Child sexual exploitation

1. Action in response to child sexual exploitation in OxfordshireCllr Ian Hudspeth, LeaderJoanna Simons, Chief Executive

2. Child sexual exploitation • “Sexual exploitation of children and young people under 18 involves exploitative situations, contexts and relationships where young people (or a third person or persons) receive "something" (e.g. food, accommodation, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, affection, gifts, money) as a result of them performing, and/or another or others performing on them, sexual activities.” [Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board 2012]

3. Operation Bullfinch • 2011 - Joint operation launched by Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire Social Services • March 2012 - 18 arrests, 9 men charged • January – May 2013 - Trial of 9 men • 80+ charges of serious sexual abuse • 6 female victims • abuse from age 11 (2004 – 2011) • June 2013 - 7 men imprisoned for total of 95 years • Serious Case Review underway

4. Serious case review now underway • Identify vulnerability, risk, needs and indicators of abuse • Early life experiences and parental factors • Educational experiences • Missing episodes • The impact of the looked after child system • Examine what was known about child sexual exploitation: how was it assessed and understood. • Examine how robust and appropriate the professional responses were: what information was shared and how and what action was taken? • Examine whether appropriate local and national single agency and inter-agency safeguarding procedures policies and professional standards applicable at the time were followed and effective. • Examine how professionals engaged with and supported young people and families. • Establish whether practitioners were sensitive to the needs of the children and the family in their work. • OSCB currently considering how to address ‘why?’ following ministerial intervention after the publication of Coventry SCR

5. Rapidly developing National Agenda • Safeguarding Children & Young People from Sexual Exploitation – Supplementary guidance to Working Together to Safeguard Children: Department for Children, Schools and Families (2009) • Missing children and adults strategy: Home Office (2011) • Munro review of child protection: final report – a child-centred system (2011) • Tackling child sexual exploitation: action plan: Department for Education (2012) • Areport into improving the quality of children’s residential care: Department for Education (2012) • “I thought I was the only one. The only one in the world”: The Office of the Children’s Commissioner’s inquiry into child sexual exploitation in gangs and groups: interim report (2012) • A report examining issues relating to children who go missing from care: APPG for Runaway and Missing Children and Adults (2012) • A report on child sexual exploitation and response to localised grooming: Home Affairs Committee (2013) • New guidelines for prosecuting child sexual abuse (October 2013)

7. New CPS guidelines – October 2013 'This change marks the most fundamental attitude shift across the Criminal Justice System for a generation. For too long, child sexual abuse cases have been plagued by myths about how 'real' victims behave which simply do not withstand scrutiny. The days of the model victim are over. From now on these cases will be investigated and prosecuted differently, whatever the vulnerabilities of the victim’ KeirStarmer October 17th 2013

8. Common stereotypes… • The victim invited sex by the way they dressed or acted • The victim used alcohol or drugs and was therefore sexually available • The victim didn't scream, fight or protest so they must have been consenting • The victim didn't complain immediately, so it can't have been a sexual assault • The victim is in a relationship with the alleged offender and is therefore a willing sexual partner • A victim should remember events consistently • Children can consent to their own sexual exploitation • CSE is only a problem in certain ethnic/cultural communities • Only girls and young women are victims of CSA • Children from BME backgrounds are not abused • There will be physical evidence of abuse

15. Kingfisher team • Prevent and protect • Investigate • Prosecute • Social Workers as Detectives and Detectives as Social Workers

17. Some examples of other actions • Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board: • New CSE strategy and tools • Screening Tool identifying risk factors • Frontline training for over 5,000 multi-agency staff • New placement strategy – ‘keep riskiest children closest’ – 4 new children’s homes • New procedures for children going missing from care • Focus on prevention

19. Michael Gove speech to NSPCC ‘Critically, in local government, we need to ask tougher questions of council chief executives and political leaders rather than zeroing in on just social work practitioners and directors of children’s services. Social workers do not operate in a vacuum. Ultimate responsibility for child protection should rest with the chief executives on six-figure salaries, and their political leaders, who may not concentrate on vital questions of child protection because these issues do not influence their job prospects or move votes.’ ‘We have changed the rules so that chief executives now appoint the chairs of the local safeguarding childrens’ boards, and through the new Ofsted inspections they will be held to account for the people they appoint. This is a vital role, which I expect LA chief executives to take seriously and to fund properly.’ Michael Gove 12th November 2013

20. Everybody’s BusinessWe must NEVER give up on our children