SPACE (Stop & Prevent Adolescent Criminal Exploitation) is a self-funded, specialist support response to the phenomenon of ‘county lines’, which has trapped thousands of children and young adults into organised crime and serious violence. It exists to highlight the gaps and shortcomings in statutory recognition for domestically exploited UK victims, and in victim support within the UK modern slavery and child protection framework.
A fully anonymous organisation, SPACE has supported hundreds of parents who have been affected by county lines. It operates a 24/7, national service to help parents navigate their way through the challenges of having a victim of county lines in their family, as well as the harmful impacts of law enforcement responses.
The number of British children identified as potential victims of county lines-related trafficking has risen sharply since 2015. But as attention on the issue grows, alarms have also been raised around failures in safeguarding and the racism and classism imbuing responses. In 2024 alone, 1,845 people (mostly boys) were identified to the state as potential victims of county lines – accounting for a staggering 10% of all modern slavery referrals that year.
