1. Tackling child sexual exploitation through ‘Safeskills’
Paul Ainsworth
Director Ariel Trust

2. Ariel Trust is a not for profit charity (established 1982)
Educational skills based preventative resources focusing on a range of issues including homophobic bullying, controlling & abusive behaviour, E-safety and CSE.
Experienced in developing age appropriate, skills based interactive classroom resources.
Resources used by over 300 schools reaching 21,000 young people (2016/17)
Funded project – Big Lottery – Realising Ambition
Long track record of working with young people
Preventative resources – addressing a range of social issues – used in both primary and secondary schools
Evidence based approach – working with SRU to undertake external RCT of the Face Up programme

3. An effective skills-based approach
One key study (Foshee & Langwick, 2004) reviewed ‘Safe Dates’, a theatre-based programme, which shares many similarities to Ariel’s approach by using drama and role play to develop and practice key skills. 
It concluded that programmes “focusing exclusively on attitudinal or educational components will likely not be effective in changing behaviour, as such the skills building component of Safe Dates is a crucial component of the chain of events that can lead to positive outcomes”.
National Institute of Health’s review, Grifin and Botvin, 2010 looked at what made an effective preventative education programme identifying a key element as social resistance skills.
Ariel Trust resource approach subject to rigorous randomised controlled trial.

4. SafeSkills CSE resource overview
Universal approach focused on skill building
Age appropriate curriculum ages 9 – 12 years
Developed through consultation with young people & teachers
Engaging multimedia resource
Teacher led – content for nine skill based lessons including comprehensive lesson plans and handouts
Whole school resources

5. Consultation process
Worked with young people to consult on scripts to ensure real life scenarios
Pilots and consultation with 17 schools including primary, secondary and special schools
Consultation across all 5 Merseyside Boroughs

6. How can we support schools?
New Ofsted guidance Personal Development, Behaviour and Welfare
‘They have opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe.’
Supports Safeguarding
‘Children and learners are able to understand, respond to and calculate risk effectively, for example risks associated with child sexual exploitation, and are aware of the support available to them.’ Ofsted
SafeSkills - Identifying
and managing risk

7. Signs of successful safeguarding arrangements
Children and learners are protected and feel safe. Those who are able to communicate know how to complain and understand the process for doing so.
Children and learners are able to understand, respond to and calculate risk effectively, for example risks associated with child sexual exploitation, and are aware of the support available to them.
Action is taken to ensure that children are taught about safeguarding risks including online risks.

8. SafeSkills core components
Module 1
Motivations and Intentions
Module 2
Asking for help
Module 3
Empowering the bystander
Number of lessons - 3
Approximately hours
Approximately hours
Approximately 2.5 – 3 hours
Video: Parks
Video: Gaming
Video: Magazines
Video: Gifts
Video: Disclosing
Video: Changes

9. Risk Assessment Skills
SafeSkills - Identifying
and managing risk
I understand what 'risk' is   +13%
If someone offers me a gift I feel confident that I can test out why they are giving it to me    +16%

10. Language Skills Development
I feel confident explaining what 'grooming' is to a friend   +45.7%
We then ask them to write a definition of ‘grooming’.  Typical examples from before and after are:-
Before
“You brush a friend’s hair or an animal”
“When monkeys scratch bugs off their fur”
“Caring for a friend and making sure they're not upset”
After
“someone trying to gain someone’s trust for a bad motivation”
“try to gain confidence and have a bad intention”
“Someone earning your trust to make you do something, or give gifts to you to make you do something or to do something bad”
“it means someone is a stranger is trying to make them trust them”

11. Pupil Feedback be

12. Further Information
For further information please contact: Trish Conning – Project Co-ordinator