Our dedicated team of experts, led by Kelvin Lay MBE, supports governments, agencies, and frontline responders world-wide by providing the tools and knowledge to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse effectively.
C-TAP empowers agencies to move beyond collecting and analysing data to putting insights into action, safeguarding children now and in the future.
Childlight Technical Advisory Programme Team
Kelvin Lay MBE
Director of the Childlight Technical Advisory Program (C-TAP)
Lydia Davenport
Manager Childlight Technical Advisory Program (C-TAP).
Paul Beck
Manager Childlight Technical Advisory Program (C-TAP).
Nick Dempsey
Manager Childlight Technical Advisory Program (C-TAP).
Kelvin Lay MBE
Director of the Childlight Technical Advisory Program (C-TAP)
Kelvin has significant experience in UK and international law enforcement. While with the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) in Kenya, Kelvin set up Africa’s first dedicated child exploitation and human trafficking units.
Prior to this he was a Senior Investigating Officer within The Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre specialising in extra territorial prosecutions relating to child exploitation across the Globe.
Lydia Davenport
Manager Childlight Technical Advisory Program (C-TAP).
As Technical Advisory Program Manager, Lydia supports both the research and operational elements of Childlight.
With a 20-year career in UK law enforcement, in varied policing areas including Director of Intelligence, criminal investigations, and child safeguarding, also leading offender management and criminal justice departments.
Prior to Childlight, Lydia worked in academia in the UAE, lecturing on child protection, ethics and investigative programs and publishing in academic journals on child protection.
Lydia was seconded to the UK Home Office and the National Crime Agency working on international development programs. With the NCA, she was operations lead for child protection projects across the British Overseas Territories and involved in the development of a Child Protection Unit in Kenya. Lydia was a Senior Policing Advisor for the Home Office International Directorate.
Lydia has investigative and leadership certifications, underpinning commitment to public safety, education, and sustainable international capacity-building in child protection.
Paul Beck
Manager Childlight Technical Advisory Program (C-TAP).
Paul is an accomplished law enforcement and child protection expert with over 26 years of dedicated service in combating human trafficking and child exploitation. His extensive experience spans various international and national roles in the corporate sector and law enforcement, including significant contributions to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the East Horn of Africa.
Paul career reflects a deep commitment to protecting vulnerable populations and addressing the complex challenges of human trafficking and child exploitation. His work has led to significant advancements in law enforcement practices and victim support systems across multiple countries.
Nick Dempsey
Manager Childlight Technical Advisory Program (C-TAP).
Technical Advisory Programme Manager
Nick is a highly experienced career detective, senior investigator and manager with over 30 years UK law enforcement experience, both nationally and internationally. He has led operations in relation to CSEA and organised immigration crime, along with other serious criminality, including murder, rape, kidnap, drugs and firearms trafficking. Nick has extensive Latin-America and West-Africa experience.
How C-TAP Works
The C-TAP team work across four key areas
1. Enabling data access and insight:
- By removing barriers to accessing CSEA data, ensuring frontline responders can analyse and act on it effectively.
- Collaborating with partners such as the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Child Rescue Coalition, and INTERPOL to streamline referral systems and improve response times.
- Creating seamless data systems to ensure vulnerable children are identified and safeguarded in real-time.
2. Building collaboration:
- Uniting diverse stakeholders, from social services and health agencies to international organisations like UNICEF and ICMEC.
- This networked approach ensures resources, knowledge, and expertise are shared effectively to combat CSEA at all levels.
- Promoting integrated responses addressing the multifaceted nature of CSEA, including prevention, intervention, and recovery.
3. Embedding research and analysis:
C-TAP feeds vital data and insights into Childlight’s broader research initiatives, including the Into the Light Global Index and Searchlight Report
By uncovering trends and gaps in existing systems, C-TAP contributes to a deeper understanding of CSEA, which in turn informs policy, legislation, and funding priorities.
4. Promoting CSEA as a global health priority:
- C-TAP believes CSEA must be treated as a national and global health crisis, and encourages governments to prioritise investment in child protection systems.
- It emphasises the need for long-term, sustainable solutions rather than reactive measures, reinforcing the importance of prevention and resilience building.
Working with C-TAP
If you would like to learn more about the work of C-TAP or work with the team get in touch.
Into the Light
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Lighthouse
Our learning log shares insights and findings from our ongoing research and projects – to help illuminate a clearer path for others.
Global Data Fellows
The Global Data Fellows Programme strengthens expertise in child protection, and drives innovative research.