrupting county lines and protecting vulnerable children in Merseyside Police.
6/9 Chart C shows that whereas around 4 in 10 missing incidents reported to Merseyside Police involved looked after children, this cohort accounted for over a half of missing incidents in which the child had a CCE flag.
7/9 Notably, 1 in 5 of the missing incidents involving a child with a county lines flag involved a child from semi-independent accommodation.
8/9 Read the analysis, ''Government funded trap houses'? Unregulated care homes and County Lines' by @JoeCaluori, in full here: https://bit.ly/2E3rgLE
9/9 "There is always an easy escape living in [unregulated] supported accommodation and that's drugs because no matter what day or time it is you can always get hold of some or somebody is always willing to share."
Young person in an unregulated setting
Young person in an unregulated setting
