Academics from the University’s International Centre: Researching child sexual exploitation, violence and trafficking (IC) have been nominated for the National Policing Lead’s Award category of the NWG Unsung Hero Awards.

Senior Research Fellow in the IC Dr Fiona Factor said: “The nomination came completely out of nowhere. I was absolutely speechless, overwhelmed and felt really proud that a police colleague had appreciated the work I’d done so much they had taken the time out and made the effort to make the nomination.

“The fact that it is in the National Policing Lead category, yet I’m not a serving officer, is even more special.”

The team were nominated for their work with the Marginal Gains project, a group of young people who looked at ways the police service in England and Wales could better engage with young people and support victims of CSE.

The group put together a poster (click on image below to view the full-size poster) that offers guidance to police officers on they can best support young people. It will be distributed to police stations and custody suites across the country.

The group also produced a film that the College of Policing are planning to use in the future training of new police recruits. Both of these are to be launched at the University’s CSE & Policing Knowledge Hub end of project conference today in London (Thursday 16 March).

“I have worked on numerous research and participation projects which have intended to give young people a voice. Frequently, it has been a tokenistic attempt to tick a box on a funders report. The momentum generated by the Marginal Gains project is unprecedented in my experience,” said Dr Factor.

“The young people and the police officers involved have produced outstanding legacy products that will be available long after the project ends. It has been an absolute joy to work with everyone on the Marginal Gains project - I do believe we have really made a difference this time around.”

The group, along with colleagues from the Metropolitan Police, will also present their work at the Metropolitan Police CSE conference in London on Friday 17 March and at the NWG Annual Conference in Nottingham on Tuesday 21 March.

The team will find out if they have won the award at the NWG Annual Conference at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham on Tuesday 21 March.

*The NWG is a charitable organisation formed as a UK network of over 13,000 practitioners who disseminate our information down through their services, to professionals working on the issue of CSE and trafficking in the UK.