Game Changer Presents at the National County Lines South East Conference
Following the success of last year’s National County Lines Conference in Cambridge, The Game Changer team were invited back—this time to attend the South East Conference in Portsmouth, hosted by the National County Lines Coordination Centre.
While the event built on the momentum of last year, our focus had shifted—and the response from delegates confirmed we are moving in the right direction.
A Different Focus, A Clearer Message
At last year’s conference, we showcased our immersive virtual-reality interventions alongside our behaviour-change resources and methodology. This year, however, we chose to focus exclusively on our Impact Programme—a drama-based early-intervention initiative that we believe is absolutely critical in tackling County Lines exploitation.
The response from professionals across policing, education, housing, and social care reinforced our belief that early, preventative work with young people is not just valuable—it is essential.
Why Early Intervention Matters
As a team, we firmly believe that raising awareness through education and experiential learning is one of the most effective ways to confront this deeply troubling national issue.
The statistics are sobering. Some of the youngest children targeted by Organised Crime Groups have been as young as six years old.
While this represents an extreme case, it reinforces why we are committed to delivering the Impact Programme as early as possible. Our work focuses on young people aged 10–13 (Year 6 to Year 8)—an age range we have identified as a critical window where meaningful intervention can make a lasting difference.
Presenting to 150+ Frontline Professionals
Our team presented an overview of the Impact Programme to more than 150 delegates, including police officers, social workers, housing professionals, and educators.
We demonstrated three core elements of our approach:
1. Theatre in Education: Our Town
Delegates experienced excerpts from Our Town, our interactive drama piece that brings the realities of County Lines exploitation to life in an age-appropriate, engaging, and emotionally resonant way.
2. Making Meaning Sessions
Following the performance, we explored our Making Meaning sessions—where young people collectively analyse the characters and choices within the play. These sessions build empathy, critical thinking, and the ability to recognise warning signs in real-world situations.
3. Game Changer Challenges
Team development and problem-solving activities
This element develops collaboration, emotional resilience, and confidence. It is a vital—and often overlooked—part of the process, ensuring that awareness is matched by the capacity to act.
Beyond Awareness: The “So What?” Question
Raising awareness is important—but it is not enough.
The critical question is: so what?
If young people lack the resilience, confidence, and skills to respond, they may still be at serious risk. Serving police officers at the conference confirmed that, in the worst-case scenario, a young person can move from being targeted to being in a trap house within 24–48 hours.
This is why our programme places such emphasis on building the confidence to collaborate, speak up, and tell a trusted adult quickly. When young people feel able to raise concerns—about themselves or a friend—intervention can happen before harm escalates.
Learning from Lived Experience
As a team, we learned a great deal from Escape Line, who presented after us. One young person spoke powerfully about his lived experience of being drawn into drug dealing and associated criminal activity from a very early age.
Listening to his story was humbling and deeply distressing—but also invaluable.
The insights he shared will directly inform our practice. In particular, we will integrate elements of his language, experiences, and statistics into the hot-seating section of the Impact Programme. Authenticity matters when asking young people to engage with difficult and uncomfortable realities.
Moving Forward Together
The strength of this conference lay in its multi-agency collaboration—bringing together police, social services, housing, education, and organisations such as Catch22, Crimestoppers, and The Children’s Society.
County Lines exploitation targets some of our most vulnerable children. Addressing it requires early intervention, education, and the deliberate building of resilience.
The Game Changer team remain fully committed to this work, and we are grateful to the National County Lines Coordination Centre for the opportunity to share our Impact Programme with such a dedicated group of professionals.
Get in Touch
If you’d like to learn more about The Game Changer Impact Programme, or discuss how we can support young people in your area, we’d love to hear from you.
