New Report Reveals Concerns Over Handling Of Child Exploitation Case

Lessons must be learned from a new report which has revealed that social services and the police missed opportunities to tackle the abuse of children in Rochdale, according to a legal expert at Irwin Mitchell.

The Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Board has published a review in child exploitation after it was ordered following the prosecution of nine Asian men in relation to the grooming of young girls in the town.

Among the findings are claims there were deficiencies in how social care services responded to victims, with the problems being linked to ‘patchy’ training of frontline staff. It also concluded that ‘opportunities to provide a comprehensive, co-ordinated and timely response’ were missed.

Louise Jenkins, a legal expert at Irwin Mitchell who represents people who have suffered physically and psychologically as a result of child abuse, said it was clear that action must be taken to address these very serious breaches.

She explained: “This review clearly highlights some shocking failings in relation to how this issue in Rochdale was handled and it is welcome that the local authority has confirmed that changes have been made in order to improve co-ordination between the different agencies involved.

“Abuse of this kind has a huge impact on victims and we have seen first-hand how abuse can go on to affect people for the rest of their lives.  It is hugely worrying that the conclusion of this review was that more could have been done to help the victims and it is now vital that the focus is on ensuring lessons are learned and that vulnerable children are not exploited in this way again.”

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