ABSTRACT
The above comments from the government initiative ‘Aim high for young people: a 10 year strategy for positive activities’ (DCSF 2007) are just two of many which advocate funded opportunities for the most marginalised and disaffected young people within the UK. They reflect the need for long-term funding for the work. This has been identified by youth workers, researchers and specialist services in touch with sexually exploited children and young people, who have argued that effective work with sexually exploited children and young people is reliant upon specialist services being adequately funded, not for a one-year period but for the medium and long term, so that trusting relationships can be built and sustained (Melrose and Barrett 2004, Chase and Statham 2005, Scott and Skidmore 2006). Unfortunately, far too many of the few specialist services for sexually exploited children and young people that do currently exist in the UK have limited funding, often for one year only. As a result, they place substantial time and effort into trying to protect themselves from the regular threats to their continued existence. This does not provide a conducive environment for developing high-quality sustained interventions that the staff and young people can rely upon, and ultimately undermines the development and sharing of good practice. Although the knowledge base and the policy framework for sexually exploi-
ted children and young people has improved since 2000, we still find ourselves
for exploited children and young people in their locality. This chapter gives an overview of some of the developments that have taken place in policy and practice with sexually exploited children and young people since the issuing of the Department of Children Schools and Families (DCSF) guidance in 2000.
