Hundreds of victims of county lines exploitation will be helped
to escape drug gangs following the expansion of support services
in four priority locations - London, West Midlands, Merseyside
and Greater Manchester - where young people are often targeted.
The Home Office has today (24 September) allocated up to £5
million to better support young people and their families for the
next three years, and help free them from the grasp of vicious
county lines gangs.
A one-to-one specialist support service for young people under
25, delivered by not-for-profit organisation Catch22, will safely
make contact with young people who have been referred by
safeguarding partners, such as the police and children’s
services, and work with them to exit their involvement in county
lines activity.
If under 25s are identified outside of their hometowns, a rescue
service will be deployed to bring them home safely, offering a
pivotal moment for them to engage with caseworkers and protect
their futures.
The service will also offer mental health support and
counselling to the young people and their families, to help deal
with the trauma of their experiences.
They will operate across the four largest exporting areas for
county lines activity, aligning with the police forces that are
part of the government’s county lines programme.
Home Office Minister, , said:
I want victims of exploitation to know that we are on their side
– and that there is a way out, a brighter future available.
Since 2019, the government’s county lines programme has shut down
2,400 lines, made over 8,000 arrests and engaged more than 9,500
individuals through safeguarding interventions.
These services will be relentless in their focus to carve
out safe routes home for young people in danger and tear them
away from the grip of these merciless county lines gangs, opening
up their futures once more.
As part of the package of support, funding will also be allocated
to continue the delivery of the national confidential and
anonymous helpline ‘SafeCall’, delivered across England and Wales
by Missing People – including bespoke support for parents and
carers. Since it was established in late 2017, the helpline has
supported 480 young victims of county lines exploitation and
their families.
Chief Executive Officer at Catch22, Naomi Hulston, said:
For children and young people who are victims of county lines
activity, the impact on their lives – and the lives of those
around them – is devastating. We know that grooming techniques
are becoming more advanced and that escaping the clutches of
these perpetrators can be incredibly difficult. That’s why as
part of this service we’ll not only be bringing young people home
safely, we’ll be supporting them to make sure they can process
their experiences and are protected from any future harm.
Director of Policy and Development at Missing People, Susannah
Drury, said:
SafeCall provides confidential, anonymous support to young
victims of county lines exploitation and their families – helping
them get safe, stay safe and deal with the challenges they face.
Our expert team is available 9am to 11pm, 7 days a week to
provide support via our free helpline – text or call 116000.
Missing People is proud to be providing the SafeCall service
across England and Wales to help young victims and their families
through crisis and trauma.
County lines activity refers to drug trafficking operations which
often sees children or vulnerable adults groomed to run drugs
from one city to other parts of the country, usually coupled with
extreme violence and coercive behaviour.
