New short film shines a spotlight on the harm facing children across England
Today, children’s charity Frontline has launched a powerful short film that shows the human stories behind the statistics and highlights the vital role social workers play in protecting young people.
At a time when child exploitation, grooming and pressures on children’s homes dominate national headlines, children across England are facing unprecedented risk.
The film comes after the introduction of welcome new government policy that prioritises early intervention and multi-agency safeguarding*. It offers a reminder of how skilled social workers can be the difference between harm and safety for thousands of children and families every year.
New data this year has revealed the overwhelming risk that so many vulnerable young people in England face:
- In June 2025, Baroness Casey’s review into child sexual exploitation** found deep systemic failings in how victims are identified and protected.
- In October, the National Police Chiefs’ Council reported*** that there are now over 6,500 active county-lines networks across the UK, with thousands of children being criminally exploited, groomed or targeted each year.
- National figures show that children in care continue to face instability, repeated moves and heightened risk of going missing or being drawn into exploitation****.
While these reports paint a stark picture, they do not show the lived experience of the children behind the numbers. Frontline’s new film bridges that gap, following the stories of three young people navigating grooming, criminal exploitation and instability within the care system, alongside the social workers fighting to keep them safe. It emphasises that behind every statistic is a child who needs someone to step in.
Mary Jackson, chief executive at Frontline said: ‘Today, children are growing up in a world where the risks to their safety are more complex than ever. As over 700,000 children rely on the support of a social worker each year, this film reminds us of the life changing role they can play, stepping in at moments of real danger and standing alongside children when they need protection the most.”
Frontline is a children’s charity, which works to support children at risk of harm by improving the services that support them. They aim to help keep young people safe and to give them every possible chance to fulfil their potential.
For more information, please contact morgen.evans@thefrontline.org.uk
References:
* The DfE injects additional funding to prioritise early intervention and improve safeguarding measures, August 2025
** National Audit on child sexual exploitation and abuse, June 2025
***The National County Lines Coordination Centre release their annual report, October 2025
**** ECPAT and Missing People report on children missing from care, November 2025