County Lines Refresher Course

CPD accredited course notes

The following course notes are provided to support the content of our “County
Lines” refresher course.

The notes will assist in the assessment process and as a reference document.

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 Introduction

The phenomenon known as ‘county lines’ is a term used to describe the expansion of city drug
dealing into smaller towns, coastal or rural areas. The term is used when drug gangs from large
urban cities expand their operations into these areas, often using violence to drive out local dealers,
by exploiting children and vulnerable people to sell drugs. Vulnerable people, often with mental
health or addiction issues, are also targeted and their homes taken over and used as a base for the
exploited children to operate from. This practice is known as ‘cuckooing’.

There is no doubt that advances in technology has assisted this process. The internet and mobile
networks assist in providing covert means for the ‘county lines’ process. The dealers use dedicated
mobile phones, known as ‘deal lines’, to receive drug orders from drug users. In the main, the
dealers live in a different area to where their customers are based so drug runners are needed to
transport the drugs and collect payments. Using young people as runners distances the dealers
from the risks associated with direct dealing, helping dealers to stay under the radar of the police.
The most common drugs supplied are Class A drugs, primarily heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine.

The ‘county lines’ process relies on a gang culture where children are groomed to become involved.
It is a manipulative process where children don’t see themselves as victims or realise they are being
groomed to get involved in criminality. Similar to the process used in child sexual exploitation
(CSE), the dealers are proficient in spotting factors that make a child vulnerable and exploit them.
This often involves children without a secure home life environment for example:

• Where family relationships are poor or dysfunctional;

• Families affected by domestic abuse or substance misuse;
• Households where there is little or no income and children feel the need to provide financially
for the family;
• Where other members of the family are involved in criminal activity.

Often these children lack aspiration and feel trapped by their situation. They may disengage from
systems where they can be protected e.g. truancy or exclusion from education. Manipulating this
sense of hopelessness, dealers are skilled in exploiting such children. As with all gang culture,
initially children are made to feel they are important and valued. This sense of belonging, along
with the financial incentives, secures their involvement.

It is important to stress that not all children involved in ‘county lines’ experience dysfunctional home
lives. Children are vulnerable in a range of contexts, not just within the context of the educational
setting, and this may also negatively impact on family relationships. This approach is known
as contextual safeguarding, an approach to understanding and responding to young people’s
experiences of significant harm. When considering safeguarding incidents or behaviour concerns
all assessments of children should consider whether wider environmental factors are present in a

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child’s life that are a threat to their safety or welfare. This may be factors the family are not aware
of. Children with previous or current social care involvement and those within the care system are
known to be particularly vulnerable to being targeted for ‘county lines’ involvement.

Once involved, children and vulnerable adults recruited as part of the ‘county lines’ process will
often be exposed to physical, mental and sexual abuse. Children may be trafficked to areas a long
way from their home as part of the network’s drug dealing business. Whilst they are holding drugs
or cash the children are held responsible by the dealers for securing them. If lost by any means
this will result in being in debt to the dealer, which strengthens their control over the children.
To mitigate risk children often carry knives or other weapons. This is an abusive system where
children rationalise criminal behaviour and violence as part of their every day life.

Both girls and boys are vulnerable to being targeted for county lines involvement. Whilst boys
in the main take on the roles of dealing and drug running, girls are sexually exploited and used
for associated criminal activity such as shoplifting and money laundering. Recent cases have
shown girls as young as ten abused by ‘county lines’ activity, abuse involving brutal violence and
sexual exploitation.

Possible indicators of a child’s ‘county lines’ involvement include:

• Truancy, exclusion, disengagement from education;

• Possession of unexplained and / or unaffordable new items e.g. clothing, phones, jewellery, cars;
• Disengagement from relationships with peers and developing new relationships, especially
with older adults;
• Substance misuse;
• Involvement in or increased anti-social behaviour;
• Unexplained injuries;
• The child becoming secretive, withdrawn, aggressive or emotionally unstable;
• Children being seen in unknown cars or taxis;
• Going missing or regularly being away for periods of time;
• Sexual knowledge / activity inappropriate for age.

Whilst these indicators are not solely definitive to this phenomenon, to safeguard a child or young
person it is important that ‘county lines’ involvement is considered.

It is also important to consider the possible factors that could indicate that ‘county lines’ activity may
be happening from a base such as:

• New, unfamiliar children / young people living with a resident;

• An increase in visitors and cars to a house or flat;

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• New and regularly changing residents;
• Children / young people with different accents to the locality accent living with a resident;
• Where children / young people present as unfamiliar with the community or where they
are living.

Whilst the vulnerability indicators listed above are attributed to ‘county lines’ involvement they
are not exclusive to this type of abuse. Whether it is or isn’t ‘county lines’ abuse, each of these
indicators does highlight that the safety of a child may be at risk and as such action should be
taken. Any concerns, no matter how insignificant they may seem, should be shared immediately
with a Designated Safeguarding Lead.

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 Appendix 1

Bibliography:

Home Office (2018) Serious Violence Strategy

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/serious-violence-strategy

Home Office (2018) Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: county lines

Ofsted (2019) Knife crime: safeguarding children and young people in education
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/national-county-lines-coordination-centre-to-crack-down-
on-drug-gangs

Support organisations/networks:

Local police- dial 101 or in an emergency 999

Crimestoppers (an independent charity where you can remain anonymous) 0800 111 555
https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

Child exploitation and Online Protection Command https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

The National Crime Agency

https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/what-we-do/crime-threats/drug-trafficking/county-lines

The British Transport Police (for concerns linked to the railways) text 61016 from a mobile or in an
emergency dial 999.

Fearless (an online service where information can be passed on anonymously)

https://www.fearless.org/en

Childline (a private and confidential service where you can talk to specially trained counsellors) dial
0800 1111 or see https://www.childline.org.uk/

Catch 22 (a children and young people’s service who have helped lots of children and young people
involved in County Lines. https://www.catch-22.org.uk/contact/

Home Office Trusted Relationship Fund (to help foster relationships between frontline professionals
and young people at risk of sexual exploitation).
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-trusted-relationships-fund

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