The research, based on a study of 100 local safeguarding children boards (LSCBs), also found that only a quarter of areas have a dedicated coordinator to oversee efforts to prevent child sexual exploitation and only 38 per cent of boards have a sub-group to address the problem.
Meanwhile, 64 per cent of LSCBs have "no plans" to appoint a coordinator to lead work in this area and one third have "no plans" to develop a strategy for dealing with child sexual exploitation; with some explicitly stating that the issue was not a priority for them.
As part of the study, researchers reviewed the details of 1,065 cases of child sexual exploitation. They found that data collection and monitoring of cases is "piecemeal and inadequate".
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