Child sex abuse: Ofsted warning to councils

The report comes against a backdrop of allegations over organised child abuse and exploitation

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Vulnerable children in England are at risk of sexual exploitation and abuse because of failings by councils, the education watchdog has warned.

Ofsted said local authorities had been too slow to face up to their responsibilities around preventing abuse in their area.

Plans to tackle the problem at local levels were "underdeveloped", while leadership was "frequently lacking".
The Local Government Association said the report was "uncomfortable reading".
The report - called The sexual exploitation of children: it couldn't happen here, could it? - was commissioned by the chief inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw.
It comes against a backdrop of allegations, convictions and resignations over organised child abuse and exploitation over sustained periods in locations including Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford and Telford.
A separate report published by MPs on Tuesday into the Rotherham cases concluded the local authority had "failed" victims targeted in the town. It also questioned the performance of Ofsted itself.
Young people at risk The Ofsted report concluded that "some professionals have simply failed to properly apply child protection processes to young people at risk of being sexually exploited".
It warned that it was "inherently dangerous for any child protection agency to assume that they need not worry about this type of child abuse because the stereotypical offender or victim profile does not match their own local demographics".
In too many instances, local safeguarding children's boards had shown poor leadership, it added.

Ofsted urges councils and their partners to have a comprehensive multi-agency strategy to organised abuse

Ofsted inspectors found some councils had only begun to address the problem on a strategic basis within the past 12 months, despite statutory guidance being issued more than five years ago.
They also said there was poor information sharing between local authorities, police, health services and others, leading to an overall lack of understanding.
The report also found:

• Many local authorities were still failing to provide good support to children in care who went missing, once they had returned
• Inconsistency in the quality of planning for young people in care meant some were exposed to the risk of sexual exploitation
• Councils were not effectively making the connection between child sexual exploitation and children who were missing from school
• While all authorities had taken some steps to increase community awareness of child sexual exploitation, these approaches had tended to be ad hoc and reactive

It urged local authorities to develop and publish a child sexual exploitation action plan as a matter of priority.
Councils should ensure that information and intelligence was shared to better protect children and increase the rate of prosecutions, it said.
The report was based on inspection evidence and case examinations from eight local authorities and 36 children's homes inspections.
It also includes the views of more than 150 young people and over 200 professionals including councillors, local safeguarding children's board members and local authority and partner agency staff.
'Next scandal' Debbie Jones, Ofsted's national director for social care, said it "cannot be acceptable" that local authorities and partners were "still failing to grasp and deal with" abuse effectively.
"It is not enough to simply wait for the next scandal to happen. We are calling on all local authorities and their partners to ensure that they have a comprehensive multi-agency strategy and action plan in place to tackle child sexual exploitation," she said.

The report comes after exploitation scandals in several towns in the UK, including Rotherham

Ms Jones said Ofsted was no exception when it came to learning lessons from recent cases.
"Child sexual exploitation is something inspectors now focus on much more closely under the arrangements for inspecting local authority child protection and looked-after children's services that came into effect a year ago," she said.
David Simmonds, chairman of the LGA's children and young people board, said protecting children from harm was "one of the most important things that councils do".
"While some local authorities are making positive strides to protect young people, it's clear that others have been too slow to step up to the plate and must do more to stop any cases where children could be at risk.
"This report makes for uncomfortable reading and councils across the country will now be reflecting on its implications."
But Mr Simmonds also criticised Ofsted, saying councils, communities and parents needed to have confidence in its inspection regime and its role in protecting children.