‘Moved around like bags of rubbish nobody wants’: how multiple placement moves can make young women vulnerable to sexual exploitation

Abstract

This paper discusses fi ndings from an exploratory study that sought to identify how local authority care places young women at risk of sexual exploitation through prostitution by unpicking the 'culture of care', and focuses on frequent placement moves and the role of discontinuity. The author's experience of working with sexually exploited young women in local authority care, and women in street prostitution, provides a backdrop for the study. Findings are drawn from life story interviews with 14 young women with backgrounds of local authority care and prostitution and the ethical dimensions are also discussed. Young women reported that multiple placement moves within care were profoundly destabilising. Their capacities to develop trusting relationships with others and feel settled were limited by frequent placement breakdowns, leading to a kaleidoscope of ways in which they became vulnerable to sexual exploitation through prostitution. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.KEY WORDS: young women; sexual exploitation; placement; stability T his paper discusses fi ndings from an exploratory study that sought to identify how local authority care places young women at risk of sexual exploitation by unpicking the 'culture of care'. Research literature consistently demonstrates that looked-after young women are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation through prostitution (Friedberg, 2000;Melrose et al., 1999;Moss

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