#LookCloser

Children who are exploited often carry cash obtained from their exploitation and will visit bank branches to pay it into their abuser's account. They may also be made to launder money or transfer criminal proceeds through their own bank account.

Is a child or young person visiting your branch:

• Anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect or displaying other behaviours that make you worried about them?
• Behaving aggressively with you or other bank staff?
• Visiting a branch far from the account holder's address?
• Paying in a large quantity of cash?
• Being instructed or controlled by another individual? Or is someone keeping an eye on them from a distance?
• Receiving frequent messages and calls? Do they appear anxious when answering?

Is there concerning activity related to a child or young person's account?

• Are they paying in small amounts frequently?
• Is there more activity than you would expect to see on a young person's account?
• Are there cash deposits or transfers from unknown sources?
• Are there a lot of transport or accommodation transactions on the account?

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

As a delivery driver, you are working within communities and neighbourhoods, travelling through multiple public spaces during shifts. There may be opportunities for you to identify young people being exploited or abused within these spaces. 

Whilst delivering in the community, look closer for children or young people who are:

• Looking lost or in unfamiliar surroundings 
• Regularly in a public space during school hours or late at night
• On their own or meeting different adults who don't appear to be parents
• Being instructed or controlled by another individual
• Accompanied by individuals who are older than them.

Exploitation and abuse can also be visible inside houses. The majority of sexual abuse happens inside the family home and vulnerable adults’ properties can be taken over by criminals and used as a base. If you are delivering parcels, takeaways or other items to a house, you may be one of the only professionals in a position to spot and report concerns.

Things to look closer for in houses:

• Unaccompanied children visiting a house where only adults live
• Young people who are anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect or displaying other behaviours that make you worried
• Children with bruises, burns, bite marks or fractures
• Appearing guarded around particular individuals
• Shouting or violence towards a young person
• Increased callers at a property
• Increase in cars pulling up for short periods of a time
• Increased antisocial behaviour at a property
• Not seeing the resident for long periods of time
• Unfamiliar vehicles at the property.

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

Hotels, caravan parks, and rented accommodation are sadly being used to exploit and abuse children. This includes sexual abuse, criminal exploitation and Modern Slavery.

As reception or booking staff you can look closer for the following indicators that something might not be right:

• Last minute or walk-in bookings, particularly late at night  
• Guests only using a room for a few hours, with no notification of leaving
• Guests refusing to provide identification, leave credit card details and/or with little or no luggage
• Guests with a local address booking a room
• Guests in possession of large quantities of cash  
• Guests requesting a room that is isolated, or near the rear exit to the premises  
• A frequent guest of the hotel seen with a range of different young people  
• Bookings made in a different name to the person checking in  
• Guests arriving and asking for a specific room number, but not knowing the name in which the room is booked  
• Visitors to the accommodation without a room booking  
• Guests who do not want rooms cleaned and/or use the ‘do not disturb’ sign for long periods of time
• Repeat visitors to the accommodation at irregular hours
• Children or young people checking in with an adult or group of adults who do not appear to be their parents or guardians  
• Young people meeting others in public areas or car parks on your premises

As housekeeping staff, look closer for the following:

• Evidence of alcohol, drugs or substance misuse and/or contraception wrappers in guest rooms young people have been seen in 
• Signs of sexual or criminal activity having taken place in a room where young people have stayed or visited  

As bar staff, look closer for the following:

• Room service alcohol orders to rooms where there are guests who appear to be underage  
• Young people in the company of older young adult or older adult guests in the bar area  
• Adult customers purchasing alcohol for young people  
• Young people who appear anxious, frightened, angry or aggressive, showing signs of neglect, or displaying behaviours that cause you concern
• Young people who appear to be instructed or controlled by another individual.

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

If you’re a train or bus driver, ticket inspector, tram or airport worker or staff at an E-Scooter company, you can help make our transport network a safe space for young people.

Is a child or young person using your transport:

• Anxious, frightened, angry, aggressive, or displaying other behaviours that make you worried about them?
• Unfamiliar with their surroundings or appearing unsure about where they are travelling to?
• Not in possession of a relevant ticket or fare to travel as fare evasion may be an indicator of exploitation?
• In communication with or accompanied by older peers or adults who appear to be overseeing or controlling where they are travelling to?
• Spending a long time in a transport hub and appearing unsure about leaving?
• Making frequent trips or spending long period of time in the toilet during their journey?
• Appearing to actively avoid being seen by transport staff or police in the area?
• Travelling at unusual hours (such as during school hours, early in the morning, or late at night?) and/or to multiple destinations in one day or night?
• Paying by cash for an expensive journey?
• Showing signs of neglect and/or indicating they have been staying somewhere unsanitary or unsafe?
• Using language that you suspect relates to criminal activity?
• Receiving frequent calls and messages that they appear anxious to respond to promptly?

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

Young people may be exploited to shoplift or to beg on busy high streets, outside supermarkets or in shopping centres. They may be accompanied or overseen by their exploiter even if you can’t see them.

Exploiters may also accompany a victim into your store in order to buy them items such as clothes, trainers, phones and other tech as part of what we call ‘grooming’. Through purchasing these items the exploiter can build a connection and seem like someone to trust when they are in fact using it to cynically reel them in, in order to exploit and abuse them later. 

Is a child or young person in or nearby your store:

• Anxious, frightened, angry or aggressive, showing signs of neglect, or displaying behaviours that cause you concern?
• Shoplifting, begging, or pickpocketing?
• Do they appear to be instructed or controlled by another individual?
• Paying using accounts or bank cards that don't belong to them?
• Buying expensive items with quantities of cash you wouldn't expect a young person to have? Or having them bought for them by someone who doesn’t appear to be their parent or guardian?

Are there young people who are:

• Accompanied by groups of older individuals?
• Returning to your store with different adults each time?
• In retail spaces at times you wouldn't expect? For example, during school hours or late at night?

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

Taxis, ride shares and private hire vehicles are sometimes used to transport young people for the purpose of abuse and exploitation.  

As a driver you may overhear concerning conversations a young person is having on the phone. The act of abuse or exploitation may not be visible but the control, coercion, grooming and its impact on a young person may be.

Whilst sharing a vehicle with a young person, you may be the only one to hear and observe signs of exploitation and abuse.

As a driver, look closer for a child or young person:

• Travelling alone? Unfamiliar with the local area?
• Travelling at unusual hours (during school time, early in the morning, or late at night? 
• Travelling to multiple destinations in one day or night?
• Travelling long distances and paying for a journey that is expensive and would seem unrealistic for a young person to afford by themselves? 
• Paying for journeys in cash or prepaid? Carrying lots of cash?
• Anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect or displaying other behaviour that makes you worried?
• Using words describing criminal or sexual activity?

As a member of staff working in a hire car branch, look closer for a child or young person: 

• Being instructed or controlled by another individual
• Appearing guarded around particular individuals
• Anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect, or displaying other behaviours that make you worried
• Accompanied by another individual with suspicious booking information.

Look out for fraudulent documents, payments in cash, regular bookings to different areas of the country or differences between names and addresses of those making the booking and those hiring the car.

If something doesn't feel right, learn how to report it.

Fast food restaurants can be used by exploiters to build relationships with children and young people so they can then force them into acts of exploitation. This is known as grooming. 

Exploitation can also take place in the restaurant itself, such as children being made to hold and sell drugs while there. 

As a staff member look closer for a child or young person:

• Who appears to be controlled or directed by another person
• Who appears uncomfortable with an adult they are in the restaurant with
• Who is followed to the toilets and/or spending an unusual amount of time there
• Who is in possession of more than one mobile phone and/or carrying lots of cash
• Who has spent a long period of time in the restaurant and met multiple people there over time
• Who appears anxious, frightened, angry, showing signs of neglect, or displaying other behaviours that make you worried

If something doesn’t feel right, learn how to report it