Simon Garner, Corporate Safeguarding Manager, attended the meeting and presented a report that provided the Board with an update on Child Sex Exploitation in Wirral.

The report was written following the enquiry into Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council by Professor Alexis Jay, published in August 2014. It was an outline of the issues arising from the Rotherham Enquiry.  It provided details of work that was already taking place to address Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) in Wirral, and planned future work. It included a proposal with regard to how the Local Safeguarding Boards and the Health and Wellbeing Board worked together.

The Board considered the report and the proposed protocol that concerned how the Local Safeguarding Boards and the Health and Wellbeing Board worked togetherin relation to safeguarding issues, such as CSE.

It was reported that Child sexual exploitation was tackled effectively when there was clear and committed leadership and where safeguarding professionals cooperated together. In Wirral direction was provided through the Local Safeguarding Children Board and a regional approach to strategic partnership working. The report set out a plan of action, delivered with key partner agencies, to identify and support young people at risk of CSE. It also explained the range of responses and services that were provided and how greater engagement of the community would support early identification of the risks.

The report by Professor Alexis Jay estimated that 1,400 children had been sexually exploited in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. Professor Jay’s report had described the level of abuse as ‘appalling’ and said it included the rape of girls as young as 11 by large numbers of male perpetrators.

In response to the report Alan Wood, the president of the Association of Director’s of Children’s Services, had stated that:

“The publication of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham this week must serve as a call to action for all safeguarding partners to ensure that that the voices of children, young people and their families raising similar concerns in the future are both heard, believed and acted upon and that the necessary help and support is provided when they need it most”.

Professor Jay’s report had made 15 recommendations and members were informed that the full recommendations could be found in her report and all of which had been considered in developing an action plan for Wirral.

Within Professor Jay’s Report, reference was made to the former Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, who had revised the Crown Prosecution Services guidance on child sexual exploitation in October 2013. The guidance had been revised to include a list of stereotypical assumptions previously thought to undermine the credibility of young victims.

Members gave consideration to Key Strategic Partnerships, the current position within Wirral Council and the actions developed in response to the Recommendations from the Rotherham Enquiry. The Protocol for the relationship between the Wirral Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB), the Wirral Safeguarding Children Board (WSCB) and the Wirral Safeguarding Adults Partnership Board (SAPB) was attached as an appendix to the report.

Members of the Board thanked Clare Fish and Simon Goacher for the report and it was;

Resolved – That;

1.  the progress to date be noted.

2.  the proposed protocol concerning how the Local Safeguarding Boards and the Health & Wellbeing Board work together in relation to safeguarding issues, such as CSE, be agreed and signed on behalf of the Health & Wellbeing Board by the Chair, Councillor Phil Davies, and be reviewed on an annual basis.