Philippa Southwell and Maya Sikand provided training on child criminal exploitation during the launch of the ‘Child Criminal Exploitation’ guide published by the Youth Justice Legal Centre at Just for Kids Law and by Doughty Street Chambers. Both Philippa and Maya contributed to the drafting of the legal guide.  

The legal guide outlines key stages in a case where child exploitation has arisen – from arrest through to trial, gives practical advice on the work that needs to be done by the defence at each stage, and provides an overview of the outcomes available to children prosecuted for offences arising from their experience of criminal exploitation.

The guide fills  a much needed void for practitioners working with vulnerable children who have entered into the criminal justice system. The guide explores the National Referral Mechanism, s.45 statutory defence, best practice, special measures, and provides key resource material.

The impact of referral though the National Referral Mechanism is also explored, as are the situations where a negative NRM determination is obtained or where no referral was made in the first place.

The launch event for the guide also included speakers: Aika Stephenson, Lloyd Bidder, and Katya Moran as the Chair.  

Please find the full guide here. To see the full recording of the launch event, see here.

Southwell & Partners provide expert legal advice on criminal law and human rights, with specialist experience in forced criminality, modern slavery, and child trafficking. Please contact us for more information.