Report on child sexual exploitation in Rochdale urges clarity on legal issues

An independent report into child sexual exploitation (CSE) issues in Rochdale has called on the council to join with other local authorities and appropriate agencies to seek clarity at a national level on a range of legal issues.

The report by Anna Klonowski, acting as independent reviewing officer (IRO), was commissioned by the metropolitan borough council following the conviction of nine men from Rochdale and Oldham for grooming offences. It was based on interviews with current and former staff and involved an examination of the council’s children’s services, licensing and legal teams.

Klonowski said clarity was needed on the legal framework for enabling social care practitioners to have access to information/intelligence regarding potential CSE perpetrators. This would be so that preventative action could be taken to safeguard children and young people more effectively.

The IRO also said Rochdale and councils should press for clarity on:

• “The grounds and circumstances upon which authorities can suspend and/or revoke licences for taxi drivers and fast food establishments, thereby enabling more robust disruption tactics for CSE;
• The legal framework that denies local authorities the ability to restrict the number of private hire and hackney carriage licences they issue when deemed appropriate;
• The most effective over-arching legal framework(s) to enable prevention and detection of CSE, whilst at the same time enabling each agency to fulfil its role in safeguarding those at risk.”

In response, Rochdale said it had raised the issues with the Local Government Association “with the aim of ensuring clarity can be established at a national level on behalf of all councils”.

The recommendation of pursuing clarity on these legal issues was one of 16 made in the report from the IRO, who was assisted by law firm DLA Piper in its preparation.

Other key recommendations were that the council should:

• Secure appropriate senior leaders for the Children, Schools and Families department on a permanent/long-term basis;
• With its partner agencies, keep under review the level of resourcing made available to the prevention, detection and prosecution of CSE;
• Conduct a review within Children's Social Care of roles and responsibilities of social workers and managers as a part of the restructure of CSC. “This then needs to be agreed, communicated and implemented within CSC to enable Legal Services to revert back to their primary role as professional legal advisers within the safeguarding process”;
• Continue to develop and implement a longer term plan for awareness raising with children, young people, families, foster carers and schools;
• Work with all partners represented on the Local Safeguarding Children Board and other partnership forums to improve strategic and operations responses to safeguarding and protecting children;
• Develop a multi-agency framework and culture which enables inappropriate behaviour/lack of ownership to be immediately challenged by peers and, where necessary, logged for discussion with managers and escalated;
• Continue with the detailed investigations as to social work practice at an individual level as necessary, determining whether or not there are grounds for further internal action and/or referral to the Health and Care Professions Council;
• In conjunction with all relevant agencies, develops and implements a targeted prevention plan that includes criminal justice activities. An evaluation framework should also be developed;
• Ensure, through the chief executive, that any necessary disciplinary investigations relating to CSE be finalised and the appropriate actions taken;
• Implement an improved and transparent performance management and reporting regime.

Jim Taylor, the local authority’s chief executive, said: “It is clear from this review that some children were let down by Rochdale Council. On behalf of the council, I am deeply sorry these young people did not get the care and support they deserved.

"We must never forget that the sexual exploitation of children is an appalling crime carried out by the worst kind of criminals. But keeping children safe from harm is the most important thing a local authority does, and we accept the conclusions and recommendations in the report.”

Taylor acknowledged that the review painted a poor picture of the way elements of the council had previously been run.

Rochdale’s chief executive added: “Hard-working, dedicated staff were also let down by some senior managers who appear to have shown no leadership and taken no responsibility. I am absolutely determined to ensure these mistakes are never repeated. We have given a copy of this report to the Health and Care Professionals Council, the industry regulator, and directly referred some individuals named in this report to them.”

He added that the authority had already implemented improvements, and these had been recognised in the report.

Taylor concluded: "The sexual exploitation of children is not a crime confined to the boundaries of a local authority. It would be pointless if Rochdale put in place the measures needed to tackle the issue but other areas did not. It’s everyone's responsibility – local councils, the police, NHS, families and the wider public – to stop these terrible acts from taking place."