Understanding child criminal exploitation in Scotland: a scoping review

This research seeks to establish a baseline understanding of the nature, scale and extent of Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) in Scotland. Addressing a paucity of research into this area, this scoping report, commissioned by CYCJ, Action for Children and the Scottish Government, seeks to provide the evidence base for future policy and service provision, and acts as an impetus for further research. Structured across four stages, it comprises a literature review, a synthesis of the existing data from across different agencies and datasets, interviews with professionals and a survey of residential childcare workers, as children from within the care system are disproportionately more likely to be targeted for grooming and exploitation.

Topics that are addressed include: current approaches and legal provision; the different types of crime children are coerced into committing; the profile of children who are most likely to be targeted as well as key issues, challenges and nuances surrounding CCE, such as underreporting, the lack of a single authoritative data source, the adultification and criminalisation of victims, the distorting presence of systemic racism and more.