Child centred policing: supporting trauma informed front line police practices with girls who have lived experiences of child sexual exploitation in the United Kingdom

Introduction: Child sexual exploitation (CSE) continues to present significant challenges for policing, with longstanding concerns about inconsistent recognition of risk, victim-blaming narratives, and uneven application of trauma-informed approaches.

Methods: This study reports on the co-design, delivery, and evaluation of a pilot simulation-based training tool developed by the University of Kent’s Centre for Child Protection in partnership with Kent Police. Guided by a participatory action research framework, a mixed-methods evaluation was conducted, including pre-, mid-, and post-training questionnaires, live polling, and independent observation.

Results: Quantitative findings demonstrated improvements in officers’ self-reported confidence, knowledge, and practice skills. Qualitative feedback indicated reductions in victim-blaming language and greater use of trauma-informed framing. Observations reinforced these shifts, highlighting enhanced officer engagement with contextual safeguarding and recognition of trauma responses.

Discussion: Although limited to a single police force and reliant on self-reported data, the pilot suggests that simulation-based learning is a promising approach to embedding trauma-informed practice in frontline policing. The findings underline the value of experiential training for disrupting entrenched biases and supporting culture change in sensitive areas of practice.