Health professionals working in sexual health services play a vital role in safeguarding young people experiencing or at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE) and/or child criminal exploitation (CCE). Data from the Centre of Expertise on child sexual abuse1 and the Department for Education’s Children in need2 show increases in CCE and CSE in recent years. This has coincided with a rise in online abuse targeting young people.3 The Spotting the Signs toolkit was originally developed by Brook and the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), aiding the identification of young people at risk of exploitation.

In the 10 years since the toolkit’s inception the landscape of safeguarding for young people has changed, with CCE,4 evolving internet usage,5 and risks posed to …