Agenda and minutes

No Declarations of Interest were made. 

No members of the public or the press were in attendance. 

Nothing was raised under this item. 

The minutes of the previous meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission meeting held on 10^th June, 2015, were considered. 

Councillors Currie and Rosling had both submitted their apologies for the meeting but these had not been recorded in the minutes. 

Matters arising from the previous meeting would be covered in this meeting’s agenda. 

Resolved: - That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission be agreed as an accurate record with the addition of the two apologies for non-attendance. 

·                Jean Imray, Interim Deputy Strategic Director, CYPS to present the draft Strategy.

Councillor Hamilton welcomed Jean Imray, Interim Deputy Strategic Director, Children and Young People’s Services Directorate, to the meeting.  Jean had been invited to discuss the document of the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Board entitled ‘Child Sexual Exploitation:  The Way Forward for Rotherham 2015 – 2018’. 

Jean introduced the strategy document which was owned by the Rotherham Local Safeguarding Children Board and had been signed off by them the previous day.  The document was Rotherham’s strategy for tackling Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) so it was deliberately written in strong terms.  It was intentionally hard-hitting and straightforward about the challenges.

The document took as its starting point a quotation from Louise Casey: -

          Louise Casey tells it as it is ……

          CSE ….. is the sexual and physical abuse, and the habitual rape of           children by (mainly) men who achieve this by manipulating and gaining   control over those who cannot consent to sex either by virtue of their           age or their capacity.

The strategy recognised and named CSE as rape. The strategy also recognised that CSE was a form of gender based violence because a majority of the cases were male perpetrators against female victims.  Rotherham needed to recognise the issues and take the correct steps to counter them. 

The strategy was also clear that Rotherham Services had failed Rotherham children.  Page two states: - 

‘We have fallen short of what should be expected in all areas.  We have failed to prevent CSE.  We have failed to recognise the signs, symptoms and risk factors and we have failed to educate our children, girls and boys, about the nature and benefits of healthy relationships and respect for each other.   We have failed to protect children not only by the inadequacies of our responses to the plight of victims, but as adults (parents and professionals) by introducing them to benefits of the internet, mobile technology without insisting that the necessary safeguards are also in place.  We have failed to ensure that justice is served, not only by failing to pursue and prosecute criminals, but also by applying processes in our courts that are designed for adults and being complacent when they clearly don’t work for vulnerable abused and children.’  

Jean explained that child witnesses subject to adult court processes had, at times, collapsed under the pressure of the situation and often described it as a second abuse. 

Rotherham was starting to do ground breaking work in tackling CSE.  It would be reassuring if, in a year or two, this was recognised when there would hopefully be sufficient evidence of success.  Rotherham’s Services needed to be honest and change track if the strategies were stopped becoming effective.  Jean explained that the Strategy was underpinned by a delivery plan, but if it became clear that some actions were not having the desired affect it would be right to change or adjust them accordingly.  Therefore, it would be important to ensure that the objectives set within strategies were monitored. 

The Delivery Plan would follow ‘The Way Forward’  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

Resolved: -  That the next meeting of the Improving Lives Select Commission take place on Wednesday 9th September, 2015, to start at 1.30 p.m. in the Rotherham Town Hall.