Telford continues to deliver on child exploitation commitment
Telford & Wrekin Council is shining a light on its Children Abused Through Exploitation (CATE) team’s recent work with local organisations including schools, youth clubs, voluntary groups and community groups to tie in with National Child Exploitation Awareness Day on 18 March.
Over the past couple of weeks, the CATE team has visited 17 local schools and other child-centred organisations across the borough in the lead up to today’s National Child Exploitation Awareness Day, delivering awareness-raising sessions to young people and the staff and volunteers who work with them.
The sessions were interactive and included quizzes, visual aids and materials for young people to take away, as the team provided information on how and where to get support.
Councillor Shirley Reynolds, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, Education, Employment & Skills, said:
“The feedback from the sessions was excellent from both adults and young people who said they found them really informative.”
“It’s part of our focussed ongoing work to keep children in our borough safe, including protecting them from child sexual exploitation.”
The Council, whose Independent Inquiry into Telford Child Sexual Exploitation was completed in July 2024, has been praised for its work to improve its response to child sexual exploitation (CSE).
The independent inquiry Chair, Tom Crowther KC, commended the Council for being the only local authority to involve ‘lived experience’ consultees in the improvement journey.
In his closing statement, Mr Crowther said:
“Telford’s approach – the Council’s approach – to the Recommendations, to engagement with its key partners and most of all with those three people it let down as children, now stands as a model. All involved […] deserve our very high praise.”
Cllr Reynolds added:
“Protecting children and young people is the most important thing we do.
“I know our CATE team work tirelessly to help young people and their families across our borough, and I’m so pleased this work has been informed by insight shared with us by our Lived Experience Consultees. Thanks to their bravery and support, and the Council’s determination, we can be confident we are doing everything we can to keep young people safe.
Councillor Lee Carter, Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, said:
“Our annual CSE report published in February 2025 shows the tremendous progress we’ve made together.
“But we know our work never stops, as criminals will always look for new ways to commit crime. So, we’ll continue to raise our game as we deliver on our commitment to meet and exceed the recommendations made by the independent inquiry, including implementing insight gained from our recent annual report, maintaining training for all council staff, raising awareness within our communities and encouraging people to always report concerns.”
To find out more or report concerns about child sexual exploitation, please visit Telford & Wrekin Council’s dedicated website at SaySomethingTelford.co.uk where you can also find support for victims and their families.
