Playing the Long Game with Adam Elliott

This blog is published in support of AYJ’s latest briefing, From exploited to exploiter? Preventing the unjust criminalisation of victims of child criminal exploitation in the transition to adulthood. The blog shares reflections from Adam Elliott, founder of The Long Game and Inclusion Manager at a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU). Adam is a former AYJ and Leaders Unlocked Young Advocate, and now draws on his lived experience of criminal exploitation to highlight what young people really need from professionals, and why youth-led approaches matter.

Exploited to exploiter? is part of a larger project funded by Barrow Cadbury Trust that explores the experiences of children transitioning to adulthood while in the criminal justice system. 

The Long Game started after you finished your role as a Young Advocate with AYJ and Leaders Unlocked. What role did they play in helping you shape and deliver the project?

I wouldn’t be where I am without them. They recruit young people and upskill them: how to put together a project, public speaking, and prepare you to take on an internship. As someone with experience of criminal exploitation, I knew I had something to share. Leaders Unlocked and the AYJ gave me time and ownership to build what became The Long Game. The first time I met them, they asked: “What do you want to do?”

“Leaders Unlocked and the AYJ gave me time and ownership to build what became The Long Game. The first time I met them, they asked: ‘What do you want to do?’”

In The Long Game, you introduce young people to terms like ‘clean skin’ (children with a clean criminal record) and ‘BIC’ (a person deemed disposable). Why is that important?

For many young people, those words are a reality professionals don’t understand. Explaining them is about transparency and building rapport. It opens a door. What’s frustrating is when professionals don’t know this language. How can you empathise or connect with young people if you don’t understand the words they use? We need a shared language so everyone is on the same page.

“How can you empathise or connect with young people if you don’t understand the words they use? We need a shared language so everyone is on the same page.”

What are the biggest misconceptions you hear from young people about drugs, money, and exploitation?

Some think you have to be poor or come from a chaotic background. I challenge that by sharing my own story — parents together, holidays abroad, middle-class life. Exploitation doesn’t look one way. Others think it’s glamorous, like joining a gang. I talk about the reality: overdoses, coercion, violence. I want it to be a shock to the system, and that shocks often leads to disclosure.

You talk about ‘instant gratification’ being used to groom young people. What do you think helps young people to think more long-term instead?

It’s about bigger goals broken into smaller steps. Get out of bed, brush your teeth, go to class. Week by week, you build more. We put too much pressure on young people to have it all sorted. They need to believe small steps can lead to a better life. We also can’t be perfect, so sometimes you give in to instant gratification. But you can measure the effect of your actions and learn from them. So if you set that yardstick, you have something to work towards.

“We put too much pressure on young people to have it all sorted. They need to believe small steps can lead to a better life.”

How can services move towards more peer-led or youth-led models like The Long Game?

Young people need to be at the centre. That means youth boards in every organisation, young people sitting on interview panels, easy progression into paid work. It also means making space for community projects and events where young people can get involved. It’s about making them feel valued and giving them ownership. Once they have, they will surprise you with what they can do!

“Young people need to be at the centre. That means youth boards in every organisation, young people sitting on interview panels, easy progression into paid work.”

You work in a PRU. What challenges do you see there around child criminal exploitation?

We have very traumatised young people. Did you know exploiters wait outside PRUs because they know these children are vulnerable? It’s messed up but it makes sense, doesn’t it? Police need to take that seriously. PRUs can become hubs for exploitation if support is not in place. Professionals need to understand contextual safeguarding too — young people might be safe at school and home, but the risk is right outside the gate.

Transitions like turning 18 are especially risky. What needs to change to support young people through them?

Support shouldn’t cut off at 18. We need apprenticeships, entrepreneurship courses, and mentors. We need a reason to believe we can do something else with our lives. Services should continue up to 25 and beyond. I also think young people should be able to return for advice if they need it, not have the door closed. That consistency matters because it builds trust. Look at it this way: without those opportunities others take for granted, young people will create their own, and those choices may not be in their best interests.

“Services should continue up to 25 and beyond. I also think young people should be able to return for advice if they need it, not have the door closed. That consistency matters because it builds trust.”

What kind of training do professionals need?

Everyone needs to understand exploitation. Schools are getting better, but universities are overlooked. Where there is drug use, there is also exploitation. This is a community issue. Teachers, parents, police, professionals — all should have real-world training, not just labels they used to identify victims and perpetrators.

Have you seen good practice that others could learn from?

Yes. Some mainstream schools are bringing PRUs on site, which avoids segregating young people as “good” or “bad.” I’ve even seen schools become community hubs, offering meals in the evenings, involving families. Organisations like Leaders Unlocked and St Giles Trust are also getting it right. They show how empowering young people and involving lived experience can change the narrative. Who better to tell a story, to understand it, than someone who has lived through that same story?

“Organisations like Leaders Unlocked and St Giles Trust are also getting it right. They show how empowering young people and involving lived experience can change the narrative. Who better to tell a story than someone who has lived through that same story?”

Finally, what’s next for The Long Game?

We’re developing what I call Phase 2, which will focus on mentoring and wraparound support up to age 21. Long-term, we want to set up Long Game Hubs where young people can access training and support after 18. To get there, we need funding and partners who understand the value of lived experience. By that, I mean that running this work isn’t easy; the sector needs to lower expectations of people like me. I’m doing this with ADHD and dyslexia, for example. The system needs to create a different yardstick to measure our success. A bit of slack would go a long way. All the same, I know we will get there!

“Long-term, we want to set up Long Game Hubs where young people can access training and support after 18. To get there, we need funding and partners who understand the value of lived experience.”