PROJECTS

Aim:

To develop and evaluate an evidence-based online training programme that helps police officers detect and respond to technology-assisted child sexual exploitation and abuse (TA-CSEA), with a particular focus on online grooming and offender communication.

Key Results:

• Development of interactive training modules informed by real-world case data and linguistic research on online grooming.
• Improved officer understanding of grooming tactics, manipulative language, and indicators of child resistance, compliance, and distress.
• Co-production and delivery of training with Welsh police forces to ensure operational relevance.
• Evaluation of the programme across Wales to strengthen investigative practice, support earlier intervention, and enhance child safeguarding outcomes.

Aim:

Through new analysis and co-creation with practitioners and children, to adapt DRAGON-Shield for Practitioners to Colombia, paving the way for further adaptation across Latin America.

Key Results:

• Coming shortly

Aim:

To understand the needs of parents and caregivers in relation to online grooming prevention and support, and to co-create tailored adaptations of DRAGON-Shield – and its resources – in home contexts.

Key Results:

• The co-development of tailored DRAGON-Shield resources that reflect the identified needs of parents and caregivers.

Aim:

To investigate how DRAGON-Shield can meaningfully support child-safeguarding practitioners in Kenya by identifying local training needs, contextual considerations and opportunities for effective adaptation and implementation.

Key Results:

• Trainees gained new insights into online grooming as a form of communication, strengthening their ability to safeguard children effectively.
• Trainees reported increased confidence and enhanced understanding of how groomers use language to manipulate and entrap children.
• Trainees were able to incorporate learning from DRAGON-Shield directly into their professional practice.

Aim:

To understand how children use language to communicate during online child-to-child sexual harassment interactions and co-create evidence-informed resources with children, practitioners and parents to address and prevent this form of harm.

Key Results:

• The production of the Child-to-Child Abuse Talk project report, synthesising the key findings from this project and implications for practice.
• The creation of the C2CHAT Blueprint, offering an evidence-informed framework to support the design of effective training on child-to-child sexual harassment.
• Identification of the need for resources that support open, non-judgemental communication between children and adults about child-to-child sexual harassment.
• Development of training resources.

Aim:

To develop a comprehensive understanding of the Indian context of online child sexual exploitation and abuse – including online grooming – and to identify the training needs of child safeguarding practitioners working in this area across India.

Key Results:

• Identified a significant lack of accessible training for practitioners on preventing online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Found that training specifically addressing online grooming is largely unavailable to those working in child safeguarding roles.
• Confirmed a strong practitioner demand for additional training, particularly resources focused on recognising indicators of online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Aim:

To generate new insights into how online child sexual abuse offender communities use language to discuss and circulate grooming-related content, and to translate these findings into evidence-based guidance that supports law enforcement in the effective and ethical infiltration of online grooming networks.

Key Results:

Report available upon request.