‘Faces, Places, Spaces’ brings child exploitation learning to life for Suffolk professionals
Professionals from across Suffolk worked together to follow a young person’s journey, recognise emerging risk and decide how different agencies could disrupt exploitation at key moments.
Gamechanger delivered ‘Faces, Places, Spaces’ workshops in Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds last week, working with Suffolk County Council and multi-agency groups drawn from the police, housing, youth services, social care and other local partners.
The sessions were delivered alongside Claire Prosser, Criminal Exploitation Project Manager, Public Health, Communities and Public Safety Directorate, and PC Lisa Thompson, Criminal Exploitation Partnership Officer in the County Partnership and Prevention Hub.
Groups of around 20 participants entered Charlie’s story through an immersive 180-degree live-action VR film and an associated interactive game. As the story developed, the experience stopped at a series of critical break points. Participants were asked to think first from Charlie’s perspective and then as practitioners: How is Charlie feeling now? What is happening? What are the warning signs? What information is missing? Who needs to be involved, and what could be done now?
Working as a multi-agency team, each group used a shared toolbox to propose disruptions, interventions and partnership responses. Discussion moved across the faces, places and spaces surrounding exploitation — including peer relationships, family circumstances, parks, schools, homes, transport, housing, community intelligence and professional services.
The workshop explored the complexity behind labels such as victim, witness and perpetrator, as well as grooming, coercive control, debt bondage, trafficking, missing episodes and the overlap between criminal and sexual exploitation. Rather than waiting for the story to reach its most serious point, participants were encouraged to identify opportunities for earlier action and to consider what their own agency could contribute.
Jessica Wright, Managing Director of Peel X Group, said: “The strength of these sessions came from the knowledge in the room. The experience gave everyone the same unfolding story, but each professional noticed something different. Bringing those perspectives together helped the groups explore how intelligence, safeguarding and disruption can connect around a child rather than sitting in separate services.”
The content was deliberately realistic and could be challenging. Participants received a clear content warning and health and safety guidance, and could pause or withdraw from any element at any time. The sessions were structured to support thoughtful professional learning within a facilitated and respectful environment.
Faces, Places, Spaces forms part of Gamechanger’s INFORM approach: practical immersive learning designed with subject-matter expertise to bring challenging social issues to life for professionals. We would like to thank Claire, Lisa for their innovative workshop ‘game’ design and everyone who contributed their experience, challenge and ideas across the Suffolk workshops.
Explore Gamechanger’s INFORM virtual reality training for professionals at gamechanger.org.uk/inform, or speak to us about a bespoke programme for your organisation.
