Supporting awareness and prevention in schools

Child Exploitation (CE) Awareness Week brings partners together to raise awareness, strengthen prevention and promote early action across Essex.

Education providers play a key role during the week by helping young people:

• Understand what exploitation is
• Recognise grooming and pressure
• Know where to get help
• Feel safe speaking to trusted adults

 

Education focus day

The education focus day highlights:

• Exploitation as abuse, not a choice
• How exploitation develops over time
• Why it can be difficult to recognise
• The importance of speaking to a trusted adult

 

CE School lesson pack

As part of Child Exploitation (CE) Awareness Week, education providers are supported to deliver a structured lesson pack for Year 9 (can be used for Year 9,10 or 11) to help students understand exploitation in a safe, age‑appropriate way.

Rather than a one‑off assembly, this resource is designed as a 55-minute lesson, enabling smaller group delivery, interaction and guided discussion. It uses a lived‑experience case study from an Essex young person to help students understand how exploitation develops over time.

 

How the lesson works

The session is delivered as a guided learning experience, combining:

• A lived‑experience video
• Structured reflective discussion points
• Key safeguarding messages

Students are supported to:

• Understand what exploitation is
• Recognise how grooming and control develop over time
• Identify early warning signs
• Understand that exploitation is abuse, not a choice
• Know how to seek help for themselves or others

The lesson uses staged discussions to help students explore how situations change, rather than presenting exploitation as a single event.

 

A safe, trauma‑informed approach

The lesson is designed to be:

• Age‑appropriate and suitable for Year 9 plus students
• Trauma‑informed, avoiding blame or judgement
• Facilitated rather than delivered at, allowing for safe discussion
• Carefully structured to raise awareness without encouraging over sharing of experiences within a group setting

Students are reminded:

• They do not need to share personal experiences
• Support is available if they need to talk
• They can speak to a trusted adult in school

Schools are encouraged to ensure:

• A staff member (e.g. pastoral/DSL) is present
• Follow‑up support or a safe space is available if needed

 

Key messages for students

The lesson reinforces clear, consistent messages:

• Exploitation is abuse, not a choice
• It often starts with something that feels positive
• It develops over time through grooming
• It can happen to any young person
• It can be hard to speak up, but help is available
• Talking to a trusted adult can make a difference

 

Why this approach is effective

Delivering this as a lesson (rather than a large assembly) allows:

• Safer, more contained discussions
• Opportunities for reflection and questions
• Stronger relationships with trusted adults
• Better identification of support needs

It also aligns with the Risk in the Community approach, helping students understand how exploitation can happen in local contexts and everyday situations, not just in isolated scenarios.

To book the lesson with staff from the Risk in the Community Team and The Children’s Society as part of CE Awareness week, school must complete the referral form: Request For Early Help Support

Please note following instructions when completing the form;

•  Fill out the personal details of the person completing the form
• Ticking risky or unsafe behaviours and noting CE Awareness Day
• Providing the details of the young people – this can be for the entire year group or individual classes/tutor groups depending on what is easier
• Where it states how many sessions, schools to just note how many classes/tutor groups that school has in that year group and timing can just be their school hours
• Email the form to fifreferrals@childrenssociety.org.uk 

 

Key Resources;

CE Awareness Week 2026: Officer Impact Log