CSE victims to play central role improving services in Rotherham

An improvement plan, titled A Fresh Start, has been approved by councillors and outlines plans to recruit victims to help monitor and assess action being taken to improve support for victims and tackling CSE.

The plan, developed by a team of commissioners appointed last year by government to oversee the council’s attempts to improve its response to CSE, also sets an ambitious target of achieving an Ofsted “outstanding” rating for children’s services within three years.

Publication of the plan follows a damning report by professor Alexis Jay last year that estimated that 1,400 children in the town had been sexually exploited between 1997 and 2013.

A subsequent government-ordered report by Louise Casey, published earlier this year, flagged up widespread failures on the part of Rotherham Council.

The improvement plan reveals that victims are likely to be asked to take part in detailed “interviews and focus groups”, once a year over the next three years.

This will be carried out by a research team from the University of Salford and involves four charities that work with victims of CSE – Rotherham Women’s Refuge, Rotherham Women’s Counselling Service, the GROW Project, and Youth Start.

Rotherham council leader Chris Read said: “As we drive forward improvements in services in dealing with CSE, it’s vital that we hear the views of people who have been directly affected.”

Other measures outlined in the improvement plan include strengthening the area’s multi-agency safeguarding hub, and launching a recruitment drive for social workers and management to “ensure caseloads are more manageable across the service.”

It also details plans to clear a backlog of assessments, bolster support for CSE victims and improve IT and record keeping, with a new system set to be in place by the end of the year.

A children’s charter may also be published, which would offer a promise by the council to be a “child-centred borough”. This could include a guaranteed role for young people in decision making.

The improvement plan has been submitted to central government for approval.

Commissioner Stella Manzie said: “Rotherham Council needs to improve.

“This plan constitutes a wide and deep programme of change to improve services to children and adult survivors of abuse and make improvements across the council.”

“We want the council to be constantly appraising where it can do better within its limited resources.”

Earlier this month the council promised to toughen up licensing rules for taxi drivers, some of whom were found to have played a “prominent role” in abuse in the town.