Find help if you think someone's being exploited

No matter how scared or worried you might be, there's always somebody who can help you. 

If you're concerned or worried about yourself or a friend, you can:

Find out more about child exploitation on The Children's Society website.

Report a concern about a child

Contact our Family Support and Advice Line to report someone you're worried about.

Report now

Child exploitation and what it means

There are some people who use children and young people for their own advantage or profit. 

This is called child exploitation and it comes in many forms. Child exploitation can happen to anybody and can happen anywhere and in many ways, including:

  • drugs
  • sex
  • work

It's important that we can all recognise the signs that a child or young person is not okay. This will help us all look out for one another and keep each other safe.

Know the signs of when someone is not okay

That's why we're all asking everyone to know the signs when a child or young person is not okay and to take action to help them. These are the groups in Dorset who are helping with this:

  • Dorset Youth Council
  • Dorset Police
  • NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group
  • Public Health Dorset
  • Youth Offending Service
  • Care Leavers' Forum
  • Dorset Council 

A young person who's being exploited may show some of these signs; they may:

  • be going missing from school or home
  • return home late or stay out all night
  • be found in areas away from home
  • have unexplained money, phone(s), clothes, jewellery or other expensive gifts
  • receive an excessive number of texts or phone calls
  • be secretive about who they're talking to and where they're going
  • act differently
  • not want to spend as much time with their friends
  • be in relationships with controlling or older people
  • get involved in gangs
  • self-harm or show signs of physical assault or unexplained injuries