County Lines

County lines is a form of criminal exploitation where urban gangs persuade, coerce or force children and young people to store drugs and money and/or transport them to suburban areas, market towns and coastal towns (Home Office, 2018). It can happen in any part of the UK and is against the law and a form of child abuse.

Children and young people may be criminally exploited in multiple ways. Other forms of criminal exploitation include child sexual exploitation, trafficking, gang and knife crime.

This can be a particularly worrying topic for students, parents/carers and staff, however, there is lots of information available to ensure that we know and understand the risks and signes in order to effectively support our young people.  Please do take some time to look at the links below and should you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Safeguarding Team.

Protecting Children from County Lines County Lines Leaflet