CYP Now - Child Sexual Exploitation: Policy context

Child sexual exploitation, while on the radar of child protection agencies and organisations, was catapulted to the top of the political and policy agenda by the revelations in August 2014 that 1,400 children in Rotherham had been systematically sexually abused and exploited over a 16-year period.

The Rotherham CSE independent report, by Professor Alexis Jay and published by Rotherham Council, found that concerns over a network of abusers who had groomed and exploited girls in the town had been raised by youth workers more than a decade before, but safeguarding agencies had not acted. The case also highlighted a lack of awareness of what constitutes CSE among police and child protection professionals and how to tackle it effectively.

Rotherham report

The government appointed Louise Casey, head of the Troubled Families Unit, to conduct an urgent inspection of Rotherham Council. Published in January 2015, Casey's report concluded the council was "not fit for purpose", and a team of commissioners was appointed to take over its running.

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