Publish date: 6 February 2026
On Thursday, 29 January Liverpool School Health team took part in a County Lines event held by Merseyside Police.
100 young people aged 11 to 13 from schools across Liverpool and Sefton took part in a county lines awareness day aimed at helping young people understand the dangers of drugs and criminal exploitation.
County lines is a form of criminal exploitation where organised crime groups persuade, coerce or force children and young people to store or move drugs and money, often transporting them to different areas of the country. Children and young people may experience exploitation in many forms, including criminal exploitation, child sexual exploitation, trafficking, gang involvement and knife crime.
The day began with a Q&A session delivered by officers from Merseyside Police and the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC), and the School Health Criminal Exploitation Specialist Nurse, Sue Barratt, led a workshop outlining how they identify, protect and support children who may be at risk of or experiencing criminal or sexual exploitation and the School Health Team were available to chat with the youg people and professionals throughout the event .
Activate Body and Mind delivered a high energy boxing and self defence session, and students then took part in a series of round robin workshops delivered by partners including Everton in the Community, Change Grow Live and Catch22. Block P, a Liverpool based sportswear shop, joined the event to share business and entrepreneurial skills.
Guest speaker Angela Preston delivered a powerful session sharing her lived experience of someone close to her being drawn into county lines. Angela now delivers sessions in schools and colleges raising awareness of drugs, grooming and exploitation, and is committed to helping young people choose positive paths.
To conclude the event, students were surprised with a special celebrity panel who attended to show their support and reinforce the importance of educating young people about county lines.
Hosted by former Liverpool goalkeeper Chris Kirkland, the panel featured boxer Tony Bellew, musician Jamie Webster, former Miss World and aerospace engineer Jessica Gagen and Liverpool actor Philip McGuinness. The guests spoke about the importance of making positive choices, staying safe, and looking out for others
If you know of a young person who is worried about being involved in county lines you can speak to professionals about your concerns.
Liverpool useful websites:
Children at risk - Liverpool City Council
School Health Teams (Main page) :: Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
Tell us about | Merseyside Police
County Lines & Child Exploitation | The Children's Society
Give information | Crimestoppers
Ivison Trust - We support families affected by child exploitation.
