Government orders councils to review child sexual exploitation procedures
Neil Puffett
Monday, September 29, 2014
Local authorities have been ordered to undertake an audit of how they respond to child sexual exploitation (CSE) cases in the wake of the Rotherham abuse scandal.
A joint letter from Education Secretary Nicky Morgan and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles calls on council leaders to read the 159-page report by professor Alexis Jay into how Rotherham Council dealt with CSE between 1997 and 2013.
It then urges them to “consider whether you have adequate measures in place to ensure that you cannot be accused of similar failings”.
"We cannot undo the permanent harm that these children have suffered," the letter states.
"But we can and should take steps to ensure that this never happens again and make sure that all local authorities deliver on their essential duty to protect vulnerable children."
The letter adds that authorities should co-operate with the work of Louise Casey – who was earlier this month appointed by government to conduct an investigation into Rotherham Council.
Casey will probe the authority on its governance, its work with children and young people, and how it licences taxis and private hire vehicles. Her remit includes looking into whether the council “covers up” information, and whether the authority is taking the necessary steps to address past weaknesses.
Casey has also been asked to draw out any lessons that could be useful to other local authorities or service providers across the country and is due to report to Pickles by 30 November.
The letter from Morgan and Pickles also reveals that the chief social worker for children and families, Isabelle Trowler, is currently working with local government and social work experts to understand the lessons from the Jay report for local authorities and any implications it has for the government’s drive to improve the quality of frontline practice.
As part of efforts to improve social worker training, the government announced in July that children’s social workers will have to pass a test of their knowledge in order to become an approved practitioner.
Giving evidence to the communities and local government select committee this month, Rotherham's director of children's services, Joyce Thacker, who has since resigned, told MPs that social work students should receive training on CSE as part of their course.
