Reflections of care-experienced young people on child criminal exploitation (CCE)

This thesis examines the lived experiences of care experienced young people who have been criminally exploited. Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) in the UK is a growing and urgent social concern and while national attention has increasingly turned to county lines drug trafficking and gang-related grooming, little research has meaningfully included the experiences of those most affected: young people in and leaving the care system. Using a participatory methodology, this study centres the reflections of fourteen young people who have experienced both statutory care and criminal exploitation, revealing the complex interplay of structural disadvantage, neglect, and systemic failure they endured.
Drawing on qualitative data generated through both narrative and semi-structured interviews, the study identifies three interwoven forces, poverty, social harm, and mattering, as central to understanding young people's pathways into and out of exploitation. These factors are conceptualised collectively as the Neglect Nexus, a term developed in this thesis to describe the cumulative effects of material deprivation, emotional disposability, and institutional neglect that can render some young people susceptible to exploitation. The Neglect Nexus illustrates how the intersecting systems of care and criminal justice can reproduce harm under the guise of protection, pushing children and young people toward exploitative relationships in search of value, belonging, and survival.
The thesis contributes new empirical knowledge by foregrounding young people’s voices and interpretations of CCE, challenging dominant narratives that frame them as either passive victims or active offenders. Participants reflected on how early experiences of instability, negative school experiences, and adultification shaped their susceptibility to exploitation, and how their needs were routinely overlooked or misinterpreted by professionals. Many described feeling like they did not matter within the care system, a psychosocial experience that deepened their alienation and drove them toward exploiters who, at least initially, appeared to provide validation and connection.
The thesis concludes with practice and policy recommendations co-developed with the co-researchers, advocating for child-centred, relational, and trauma-aware systems. By introducing the Neglect Nexus as a conceptual framework, the research offers a powerful tool for practitioners and policymakers to understand and address the overlapping harms experienced by children and young people in care. Ultimately, this work calls for a fundamental shift in how exploitation is recognised and responded to, not simply as a matter of individual risk, but as the predictable outcome of systemic neglect and social abandonment.