Collaboration is the key to councils tackling CSE
Derren Hayes
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Read in conjunction, the two reports on child sexual exploitation (CSE) published last week confirmed the fears of many children's services leaders: that CSE is both widespread, and in too many areas is failing to be properly tackled by agencies.
The reports' findings are of course deeply concerning, but the challenge facing local authorities - and their police and health service partners – is to ensure they get to grips with the problem without it affecting their wider safeguarding work.
After taking evidence from CSE experts, including Professor Alexis Jay, author of the recent report into the abuse scandal in Rotherham, the communities and local government committee concluded that Rotherham was "no outlier", and urged other authorities to conduct their own investigations when credible CSE allegations arose. A day later, an Ofsted thematic review of CSE arrangements in eight councils - ordered in direct response to the Rotherham scandal – found most were inadequate to sufficiently protect children at risk of CSE. The fact that two councils had yet to put any plans in place at all highlights the main problem with tackling CSE - until recently, it has been dealt with as part of general child protection services, with the specific needs of young people at risk of it not recognised or acted upon.
Very few areas have developed dedicated, multi-disciplinary and integrated CSE teams. Even where this has taken place – such as in Rotherham – it is still in its infancy and delivering mixed results. Coincidently, Ofsted's emergency inspection report on Rotherham's children's services was also published last week and revealed the creation of a multi-agency safeguarding team has yet to reduce risk to children.
But that's not to say solutions are not out there: Ofsted's thematic review praised Rochdale for "radically changing the way information is shared across departments and between agencies" making it easier to deliver prosecutions of perpetrators and get the issue taken seriously.
Much of the emphasis in Rochdale has been on working more collaboratively and smartly between agencies - not necessarily something that costs a lot to deliver, but it requires time and human resources to build the relationships and "buy-in" among partners to make it effective.
But post-Rotherham, and with the media and political spotlight firmly fixed on CSE - heightened further by the ongoing government independent inquiry into historical abuse - every council must redouble efforts to ensure its CSE procedures are fit for purpose.
Despite the Ofsted findings, most directors of children's services will have commissioned a review of CSE arrangements already. In fact, the problem could arise where the pendulum swings too far and by focusing on CSE child protection teams are forced to put other work on the backburner. This possibility has been raised by one local safeguarding children board chair, who is concerned that children could be put at risk because their cases will be delayed.
If the recent reports by MPs and Ofsted are an accurate reflection of the extent of the CSE problem in the country - and there's no reason to think they are not - then the issue is of national importance and requires a national, co-ordinated response - including dedicated resources - from the government.