Sara Swann is a leading expert in the field of child sexual exploitation. She is widely published and has spoken at many National and International conferences and events. Having been involved with young people for more than 25 years, and covering issues from child protection to young offenders’, in 1994, with Barnardo’s she set up the first multi agency service in the UK for girls and young women who were at risk of or involved in what was commonly referred to as "prostitution”, based in Bradford.

 

Working Nationally for Barnardo’s from 1998, she co-ordinated new services for sexually exploited young people in Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton and London. In Bradford in 1997 her project piloted Barnardo’s first Missing young persons scheme, which has since been replicated in other regions in the UK. Her project created and piloted the Education Resource Pack ‘Things we don’t Talk About’ for direct work with girls and young women.

 

Sara co authored the report “Whose daughter Next?” and worked closely to produce the video of the same name. She was directly involved in consultation with government officials in the formulation of the Guidance ‘Safeguarding Children involved in Prostitution’ and she was a member of the reference group at the Home Office, which reviewed the sex offences legislation, finalised in the Sexual Offences Act 2003, implemented in May 2004.

 

In 2001 she was commissioned by the Government to review the implementation of the “Safeguarding Children involved in Prostitution Guidance” and has reported on the progress of all 146 ACPCs in England. The review report was published on the DoH / ACPC website in July 2002. She is currently a member of the reference group advising the government on the new Sexual Exploitation Guidance

 

She has now worked with 60 + local safeguarding boards in England and Wales either in training multi-agency groups or through consultancy for services, protocols, or generally progressing the issues around sexual exploitation. In December 2000 she was invested with an MBE in recognition for her services to child welfare

 

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