Jane had been on the radar of social services on and off since her young childhood. When she started Year 10 her teachers were particularly worried that she was showing signs of neglect, as she was often alone in school and her uniform and books were always in a bad state.

 

So she was referred to the east to west Relational Support Worker (RSW) at the school and began meeting with them for 1-1 support each week. During her sessions, it became clear that there was something deeper than neglect going on. It emerged that Jane was being sexually exploited by older men online. She confided that she was sending out inappropriate photos of herself and undressing in front of a webcam.

 

Thankfully, her RSW was able to persuade her that she needed to talk to her parents about it, and the RSW supported Jane as she told both her family and the school’s Child Protection Officer. Then together they reported the exploitative sites to the police.

 

After being supported by her RSW over a period of 18 months, which also included a referral to a brilliant local ‘Girls Talk’ course, Jane was able to gain self-confidence and walk away from the people and places that were trying to exploit her. Thanks to the support of her RSW she finished school feeling much happier and more stable than when she began it.