The St Giles Trust has published an evaluation, carried out by J H Consulting, of an intervention to help vulnerable children move away from involvement in drug distribution networks. The project was funded by the Home Office and focused on county lines exploitation, a term used by police to describe the way urban gangs supply drugs to suburban areas, market towns and coastal towns. Outcomes for the 35 children the project was working with in September 2018 include: 31 per cent successfully exited county lines activity and 54 per cent were at decreased risk and in the process of exiting the activity. Recommendations include: Ofsted inspection criteria should be reviewed to encourage better support for young people and training for school staff; and legislation and processes should continue to be reviewed to see how they can more effectively support children and adults who are exploited on county lines.
Source: The Guardian Date: 13 February 2019
Further information: Evaluation of the county lines pilot project (PDF)
