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<p>Further to the answer provided by the former Home Secretary (Sajid Javid), my right
hon. Friend, the Member for Bromsgrove, on 15 July, the statutory guidance ‘Working
together to safeguard children (2018)’ sets out how the 3 safeguarding partners –
the police, Clinical Commissioning Groups and the local authority - should have a
clear understanding of the collective needs of children locally when commissioning
effective services. These collective needs include the risks of criminal exploitation
that are faced by children. In addition, the local authority is under a duty to monitor
and report on serious child safeguarding incidents to the Child Safeguarding Practice
Review Panel.</p><p> </p><p>The safeguarding partners must publish an annual report
setting out what they have done as a result of the arrangements, including how effective
these arrangements have been in practice. They must also include how they will use
data and intelligence to assess the effectiveness of the help being provided to children
and families as well as the procedures and processes for cases relating to the abuse,
neglect and exploitation of children, including in relation to child criminal exploitation.</p><p>
</p><p>As part of the department’s annual ‘Children in Need’ census, local authorities
are also required to report to the department on the factors identified at the end
of the assessment of children, including trafficking, missing children, gangs and
child sexual exploitation, all of which may be related to the risk of child criminal
exploitation.</p><p> </p><p>The Home Office have provided £3.6 million for the establishment
of the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) to enhance the intelligence
picture and support cross-border efforts to tackle county lines. The NCLCC supports
operational policing as well as providing a central point at which intelligence and
information is shared and the links with criminal exploitation and illegal drugs markets
are identified.</p><p> </p><p>In November 2018, the Director General of the National
Crime Agency formally tasked all Chief Constables to direct all forces to implement
a more consistent and prioritised intelligence and operational response, in respect
of county lines drugs supply, to include the submission of intelligence to the NCLCC
and a prioritised response to high-risk lines and gangs.</p><p> </p>
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