BRADFORD will get a £1 million boost to fund a new project to support the district's children who are most at risk of exploitation and grooming.

The money will be used to run a four year project aimed at children aged between 10 and 14, teaching them how to recognise "positive relationships" and avoid falling into situations where they are more likely to be abused.

The money will mean an extra 10 per cent a year can be spent on child safeguarding in Bradford over the four-year period.

The Home Office announced the funding today as part of the Government’s Trusted Relationship Fund.

The aim of the scheme is to encourage children to open up about their experiences, teach them to recognise positive relationships and how to keep safe, as well as help them to build positive plans for their future.

It will also fund new anti-exploitation workshops and programmes targeted at parents to help raise awareness of the risk of child sexual exploitation.

Recent years have seen a number of high-profile grooming cases in the Bradford district, and while police have tried to tackle grooming gangs, work has also been carried out to help at risk young people before they become victims.

A Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub which consists of Bradford Council staff, police, social workers and children's charities meets daily to identify at risk children, and the people who prey on them.

The hub currently has an annual budget of £2.5 million.

In the 2016-17 year there were 1,153 referrals dealt with by the CSE Hub, up from 713 in 2015-16 and 431 in 2014-15.

The rise was put down to increased awareness of such crimes compared to the past, when authorities often failed to recognise the signs of grooming.

Other areas to have benefited from the new funding announced today include Greater Manchester, North Yorkshire and York and Rotherham.

The Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, Victoria Atkins, said: “Early intervention is vitally important if we are to give vulnerable young people the best chance in life and I am very pleased that children in Bradford will receive this invaluable support through the Trusted Relationship Fund.

“Too many young people have to tackle life without an adult figure that they can rely on, leaving them at risk of being abused or driven into crime.

“This Government is determined to invest in innovative projects that protect young people and steer them away from destructive harms.”

The Trusted Relationship Fund was launched earlier this year following a review carried out by the Early Intervention Foundation. The review, commissioned by the Home Office, which found that a trusted relationship with an adult is an important part of programmes to support vulnerable children, and that the lack of trusted relationships is consistently cited as a contributing factor in cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

It found that this kind of social support can help children avoid risky situations, as well as help them overcome adverse circumstances in their lives, and that a trusted relationship can make young people significantly more likely to disclose when abuse is happening to them. The Early Intervention Foundation also emphasised the importance of testing the effectiveness of interventions with young people, which will form a key part of this Fund.

Councillor Adrian Farley, portfolio holder for Children and Families, said: “Bradford Council is delighted that our pioneering work with children at risk of exploitation has been recognised by the Government. The money will be used across our district to continue to innovate and help more vulnerable young people to become resilient to exploitation and fulfil their potential.”

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Child sexual exploitation is often a hidden crime that leaves victims feeling trapped and with nowhere to turn. Offenders deceive and manipulate vulnerable children, who don’t always understand that they are being abused.

“Any new scheme which raises awareness of this awful behaviour and helps young people spot the warning signs is hugely positive.”