THEY are the four stages – from innocent conversation to full-scale abuse – that occur with chilling regularity in child grooming cases.

A child is selected and then eased into a “loving” relationship before having their emotions manipulated for sex.

This is one of the key messages experts are bringing to Oxfordshire public sector workers in monthly sessions on child sexual exploitation.

Concerns have been heightened by the ongoing trial of nine men accused of grooming, raping and selling girls for sex in Oxford. All deny the charges.

The training is being run by the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board, which brings together public bodies that work with children.

About 70 staff have attended the sessions since they began last summer, which Oxfordshire County Council said builds on general safeguarding training taken by 2,400 people since 2011.

Other courses about young people tackle issues such as mental health, cyber safety and drugs and alcohol.

Council director for children, education and families Jim Leivers said: “A lot of hard work has been going in over recent months to add to the skills of all professionals who deal with young people so they better spot signs and work with young people to increase their personal resilience and mitigate risks.

“This is not to say that professionals did not have these skills before. However, the courses are adding to those skills and deepening knowledge of child sexual exploitation.”

The sessions bring “greater consistency” throughout public sector workers in “raising Oxfordshire’s game” he said.

The latest session was at Cherwell District Council, Bodicote, on Tuesday, with about 30 people.

Oxford City Council domestic and sexual abuse co-ordinator Liz Jones told staff: “The grooming process is pretty much the same across the board.

“The process makes it far easier for them not to get caught.”

County children’s social care manager Pauline Morris told staff grooming begins with “targeting” a child at places like a coffee shop or cinema before moving on to “friendship forming”.

Explaining the abusers’ thought process, she said: “I need to make sure that this child is going to be attached to me in some way.

“I’m going to make that young person, make that child, feel special.”

Gifts, spending time with the child, listening and offering protection leads to initial physical contact, she said.

This leads to a “loving” sexual relationship and attempts are then made to lower the child’s inhibitions with forbidden activities like nightclubbing, drinking and drug taking.

The final stage is the “abusive relationship” – withdrawal of love, isolation from family and friends and finally routine sexual abuse, all driven by the children’s desire to return to stages one to three.

Mrs Morris said: “I am going to pull back a little but, make them more desperate, more dependent. They are going to do their best to please me.”