Don't underestimate the scale of the CSE problem

The coverage of the child abuse scandal that has engulfed the Yorkshire town since the publication of the independent inquiry report last month has evolved from the initial shock of the scale of child sexual exploitation (CSE) to focusing on apportioning blame to individuals and agencies for the failings it exposed.

The leader and chief executive of the council have resigned and announced an intention to resign respectively. But the area’s police and crime commissioner Shaun Wright and the council’s director of children’s services (DCS) Joyce Thacker have, at the time of writing, maintained their intention to stay on, despite vociferous calls from the local community and a host of politicians to step aside.

At two parliamentary select committee hearings last week, Thacker endured repeated criticisms of her role and work at Rotherham Council, even though the inquiry report praised the improvements made to tackle CSE during her time as DCS. As such, the events of the past few weeks have shone the spotlight onto the media’s treatment of senior social work professionals at times of national child protection crises.

The media’s desire to find a scapegoat at the top for the systemic failings of organisations is nothing new, and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services has said the focus on Thacker is a “distraction” from the real issues at hand. That may be so, but like it or not, the scrutiny goes with the territory, and should serve as a warning to all DCSs to put CSE at the top of their priority list (see analysis, p8).

Despite what some commentators in the media say about CSE being a problem largely focused on towns and cities in the North with large Asian populations, there is little doubt that it is relevant to all English local authorities, children’s services departments and other local agencies with safeguarding responsibilities.

Therefore, it is shocking to hear the deputy children’s commissioner for England Sue Berelowitz – someone with a deep understanding of CSE as a result of the recent research she led on the nature of exploitation in gangs – say she has heard directly from DCSs who believe it is not a problem for them because they do not have an Asian community in their area.

Such views are complacent and naïve, and go against what almost all the experts on CSE say about the extent of the problem.

It would appear that race was a factor in Rotherham, as it was also in the recent Trojan Horse school extremism case in Birmingham (see analysis, p14). But, as Berelowitz herself says: “Everyone should assume it is happening on their watch. This is not unique to a few communities. It is definitely a national problem and anyone who thinks it is not is not facing up to the reality of the situation.”

The NSPCC says many local authorities are carrying out “stock takes” of their CSE arrangements and procedures. With Ofsted now announcing a series of CSE-focused inspections, let’s hope everyone is heeding the lessons from Rotherham.

derren.hayes@markallengroup.com