Inquiry highlights child sexual exploitation failings
Neil Puffett
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Children are continuing to fall victim to sexual exploitation because services to protect them are not up to scratch, a report has found.
A two-year inquiry by the Children’s Commissioner for England into child sexual exploitation in gangs and groups found that despite a heightened state of alert on the issue, children are still “slipping through the net” and “falling prey to sexual predators”.
The report claims that although there are pockets of good practice, much needs to be done to prevent thousands more children becoming victims due to “serious gaps” in the knowledge, practice and services required to tackle the problem.
It found that only six per cent of local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs) comply with all the requirements of government guidance issued in 2009 on safeguarding children and young people from sexual exploitation.
Sue Berelowitz, deputy children’s commissioner for England, who led the inquiry, said: “While there has undoubtedly been significant progress in tackling this problem, there is still a very long way to go before we can confidently state that our children are being comprehensively and effectively protected.
“Organisations have largely focused on sexual violence perpetrated by adults against children.
“The understanding and recognition of peer-on-peer abuse and sexual violence in gang environments has remained below the radar and is graphically described through our inquiry.
“The stark reality is that children – including young women who are associated with gang members – are at high risk of rape and other forms of sexual violence.
“The task now is to bring about sea change in the culture of professionals working with children so that they truly focus on the needs of the child who is already a victim or is at risk of sexual exploitation.”
The report outlines a framework, called See Me, Hear Me, for providing effective services to protect young people and tackle the issue.
It states that the child’s best interests should be the top priority, and that children and young people should play a part in deciding what help will benefit them.
It is hoped that the framework can be piloted with three local authorities so its effectiveness can be evaluated.
David Simmonds, chairman of the Local Government Association's children and young people board, said it is down to councils, police, teachers and the NHS to tackle the issue by learning from areas that are getting it right.
“The LGA will be working with councils on the recommendations in this report to ensure that good ideas are shared and that local government is doing everything in its power to keep children safe.”
Sue Woolmore, chair of the Association of Independent LSCB Chairs, said members of the organisation "recognise the importance of this challenge and know that more needs to be done".
"We are bound to note that this new activity comes at the same time as unprecedented demand on all child protection services with evidence of the growing pressures on families, increasing neglect of children, continuing evidence of family poverty and breakdown, and rising domestic violence,” she said.
But Bridget Robb, chief executive of the British Association of Social Workers, said cuts to sexual abuse units, along with rising social work caseloads, is making it harder for services to support all those who need help.
She added: “It isn’t enough to say all services must work together, the question is how can we enable them to do this work? Schools have to identify and report concerns about children, social services have to have the resources to follow up these concerns and police have to be freed up to monitor, apprehend and prosecute perpetrators.”
The inquiry's findings have been published today alongside two research reports on understanding sexual consent, by London Metropolitan University, and growing up in gang affected areas, by the University of Bedfordshire.
*See the news analysis on the Children's Commissioner for England report on child sexual exploitation in gangs in the latest issue of CYP Now or read online