This research, commissioned by Barnardos, will fill an important gap about the views and experiences of siblings whose brother(s) and/or sister(s) are at risk of or experiencing exploitation or harm outside the home. There is currently no research about this group of children and young people. The absence of research means that there is a lack of knowledge about the awareness, understanding and impact on siblings whose brother or sister is being harmed outside the home or exploited. This means that there is potentially a group of children and young people at risk of harm. If services do work with siblings the support is not informed by their lived experience so services might not be as effective as they could be and practice is likely to vary.

To address this gap, in-depth interviews with the siblings of young people at risk of or experiencing exploitation or harm outside the home AND who are working with Barnardos services will be carried out. The interviews will explore their awareness and understanding of the situation, any impact they are experiencing, any support they are getting and what support would be helpful. Parents/carers will also be interviewed to explore their views of if and how siblings are affected by the exploitation or harm outside the home of their brother or sister.

The findings from this research will be the first of its kind to provide insight into the needs of a group of children and young people affected by exploitation or harm outside the home. This is important for the families and all those involved in preventing and responding to these harms to understand, therefore the findings from this project will be relevant for a wide range of professionals, including Barnardos staff, other service providers, practitioners, academics, policymakers, funders and commissioners. It will also be a way to raise awareness and outline the type of support helpful and available for parents/carers; children and young people who are exploited and their siblings as well as wider networks of family and friends.