The ROSE Project

Our ROSE project stands for Reaching Out on Sexual Exploitation, supporting young people throughout Norfolk, who have been affected by child sexual exploitation.

Our dedicated team – consisting of CSE & Therapeutic Practitioners, & Outreach Worker – provides a range of specialist services to young people who are affected by child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Norfolk.

“I’m impressed with the quality of evidence & the impact they have on addressing the risks of CSE. The project is child-centred & committed to getting the best outcomes for children at risk. The ROSE Project is an asset to Norfolk & has made valuable contributions to the county’s strategic direction.”
Norfolk Safeguarding Children Board Manager.

Worried about a young person?

If you are a professional with concerns for a young person around CSE then in the first instance you will need to contact Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) directly, on 0344 800 8021.  This is where are CSE concerns are assessed.

If you are a member of the public you can contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) – on  0344 800 8020 – with your concerns.

If you consider the incident to be an emergency then call 999.

Language

Please be aware of the impact of your language. Young people who have been exploited have been abused and they are not responsible for their abuse, for ‘risky decisions’ or not getting themselves out of abusive situations. Abusers gain and maintain control slowly and often subtly. They are often practiced in terms of grooming and tricking young people into staying with them, and even defending them to concerned people around the young person. It will often take time for a young person to understand that they were exploited, as they may feel as though they gave their consent to sexual activity. The blame and responsibility should be with the abuser for the situation, and plans should not focus on what the young person can do to change their situation, remove themselves from harm, rather on disrupting the abuser’s tactics of control and exploitation. Please challenge yourself every time you speak to a young person who has been harmed, that you do not encourage in your language any feelings or blame for their abuse.

Boys & Young Men

CSE can happen to any young person. Please challenge yourself in situations by reversing the gender of the young person, for instance would you be more concerned if it was a girl rather than a boy? There is still a tendency for boys to be picked up and supported around child criminal exploitation (CCE) and indicators of child sexual Exploitation are missed.

Equally we see that where CCE is identified well and reported where boys are affected, girls being sexually exploited in these spaces can be missed. We need to keep our eyes open for all risks and needs of young people.

16 +

We can see that exploitation does not end the day someone turns 18 years old. We set up a transition service for this age group 3 years ago. We wanted to support young people as they reach 18 and be a bridge for them as they see services fall away. Many times people do not recognise CSE in 16/17 year olds as they can legally consent to sex and may be deemed old enough to make ‘risky choices’. Whilst we acknowledge young people have increasing right to make decisions over their lives at this age, we also are passionate that they deserve protection from abusers like any other young person.

 

Sessions for Professionals

Once every three months we hold sessions for professionals from other agencies. These sessions are hosted by a member of the team, they usually last about an hour and are a great opportunity to share our work, experiences and new developments. Please call the office on 01603610256 for more information and/or to book a place.

How to Refer

1:1 support

When concerns are passed to the Children’s Advice and Duty Service (CADS) on 0344 800 8021 they are screened and assessed to be at either standard, medium or high risk of CSE. We accept referrals for medium/high risk young people from social workers and the Police.

We also accept referrals from social workers from other local authorities for young people placed in Norfolk who have been screened at medium or high risk of CSE using a spot purchase arrangement . All concerns must still go through the Child and Adolescent Duty Service (CADS) on 0344 800 8021.

Contact roseproject@magdalenegroup.org for referral form or for more information.

 

 

 

 

Outreach

Contact roseproject@magdalenegroup.org for more information.

Sexual Health

Contact roseproject@magdalenegroup.org for more information.

Transition 18-25

Contact roseproject@magdalenegroup.org for referral form or for more information.