Councils have been warned that runaway teens are often sexually exploited, and one in five care services are not good enough at assessing the dangers.
In one city, a girl who had been neglected and abused in her early years was placed in a rural care home where social workers thought she would be safe. But she started running away and went missing for a week. When she was finally found in a flat, she had been sexually exploited by the people who stayed there, in return for food and alcohol.
In some areas policies to prevent child sexual exploitation (CSE) are in place, but not enough know about them.
A report from Scotland’s care watchdog has warned social works, care staff, police and schools not to be complacent about CSE.
The report by the Care Inspectorate says “we know that a lack of awareness from staff can lead to cases of child sexual exploitation being missed.”
It adds that young people in care homes, with learning disabilities, those excluded from school or using drugs or alcohol are particularly vulnerable to being targeted by people who take advantage of them for money, food or drugs.
Children who have been abused, whose parents use drugs, who have mental health issues or a “disrupted family life” are also at high risk.
The findings are based on more than 330 inspections of residential care, boarding school accommodation, residential special schools, secure care, fostering agencies, and adoption services.
Less than half of services have specific policies and procedures in place to establish whether a child who absconds from care has sexually exploited, in line with Police Scotland's "MISPER" missing persons' protocol.
Karen Reid, chief executive of the Care Inspectorate said: “Fortunately, most young people in Scotland are supported to have a strong sense of self and identify, and grow up free from harm, neglect or abuse. However, a small number of children do not experience that level of support and some are exposed to child sexual exploitation. Care services and their staff can play a key role in preventing abuse. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that Scotland is the best place for children to grow up, so there is no room for complacency."
"Overall, staff were well-informed about the risks of exploitation, but in some care services we have identified the need for a wider range of staff to be confident in their responsibilities.”
Areas where arrangements were strong were often those where police, education and social work services worked well together.
In some care services, inspectors identified the need for a wider range of staff to be confident in understanding the risks of child sexual exploitation, and ensuring that effective risk assessment frameworks and risk management plans are in place, with the right links between social workers, care settings, schools and, if necessary, the police.
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