Response to CLG Select Committee's report on child sexual exploitation

Commenting on the Communities and Local Government Select Committee's report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, Chief Executive of 4Children Anne Longfield OBE said:

4Children welcomes the Communities and Local Government committee’s report into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham and related issues for local government.

The report rightly highlights the importance of ensuring scrutiny, governance and leadership arrangements of every local authority are ready and able to identify and deal with any instances of sexual exploitation.

The report worryingly confirms the real danger that we could be missing ongoing exploitation in other areas of the country, with Chair of the Committee Clive Betts MP claiming that evidence heard by the committee suggests “Rotherham is not an outlier”.

4Children today reaffirms its previous call for a time limited inquiry, led by the Prime Minister, into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham and across the UK, recognising the scale and importance of the issue, so that ongoing child sexual exploitation can be addressed without delay.

In order to ensure the abject failure of our services to protect the most vulnerable children in our society never happens again, we need services working together, professionals communicating with one another and listening to the voices of children and young people.

This report is an important step in ensuring that all bodies responsible for the safeguarding of children – including local government and Ofsted – learn the lessons of Rotherham. Now is the time to act and prioritise, above all else, the protection of vulnerable children."

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