'Coronavirus putting some Cheshire teenagers at risk of grooming'

That is the stark warning from Anne Longfield, children's commissioner for England, who says youngsters that were already falling through the gaps in the school and social care system are now at even greater risk due to the impact of Covid-19.

These young people are at greater risk of exploitation, poor mental health and domestic violence and addiction in the home due to the coronavirus pandemic, her report says.

Ms Longfield said: "Many of these children, and I fear many thousands of other vulnerable teenagers, have had very little structure to their lives over the last six months.

“School was often a stretch for them, and I am concerned we are never going to get some of them back into education.

“If we do not act now, this could result in a lost generation of teens – dropping out of school, going under the radar, getting into trouble, and at risk of being groomed by gangs and criminals.”

What the commissioner found in Cheshire

The commissioner analysed a range of data for a report published this month.

Using figures from 2017-18, her analysis found 543 children aged 13 to 17 who were at risk of slipping through the cracks in Cheshire East, including Knutsford, Wilmslow and Middlewich.

Ms Longfield also found a further 539 children aged 13 to 17 in Cheshire West, including Northwich and Winsford, who were at risk according to the 2017-18 figures.

The data includes children who were 'bounced around' or went missing from the care system, were excluded from or dropped out of school, or had high levels of unauthorised absence.

They also include youngsters those who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) as of December 2017.

However, both Cheshire boroughs fall well below the national average for the number of teenagers at risk, with Cheshire East having the lowest proportion affected out of any north west borough and Cheshire West sitting 20th out of 23 in the list.

Ms Longfield's report says that the problem has been compounded by closures of schools, youth services, summer schemes, parks and leisure activities, with those affected in danger of remaining 'invisible' after lockdown restrictions ease.

She is calling on the Government, schools, councils, the police and other groups to work together to support these children.

“We must not look back in five years at a generation of vulnerable teenagers who fell out of society and ended up drifting into crime and unemployment,” Ms Longfield added.

What Cheshire's councils say

Cllr Kathryn Flavell, CEC cabinet member for children and families, says the council and the partners it works with – such as Cheshire Police – are aware of the 'real risks for our young people in being exploited'.

She told the Guardian: “In Cheshire East we have a robust three-year strategy that forms our collective response to prevent harm and reduce risk through the active pursual of the adults who are at the root of children’s exploitation, and we offer support and recovery for children for whom this is part of their experience.

“Any young person who becomes a victim of exploitation is one too many – sadly though, the risks are present in all communities. A critical part of our response in helping to protect these vulnerable young people, is the role of the community, which can help us spot the signs and report abusive exploitation of children and help to expose the adults who use them.

“We want to reassure our communities, children and their parents that the potential impact of the pandemic on children’s vulnerability is understood and we have been proactive in ensuring that we have plans in place for those children and their families most at risk.

“We are prepared for responding to individual cases as restrictions are relaxed and are working with our police colleagues to bring the adults who exploit our children to justice."

Meanwhile, CWAC says it also works with other bodies to make sure it is protecting youngsters and ensuring they get 'the best start in life', and uses early intervention to tackle issues as soon as possible.

The borough also has a Safeguarding Children Partnership working with schools and educational services to reduce exclusions, providing awareness sessions for secondary school pupils and conferences to professionals and parents about supporting young people and their wellbeing.

Cllr Bob Cernik, CWAC cabinet member for children and families, added: “We have a robust child exploitation strategy and process in place, including details about tackling child sexual exploitation, which has been prepared with neighbouring authorities and partners.

“Throughout the lockdown period we have worked closely with schools and other services to ensure teenagers and young people at risk were kept in sight and remain engaged with services. The council’s family intervention workers and parenting team have also continued to work with families to offer family and parenting support.

“There will be a range of holiday activity clubs across the borough over the summer break offering free nutritious food and a range of activities for children and young people to enjoy. These funds were issued to various local organisations who submitted business plans.

"In addition we have launched a trauma recovery model that provides guidance to schools and wider professionals to help support all children and young people to provide them with the help they need as they come out of lockdown and return to a new normal.”

How to report concerns about vulnerable teenagers

Anyone who has information about youngsters who are at risk is urged to contact police on 101 or visit cheshire.police.uk

Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.