Unregistered children’s homes create a ‘perfect storm’ for criminals exploiting young people

3rd August 2026Sarah Gibbons, Contributing Editor, Policing Insight

New research by Anglia Ruskin University into the risks of child exploitation in unregistered children’s homes in England and Wales highlights that with youngsters often “institutionally invisible” in such settings, many are easy targets for organised crime gangs, county lines drug networks and sexual abusers, as the location of such homes and the lack of monitoring create a “perfect storm” of exposure for vulnerable children, reports Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

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Unregistered children’s homes create a ‘perfect storm’ for criminals exploiting young people

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