A SERIES of focused workshops are helping Tameside’s young people recognise the early signs of grooming and criminal exploitation.
The sessions are part of a wider project, in which the theatre company Odd Arts is touring local schools with No Comment.
It’s a performance and workshop package designed to show how young people can be targeted, coerced and drawn into criminal activity such as drug running.
Delivered alongside Tameside Council’s Community Safety team, the workshops use live drama and roleplay to encourage pupils to think critically about boundaries, manipulative behaviour and the stages of grooming.
Participants explore how exploiters build rapport, how boredom and isolation can be used as leverage, and how personal safety plans can help them manage real-world risks.
As well as reaching secondary schools, Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and Works4U, this year’s programme is being extended to young people who are currently out of education but considered vulnerable. That strand is being piloted with support from the council’s Early Intervention and Complex Safeguarding Teams.
Thirty sessions will take place across the borough in total, with the two targeted November events forming a key part of a concentrated push to raise awareness of Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE).
Councillor Teresa Smith, Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Children and Families, said: “Protecting our young people from exploitation is a top priority. This innovative project uses theatre to engage and educate in a way that feels real and relevant to their lives.
“It’s fantastic to see such a wide reach across Tameside and a commitment to supporting those most at risk. I’m proud of the partnership work that’s making this possible.”
Further information about spotting the signs of criminal exploitation is available through the Tameside Safeguarding Children Partnership website.