Agenda item

The Council received a presentation concerning the Assessment of Child Sexual Exploitation Services in Sheffield from Dr Kathryn Houghton, Safer Outlook Consulting Ltd (independent author of the report) and Sue Fiennes, Independent Chair of the Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board.

A report of the Executive Director, Children, Young People and Families containing the assessment and an executive summary had been circulated with the agenda for this meeting.  The Children, Young People and Family Support Scrutiny and Policy Development Committee had considered the assessment at its meeting on 15^th December. The Cabinet had considered it at its meeting on 17^th December and the outcome of those discussions had also been circulated with the agenda.

Also in attendance for the item of business were Jayne Ludlam, Executive Director - Children, Young People and Families – Sheffield City Council;

Dorne Collinson, Director of Children and Families  - Sheffield City Council;

Victoria Horsefield, Sheffield Safeguarding Children’s Board Manager; and

Kevin Clifford, Chief Nurse, NHS Sheffield Clinical Commissioning Group.

Members of the Council asked questions and commented upon the content of the Assessment of Child Sexual Exploitation Services in Sheffield, which is summarised below:-

Comments and Questions

The Council had to be vigilant and wished to improve services. There were also the other aspects of child abuse which should be considered in addition to the issue of child sexual exploitation. This meant that all safeguarding practices and responsibilities should be considered. The Council’s strategy was to prevent, protect, pursue and prosecute. There were issues relating to the way that cases relating to children were dealt with by the Courts and the support available for children who were witnesses. It was considered that the outcome of cases which had gone through the Court were not always the best ones. It was positive that the Council was to work with the judicial system in this regard.   

The publication of the Jay Report had meant that a review was necessary of child sexual exploitation services. It was import to ensure service improvement and with this aim, the Children Young People and Family Support Scrutiny Committee had made recommendations. There were particular issues relating to the treatment of children by the judicial system which could be improved to make children feel safe and make it easier for them to give evidence to the Courts. Particular thanks was given to the children and young people who talked about their experiences as part of the Assessment and it was noted that a letter would be sent to those young people. An annual safeguarding report was also submitted to the Scrutiny Committee in order that it could carry out its monitoring role.

It was crucial that the Council made sure that the systems which it had in place were as robust as possible. The findings of the Assessment did highlight good practice in Sheffield. However, the extent to which good practice was replicated elsewhere in South Yorkshire and the adoption of a common approach by the South Yorkshire Police were matters of concern. The implementation of the action plan would be monitored by the Scrutiny Committee.        

Officers were asked to outline the process from the viewpoint of keeping parents or carers informed.

Members had a role in ensuring there was a learning culture both in the Council and with regard to the Council’s partners.  It was important that vulnerable young people were treated properly by the judicial process.

Responses to comments and questions

The action plan, when finalised, would be a robust document and would follow due process. The Assessment report was the beginning of the process and governance was an important consideration. Parents were in a position to recognise the signs of child abuse. The process by which parents and carers interacted with the reporting process was outlined. Training resources were available for parents and carers through the safeguarding Sheffield children webpages. Activity was overseen by the Safeguarding Children Board.

The Police were continuing to make improvements; the Police and Crime Commissioner had established a child sexual exploitation forum and the Assistant Chief Constable was the Force lead in relation to child sexual exploitation. Good practice would be disseminated and there were lessons which could be learned from other areas. Young people should be respected and supported in giving evidence to the Courts. Young people on the Young People’s Panel had said that they felt supported at Court and by the Child Sexual Exploitation Service and Police Liaison personnel.  The ability to retain on-going support for young people was difficult, whilst the staff in the service wanted to provide such support. It was important that young people were able to become active citizens.

Comments and Questions

Clarification was sought as to the background of Dr Kathryn Houghton who was the independent author of the report; the extent to which the Assessment could be said to be independent; the assistance provided by the Council in the Assessment process and any matters which were of concern.

With regards the multi-agency self-assessment, questionnaire, to which 75 percent of secondary schools and post-16 education providers had provided a return, assurances were sought that these were being pursued and that agencies took child sexual exploitation seriously. 

Academies and free schools might present a challenge with regard to monitoring what measures they had in place in relation to child sexual exploitation. Poor education, poverty and family breakdown might also present a challenge with regard to sustaining progress.

Responses to comments and questions

Dr Kathryn Houghton outlined her background and experience for Members of the Council. She stated that she had only accepted the contract to carry out the Assessment on the basis that there would be full independence. She had received guidance with regard to the terminology which the Council used and was given the relevant raw data. Telephone interviews were conducted with Council officers. Dr Houghton said that she had received tremendous support from the Council.

With regard to the self-assessment by secondary schools and post-16 providers, the remaining 25 percent of assessments had been followed up and many had now been returned with a view achieving a 100 percent return. All schools, regardless of their governance model, were part of the remit of the Safeguarding Board.

In some cases, young people were groomed in circumstances where they were experiencing poverty or poverty of experience and might be in the judicial system themselves. Such circumstances had to be understood in responding to the issue of child sexual exploitation.

Magistrates, when considering cases before them, looked at the burden of proof whereas in social care, the premise was that the child was to be believed. The Crown Prosecution Service required sufficient evidence to obtain proof of guilt and to ensure a fair trial. However, if the child perceived that they were being abused, then this should be recognised.

Comments and Questions

A question was asked concerning the detail of sub-regional approaches to diverting young people away from sexual exploitation and the hub and spoke model to share good practice with other local authorities.

Questions were asked with regard to the role of school governors and schools in preventing child sexual exploitation and the role of education in increasing young people’s awareness.

Responses to comments and questions

Sub-regional work was being carried out with other local authorities in South Yorkshire and South Yorkshire Police and there were proposals as part of the first stage of a bid submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) in relation to the development of sub-regional child sexual exploitation services. There were also proposals for authorities to learn from one another and establish progressive practices and safe services for children and young people in the sub region, regardless of boundaries. These included therapeutic support and education services. Work would be progressed regardless of the outcome of the bid to the DfE.   

A consistent approach was needed to child sexual exploitation by organisations and agencies, including schools, the police, social work teams and others. Schools and governing bodies were important in relation to prevention and all schools had access to advice, support and training. There was an advice line and online resources for those working in the sector. Governors had a role in overseeing a child protection and safeguarding plan and related policies. It was important that governing bodies were aware of issues relating to child sexual exploitation and safeguarding in general and had access to training and expertise. If early intervention was possible, later need could be prevented. School attendance was an important factor and it was also necessary to train a range of people, including those within schools, school crossing patrol wardens, Police Community Support Officers and others, such as hoteliers and licensees, to identify potential risks to young people. Where children disengaged and became secretive in their behaviour, there may be a risk. Particular concerns related to social media, social networking and the potential for grooming to occur via the internet.  

Comments and Questions

Recognition was needed of child sexual exploitation in a similar way to which domestic abuse had become more recognised by society. A balance had to be struck so as to ensure that threats were properly communicated but children and young people were not unduly scared.

A further question was asked as to whether, in Sheffield, there had been a look back at historic cases of child sexual exploitation; and how to ensure that children as witnesses were be able to speak up and give evidence.

A question was asked concerning the number of prosecutions and warnings for offences relating to child sexual exploitation.

Responses to comments and questions

Society had come to more widely recognise domestic abuse, which was one of the primary reasons behind social care cases. Society also needed to accept children coming forward to report incidents with the confidence to say that they were being abused. There had to be a proportionate approach to the communication to children of the potential threats although it was important to keep open communications. In many cases children were shamed or tricked into not telling their parents or carers about incidents. Children should be made to feel that there was no issue too big for them to tell their parents about.

The Council had looked back at past cases. The first case of child sexual exploitation in Sheffield was recorded in 1999. A Panorama television programme had brought cases to people’s attention and cases became recognised as child sexual exploitation. There were protection programmes put in place. People were more informed now about the level of manipulation and grooming involved in such cases.

Children should be treated appropriately and believed, and in such circumstances, they were likely to successfully provide evidence. There was some way to go to achieve greater consistency in the treatment of children through the judicial process.

The outcome of cases in terms of sentences or where a case had collapsed were outlined.

Questions and Comments

Questions were asked concerning whether what had taken place in Rotherham in relation to child sexual exploitation could happen in Sheffield; the impact of pressures in social care and multi- agency teams; the relationship between adults and children and the possible damage to innocent and supportive relationships within families.

Responses to Questions and Comments

The assessment of services in Sheffield was a snapshot in time. There was no guarantee that child sexual exploitation could not take place and people should not be complacent. However, the City had demonstrated the ability to learn, change and adapt.

Resources for child protection had been protected in the wider context of budget reductions. The resources which were in place were the right ones at this time. However, these had to be constantly reviewed, and used wisely and effectively.

The change in relationships between children and adults was perhaps inevitable but it was important to recognise that as loving parents or grandparents it was not a problem to have fun together or show affection. Abuse was clearly different to a loving relationship. Sexual abuse was manipulative and children were coerced and frightened. This should not interfere with loving relationships that children need and benefit from. Such loving relationships may increase resilience and help families to recognise when behaviours were not normal.

In the past, there was not societal recognition of child sexual exploitation and there was a view that such cases were the fault of the child or young person who might already be engaged in prostitution. This had now changed and it was recognised that children and young people should be viewed as credible witnesses. There was work to be done with regards the courts and judicial process. The young people’s panel were concerned to include their views in the Assessment, which included that they felt there was justice and they were believed.

Questions and Comments

Questions were asked about the extent of external challenge of services; what more local authorities could do in working together to bring about improvements when things weren’t working well; and concerning the scale of the problem of child sexual exploitation.

The Licensing Committee would participate in training on 29 January. There was a challenge with regard to taxi licensing in that taxis from any local authority area were able to drive into the City. Lobbying was taking place for a national database of taxi drivers and the potential of processes to link with neighbouring Derbyshire Police were being examined.

Responses to Questions and Comments

With regards external challenge, the Sheffield Safeguarding Children Board had an independent chair and Local Government Association (LGA) supported peer challenge work had also taken place. It was expected that the LGA would propose further steps. There was a duty on the services in Sheffield to take up external challenge and there was routine reporting to the Safeguarding Children Board. The Assessment of child sexual exploitation in Sheffield required independence and was therefore commissioned with an independent report author.

The incidence of child sexual exploitation was not known with any certainty. However, it could reasonably be expected that reported cases and issues would be properly investigated. There had been an additional thirty referrals to child sexual exploitation service in the period before the Christmas holiday, which was an exceptional number. All referrals were risk assessed and dealt with appropriately. There was not a benchmark as such of how many cases could be expected. It was important that people were confident that something would be done about reported cases of child sexual exploitation.

In years prior to the recent Assessment, the Safeguarding Children Board had published the numbers of cases of children which it was believed were at risk of child sexual exploitation. The work related to Licensing and performance concerning taxis which were licensed outside of Sheffield was important and there was an area of development identified with regard to continuing support for decision-makers on Licensing Committees in terms of child sexual exploitation awareness and knowledge.

Information sharing protocols across agencies was evident in the assessment and occurred across authority and agency boundaries and this formed a vital part of safeguarding children and young people.

Training for employees and elected Members would take place at a general and more specific level, dependent upon an individual’s responsibilities with regard to children and young people. More specialised training would be available for Members, such as those serving on the Fostering and Adoption Panels or those with links to children’s homes in the City.

It was most important not to be complacent and to continually improve services and be at the forefront of developments relating to child sexual exploitation. All of those who contributed to the Assessment and development of the child sexual exploitation services in Sheffield were thanked.

The Lord Mayor, on behalf of the Council, thanked all of the attendees in relation to the presentation of the Assessment and their responses to questions and comments from Members of the City Council.

Resolved: that the City Council agrees that the scope and findings of the assessment into child sexual exploitation services in Sheffield satisfies the Council that the current delivery of child sexual exploitation services in Sheffield are sufficiently robust and that the areas for development identified within the report are appropriate and proportionate.