CSE - 'test purchasing'

We have previously flagged difficulties for the hospitality sector in terms of Child Sex Exploitation (CSE) and particularly so for the hotel sector.

To remind, increasingly there is the expectation that staff will have ben trained to be alert to circumstances which could give rise to a possible concern and act or intervene appropriately.

Indeed we are seeing increasing ‘test purchasing’ is this area – when hotels in particular are targeted to see whether an adult and a person apparently under the age of 18 or 16 are able to access a room – even if unsuccessful in checking into a room, they then move to the bar and try and purchase alcohol.  Operators should be aware and alert – and ensure that staff are appropriately trained.

We have produced a CSE awareness and avoidance leaflet, copies of which are freely available on request.

Separately operators should also be alert to initiatives such as ‘Ask for Angela’; again further detail is available on request.