News

SAFE Newsfeed

A day in the life of the IWF’s child abuse image taskforce

Source: Internet Watch Foundation published on this site Wednesday 23 February 2022 by Jill Powell

‘They know they are about to witness some of the most upsetting things ever uploaded onto the internet’.

On a cold morning, standing in a frosty car park on the outskirts of Cambridge, a figure in a winter coat is fumbling with a hot coffee and a key fob.

They’re ready for a day which they already know will see them make a real and positive difference to some of the most vulnerable and defenceless children in the world.

They also know they are about to witness some of the most appalling, most upsetting things ever uploaded onto the internet.

At the Internet Watch Foundation is a specialised taskforce unit which assesses and grades some of the worst child sexual abuse material in the world.

The people on this team view images from the UK Government’s Child Abuse Image Database (CAID). They are the only non-law-enforcement agency allowed to do this.

Once they have assessed them according to UK law, the images are hashed – a process which reduces them to a unique digital fingerprint used by tech companies and police all over the world – they can be blocked and removed rapidly, wherever criminals may attempt to share them.

All the IWF’s analysts and content assessors work from the office. The hotline is specifically set up as a secure and appropriate environment.

The taskforce team works part-time – and their exposure to the videos and images they are grading is strictly limited to four hours a day.

The team works with the IWF’s own breakthrough IIntelliGrade hashing tool – meaning their work can have a real impact all over the globe.

When they arrive at the office, the team members take a few minutes to settle in and chat – to discuss Bake Off, or to catch up with each other.

Cambridge Graduate Alex*, 22, took the decision to join the taskforce straight out of university.

He said: “For someone on the outside, our job might seem quite repetitive. Image after image coming through. There is no escaping it. We go through the images one by one, or sometimes multiple images all at once.

“We all have different ways of dealing with the relentlessness of it.”

One of Alex’s strategies is to bake.

A gifted pastry chef – Alex creates magnificent, show stopping cakes in his spare time. It’s always a special day in the office when one of Alex’s creations is brought in for sharing.

It’s just one of the things the staff do to bring them closer together as a team.

Kirsty*, 56, is a grandmother from Newmarket. With her past in the Metropolitan Police, Kirsty says assessors must be strong do deal with the “pure volume” of child sexual abuse on the internet.

“I have always had a passion for helping children,” she said. “Having children and grandchildren has opened my eyes to the pure volume of abuse that is out there.”

She said the camaraderie of staff in the IWF hotline helps deal with difficult situations when they arise.

“We are a very humorous team,” she said. “A bit of laughter is very important. The work can mean dealing with quite grim stuff, but being able to talk and have a bit of humour with your colleagues is important.”

Cambridgeshire mum Beth*, 40, said: “I have three children 11 and under. The job has changed the way I think about them and the internet.

“It has surprised me how much material there is of very young children. Some of them are five, six, or seven years old.”

She said one of the ways staff cope is by talking to each other and staying tight as a team.

38 arrested as national law enforcement drive targets child traffickers

Source: National Crime Agency (NCA) published on this site Monday 19 July 2021

Around 100 potential victims have been identified and 38 people arrested following a week long law enforcement crackdown targeting child traffickers.

The activity, which took place in the week of 28 June, was the latest strand of Project Aidant, the National Crime Agency-led law enforcement response to modern slavery and human trafficking.

It was also part of a Europe-wide operation, co-ordinated in the UK by the NCA’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit, and involved 19 police forces from across the UK, as well as other partners including Border Force, Immigration Enforcement, British Transport Police, HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for Work and Pensions.

In the year ending 2020, 4,946 children entered the National Referral Mechanism claiming to be victims of trafficking and exploitation in the UK. Once trafficked, children are often sold on into forms of modern slavery and exploitation, including forced criminality, labour, and sexual exploitation.

Of those arrested, 18 were for child criminal and drug related exploitation, 11 were for sexual exploitation, while the rest were for a variety of offences including domestic servitude, labour exploitation and general trafficking.

In all 99 potential victims were identified through a range of law enforcement activity initiating 51 new investigations. Although the activity targeted those exploiting children, a number of adult potential victims were also located as a result of the work, with 72 children and 27 adults identified. Of these, 55 safeguarding referrals were submitted via the National Referral Mechanism.

The intensification period saw increased police presence at London tube and rail stations where suspected victims of child trafficking were thought to be forced to work as pick pockets.

The NCA and Metropolitan Police Service also searched what they suspected to be a brothel where young Romanian girls and women were allegedly being exploited in East London. The search officers didn’t encounter any children, but they did find several Romanian women working in distressing conditions and being sold for as low as £20 per hour for sex work. DWP investigators have also begun an investigation into potentially fraudulent claims being made by people at the address.

Due to the poor conditions of the premises and reports of anti-social behaviour, the Metropolitan Police Service will be taking steps to close the brothel and safeguard the potential victims.

Police Scotland identified and safeguarded five minors that had allegedly been trafficked to the UK, launching five new investigations.

Lay Observers’ Annual Report shows ‘unacceptable’ treatment of children in English court cells

Source: Magistrates Association published on this site Thursday 3rd September 2020 by Jill Powell

The Lay Observers’ annual report for 2019/20 has been published, showing significant shortcomings in prison, police, court, and transport arrangements for detainees. Lay Observers are appointed by the Secretary of State for Justice to provide independent oversight of the welfare of those detained in court cells and transported to and from cells, and of their access to justice. They have unrestricted access to all parts of the custody suite and transportation vehicles to allow scrutiny of everyday conditions. This latest report found variable coordination between agencies at regional and national level, acknowledging good practice in some areas. However, a number of issues affecting the welfare of vulnerable detainees were highlighted, including being kept in dirty cells, sometimes covered with abusive or drug-related graffiti. These conditions are made worse by long delays in transportation to other courts and custodial establishments.

The report shows that errors in relation to medical record-keeping are increasing, which is described as ‘a matter of embarrassment’ for the criminal justice system. Concerns are raised over the rising number of gaps and errors in Person Escort Records (PERs) completed at prisons and police stations when handing a detainee over to escort contractors. 61% of PERs seen for this report were incomplete or inaccurate – a 6% increase on 2018/19. Detainees can therefore become ill or distressed due to a lack of medication resulting from poor communication and lack of information about their circumstances.

Particular cases of concern were highlighted in the report, showing unacceptably long delays experienced by young and vulnerable people.

The ministerial response to the report can be found here.

Public urged to consider work in adult social care

Source: Department of Health and Social Care published on this site Wednesday 10th February 2021 by Jill Powell

The public are being called upon to apply for short-term and long-term opportunities in the adult social care sector.

The Department of Health and social care announce:

Launch of new approach to boost vital adult social care workforce

Short-term staff called on to support care homes and home care services during the pandemic

‘Care for Others. Make a Difference’ advertising recruitment campaign launched to highlight varied, flexible long-term social care career opportunities

The public are being called upon to apply forrewarding short-term and long-term opportunities in the adult social care sector to support care home residents and those being cared for at home.

The impact of the new COVID-19 variant is being felt across the country and additional staff are urgently needed now to support the adult social care workforce where absence rates have more than doubled in recent months due to self-isolation.

Jobseekers, volunteers and people on furlough can now register their interest for short-term opportunities including personal care – helping people to wash and dress – providing wellbeing support, simply collecting and delivering supplies, or helping out with the cooking and cleaning. Exact roles will be based on experience, local need and local authority and care provider discretion.

The ‘Care for Others. Make a Difference’ campaign also launches this week using television, digital and radio advertising to drive awareness of long-term career opportunities, highlighting the rewarding, varied and flexible roles available across the care sector to help build a sustainable workforce now and for the future. Almost 1.5 million people work in adult social care and there are many opportunities for those looking to make a difference.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

I want to thank carers for all they do to look after our loved ones. Throughout this pandemic, they have gone above and beyond to protect our parents and grandparents, and to provide them with the support and care they need and we would be truly lost without them.

This exceptional career choice is tough but rewarding, and I would urge anyone who is thinking of a career in care to come forward and join this heroic workforce.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

We are doing everything we can to support the adult social care sector throughout this pandemic and our social care workforce have done an incredible job of helping the most vulnerable in society.

I am urging the public – whether you are a job-seeker, or looking for a new career – to consider working in care. We need short-term support while we face the pandemic and to continue to recruit the right people, with the right values, now and into the future.

Great progress has been made on offering vaccines to all older care home residents and care home staff and this recruitment drive will help us continue to fight this terrible virus.

Minister for Care Helen Whately said:

NFCC warns of fire risk when using emollients

Source: Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service published on this site Tuesday 18th August 2020 by Jill Powell

People who use emollients and smoke are at greater risk of setting themselves on fire, due to the flammable residue that may be left on clothes, bandages, and bedding, warns the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).

The warning comes after research from Anglia Ruskin University, De Montfort University and the NFCC’s Emollient Group confirmed that both paraffin and non-paraffin emollients can act as an accelerant when absorbed into clothing and exposed to naked flames or other heat sources.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has partnered with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), Fire and Rescue Services and health charities in a new campaign to raise awareness of the fire risk and the precautions that need to be taken by users of skin creams.

Emollient products, which include creams, ointments, sprays, and body wash formulations are used by millions of people every day to manage dry, itchy, or scaly skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and ichthyosis. They may contain paraffin or other ingredients such as shea or cocoa butter, beeswax, lanolin, nut oil or mineral oils which can leave a flammable residue.

Commonly prescribed by GPs, nurses, and other clinicians - as well as being available in chemists and supermarkets - emollients are not flammable in themselves. The risk occurs when they absorb into fabrics and are then exposed to naked flames or heat sources resulting in a fire that burns quickly and intensely and can cause serious injury or death.

Testing confirmed that the flammability increases each time the fabric is contaminated with emollient and the risk is greater when applied over large parts of the body. Repeated washing of clothing, bandages and bedding at any temperature does not remove the fire risk.

Over 60’s who smoke and have reduced mobility are those most at risk and NFCC is urging them, their families and carers to be alert to the inherent fire risk and updated fire safety advice. The NFCC urges they are mindful if smoking or using sources of heat and flame such as lighters, matches, electric/halogen heaters, gas hobs and candles.

NFCC is aware that there have been 56 deaths confirmed as involving emollient in England since 2010. In addition, six of the 44 fire deaths reported in Scotland in 2018/19 involved emollient products.The NFCC is working with Fire and Rescue Services to ensure the fire risks associated with emollients are understood by staff and discussed during home fire safety visits.

Chris Bell, NFCC’s Emollient Lead, said:“This new fire safety advice is based on scientific evidence that confirms for the first time that non-paraffin emollients pose the same fire risk as those containing paraffin.

“If you use an emollient skin product, or care for somebody who does, stay away or be extra careful when near to naked flames or potential ignition sources, for example, lighting a cigarette. People need to be aware that washing does not remove the risk.

“We want to do all we can to prevent another tragedy from happening and If you have any concerns or want further advice, please contact your local Fire and Rescue Service.”

The National Fire Chiefs Council has been working with the MHRA, health and care sector organisations and charities to raise awareness of the issue. In 2018 the MHRA recommended that labelling and product information was updated to include clear advice about the fire risk on emollient products including paraffin-free creams. There has been an improvement in labelling, but the NFCC urges all manufacturers to fully adopt this recommendation, across all emollient products. Sarah Branch, Director of MHRA’s Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Division, said: “We want to ensure that those who are at greatest risk, and their carers, understand the fire risk associated with the build-up of residue on clothing and bedding and take action to minimise the risk.