SOCIAL workers have been placed in eight Somerset schools to help keep children safe from exploitation.

Somerset County Council has received £400,000 from the Department for Education as part of the Social Workers in Schools programme.

A social worker has been allocated to at least one school in each of the county's four districts.

They are work to ensure children and young people identified as at risk of exploitation receive effective support from the right people.

Social workers work collaboratively with school staff, including designated safeguarding leads, to support children, young people and their families.

Work includes identifying issues and strengthening partnership response to exploitation.

Cllr Frances Nicholson, lead member for children’s services at County Hall, said: “I’m delighted that Somerset has been selected for this innovative pilot programme.

"Through it, children’s social care teams are working with eight identified schools to build good relationships with children and their families to understand their needs and develop effective support and plans.

"This way of working provides an opportunity for social care teams and schools to learn more about each other’s roles, and improve the way they work together to ensure there is effective support for the children and young people who need it.

"The social workers will support schools to gain confidence in spotting signs of exploitation and responding to safeguarding issues.

"The programme fits very well indeed with the council’s existing ways of working with families to improve lives, and I look forward to seeing how it progresses."

Data collected from the eight identified schools will be compared to that of a control group to help demonstrate how this approach makes a difference, with the intention to extend the programme.