Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support his Department provides to children below the minimum age of criminal responsibility who (a) are or (b) have been involved in county lines activity.
We do not provide specific support services to children under 10 involved in county lines activity. However the Government provides a range of support for county lines victims including: funding Young People’s Advocates in Birmingham, Manchester and London; funding through the Trusted Relationships fund of £13 million over two years to help foster relationships between frontline professionals and young people at risk of exploitation including county lines; publication of guidance for frontline professionals on how to identify potential victims of county lines and the appropriate referral routes; £17.7 million over two years through the Early Intervention Youth Fund to help deliver services to support and prevent young people from getting involved in crime, including county lines. The funds are not restricted by the age of criminal responsibility.
Criminally exploited children who have also been trafficked are identified and supported through the National Referral Mechanism, which can include support from Independent Child Trafficking Advocates which we have committed to rolling out nationally.
The Department for Education has also just announced £2 million for a new national response unit that will be established to help local authorities support vulnerable children at risk of exploitation.