Workshop provides support to families affected by child exploitation

An innovative programme is aiming to support families affected by child exploitation and also raise awareness in the wider community.

Tameside Community Safety Partnership and Tameside Council’s Complex Safeguarding Team commissioned and funded the Just One Favour project, working in partnership with Odd Arts creative group, to support families with lived experience of child exploitation and also produce a film to help prevent further children being exploited.

Odd Arts spent the initial weeks building trust with the group, which involved local families. Over four to five months, they worked consistently with the parents/carers, fostering meaningful discussions about systemic changes needed to support families better.

From identifying key issues such as the need for early support, and issues of blame and judgement, the team have worked on creating a safe environment. Following this progressive work, the group created a film about their experiences to raise awareness and prevent other families from facing similar challenges.

The film is a celebration of what the group means to those involved, the support the group provides, along with the group’s five top asks to professionals working in this field.

Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Children’s and Families, Cllr Teresa Smith said: “This project has been really valuable is creating a safe space for families to come together, feel safe and share their experiences while also looking at what can be done to support families further and help prevent further families from being affected by child exploitation.  Thank you to everyone involved.”

For more information, please visit here - https://oddarts.co.uk/child-criminal-exploitation/

For support, please visit https://www.tameside.gov.uk/childabuse

Credit: Tameside Council