Documents Examining Work Between 2003 And 2012 Identify Failings

Rochdale Safeguarding Children Board has published two Serious Case Reviews which reveal a ‘widespread pattern’ of failings related to the response of services to cases of child sexual exploitation in the borough.

The review of the work of agencies between 2003 and 2012 highlighted both organisational and individual issues and also concluded that such problems highlighted fundamental issues over a period of years which affected efforts to safeguard young people.

According to the body, inadequacies identified revealed issues such as policy and procedures either being unavailable or poorly implemented, an absence of high quality supervision and resource pressures and high workloads in key agencies.

It also suggested culture and attitudes in agencies were “actively unhelpful” when working with children.

The reviews also stated that while good practice was now being developed in many areas, there remained much to be done to ensure that practice across services was meeting the required standard.

The Safeguarding Children Board is monitoring progress in terms of action on its recommendations and is expected to report back in the New Year.

Expert Opinion

The release of the reviews into child sexual exploitation in Rochdale has been eagerly awaited and has highlighted incredibly serious concerns regarding numerous aspects of the work of agencies responsible for protecting and safeguarding young people in the area. <br/> <br/>"According to Rochdale Safeguarding Children Board, work is now well underway to learn lessons from the terrible problems of the past and it is vital that tangible evidence of improvements in the operation of organisations is seen in the coming months. <br/> <br/>"The entire community in Rochdale will have been desperate for answers and will want to see clear steps taken to prevent the same issues from ever happening again. This has to be the priority of agencies in the area." Tracey Storey - Partner