Agenda item

Sheffield Sexual Exploitation Service - Annual Report 2018-19

Report of the Chief Executive Officer, Sheffield Futures

Minutes:

7.1

The Committee received a report of the Chief Executive Officer, Sheffield Futures, attaching the Sheffield Sexual Exploitation Service – Annual Report 2018/19.

 

 

7.2

In attendance for this item were Dan White (Sheffield Futures), David Ashcroft (Independent Chair – Sheffield Children Safeguarding Partnership), Victoria Horsefield (Assistant Director, Children and Families Service and Professional Advisor to the Partnership) and Tina Gilbert (Manager, Sheffield Children Safeguarding Partnership).

 

 

7.3

Dan White referred to the introductory report, which contained information on the service user profile for 2018/19, key achievements and developments in 2018/19 and priorities for the Service for 2019/20.

 

 

7.4

Members of the Committee raised questions, and the following responses were provided:-

 

 

 

·                 The reference, under the Service User Profile 2018/19, to the added pressure of a further worker from another agency becoming involved with the young person being too much, was referring to pressure being placed on the young person in that they were having to explain their position to workers from different agencies each time they got involved.  This was considered unnecessary, therefore the young person was now only required to give one interview, which was recorded, and used by the different agencies as and when required.

 

 

 

·                 The move of the Criminal Exploitation, Sexual Exploitation and Missing Persons Teams into one office at Star House, had resulted in improvements in information-sharing which, in turn, had resulted in action and decisions being taken much quicker.

 

 

 

·                 In terms of the pursuit of perpetrators of child sexual exploitation, if any particular ‘hot spot’ areas of the City were identified, through the intelligence focused, multi-agency meetings, this would trigger a collective response by the relevant agencies and resources would be targeted in these areas.  As a result of the effective multi-agency working, no major issues in this regard had been identified.

 

 

 

·                 There was always an element of frustration when the threshold for prosecution was not met. 

 

 

 

·                 General safeguarding training, which included child sexual exploitation, was provided in some schools in the City.  The majority of schools had been involved in the recent ‘It’s Not OK’ campaign, which had been organised by the NSPCC, and which comprised an awareness session for pupils. 

 

 

 

·                 South Yorkshire Police shared intelligence with colleagues across the region, and the Exploitation Working Group, and there was a national working group which shared information across the country.

 

 

7.5

RESOLVED: That the Committee:-

 

 

 

(a)      notes the information contained in the covering report and the Sheffield Sexual Exploitation Service – Annual Report 2018/19, together with the information now reported and the responses to the questions raised;

 

 

 

(b)      thanks Dan White, Victoria Horsefield, David Ashcroft and Tina Gilbert for attending the meeting, and responding to the questions raised; and

 

 

 

(c)      requests the Chief Executive Officer, Sheffield Futures, to:-

 

 

 

(i)       circulate data on those ‘hot spot’ areas in the City in which criminal activity has taken place, and include such data in future Annual Reports; and

 

 

 

(ii)      include details regarding information and intelligence-sharing collaboration in Sheffield and South Yorkshire, and information on disruptions of criminal activity, in future Annual Reports.

 

Supporting documents: