Receives unexplained/unidentified phone calls whilst in placement Has a history with missing links and unexplained moves Grooming Grooming can happen in person, online and in gangs or groups. Once they have established trust, groomers will exploit the relationship by isolating the child from friends or family and making the child feel dependent on them. They will use any means of power or control to make a child believe they have no choice but to do what they want. Groomers may introduce 'secrets' as a way to control or frighten the Sometimes they will blackmail the child, or make them feel ashamed or guilty, to stop them telling anyone about the abuse. Groomers can use social media sites, instant messaging apps including teen dating apps, or online gaming platforms to connect with a young person or child. They can spend time learning about a young person’s interests from their online profiles and then use this knowledge to help them build up a relationship. It’s easy for groomers to hide their identity online - they may pretend to be a child and then chat and become with children they are targeting. ‘friends’ Groomers may look for: usernames or comments that are flirtatious or have a sexual meaning public comments that suggest a child has low self-esteem or is vulnerable Groomers don’t always target a particular child. Sometimes they will send messages to hundreds of young people and wait to see who responds. Groomers no longer need to meet children in real life to them. Increasingly, groomers are sexually exploiting their victims by persuading them to take part in online sexual activity. Groomers may be male or female. They could be any age. Many children and people don't understand that they have been groomed, or that what has happened is abuse. Grooming can be more than just one single person, it can happen in gangs or groups of people who are of both the same, and different, age, ethnicity, religion and social backgrounds. For further guidance please refer to
Receives unexplained/unidentified phone calls whilst in placement Has a history with missing links and unexplained moves Grooming Grooming can happen in person, online and in gangs or groups. Once they have established trust, groomers will exploit the relationship by isolating the child from friends or family and making the child feel dependent on them. They will use any means of power or control to make a child believe they have no choice but to do what they want. Groomers may introduce 'secrets' as a way to control or frighten the Sometimes they will blackmail the child, or make them feel ashamed or guilty, to stop them telling anyone about the abuse. Groomers can use social media sites, instant messaging apps including teen dating apps, or online gaming platforms to connect with a young person or child. They can spend time learning about a young person’s interests from their online profiles and then use this knowledge to help them build up a relationship. It’s easy for groomers to hide their identity online - they may pretend to be a child and then chat and become ‘friends’ with children they are targeting. Groomers may look for: usernames or comments that are flirtatious or have a sexual meaning public comments that suggest a child has low self-esteem or is vulnerable Groomers don’t always target a particular child. Sometimes they will send messages to hundreds of young people and wait to see who responds. Groomers no longer need to meet children in real life to them. Increasingly, groomers are sexually exploiting their victims by persuading them to take part in online sexual activity. Groomers may be male or female. They could be any age. Many children and people don't understand that they have been groomed, or that what has happened is abuse. Grooming can be more than just one single person, it can happen in gangs or groups of people who are of both the same, and different, age, ethnicity, religion and social backgrounds. For further guidance please refer to
Safeguarding-Policy-Master-Sept-2017-3.docx