Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Children and Young People’s Services.

Recommendations:

1.    That Cabinet endorse the Child Exploitation Strategy 2024-29.

2.    That Cabinet approve the Local Authority involvement in the development and implementation of the Strategy Delivery Plan and the oversight of progress by; the Child Exploitation Delivery Group (CEDG), Rotherham Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (RSCP) and the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) Improving Lives Select Commission (ILSC).

Consideration was given to the report which provided an outline of the Child Exploitation Strategy 2024-2029. The previous Strategy had been agreed by Cabinet in June 2019 and ran to the end of 2022 with a three month extension period to deliver the new Strategy.

Section 2.2 of the report detailed the achievements of the 2019-2022 Strategy by outlining the progress against the five priorities which were:

• Safeguarding Vulnerable Children – Responding to Child Exploitation.
• Support to Victims and Survivors – Post Abuse Support, Child Sexual Exploitation commissioned services for victims and survivors.
• Learning and Development – Awareness Raising and Training.
• Child Protection and Detection of Crime – Operation Keep Safe.
• Operation Stovewood.

The 2024-2029 Strategy was attached at Appendix 1 to the report and had been developed in line with legislation and guidance. The Strategy provided a clear directive on the following key local priorities:

·       To have an effective response to tackling exploitation in Rotherham, from prevention, safeguarding systems, and identification of offenders to victim support.

·       Reduce Exploitation happening in Rotherham.

·       Keep children and young people safe from harm of exploitation.

·       Identify offenders of exploitation and bringing them to justice.

The local priorities were derived from the National Child Sexual Exploitation Strategy and drew on research into established working practices. These would be driven by the Child Exploitation Delivery Group with strategic oversight from the Rotherham Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (RSCP). It was proposed that the associated Delivery Plan for the Strategy would be developed with key milestones for each of the objectives, and outcome measures identified. The Delivery Plan would be approved by the RSCP Executive and progress against this would be owned by the Child Exploitation Delivery Group, who would provide update reports to each RSCP Executive meeting.

The Strategy provided clarity on roles and responsibilities of key partner agencies, how they would work together to deliver key priorities and how success would be measured.

Ofsted had looked at the Local Authority’s arrangements for children in need or subject to a Child Protection Plan in line with the Inspection of Local Authority Children’s Services Framework in May 2024. Key findings included:

• That when children required help and protection, they received high quality and effective support.
• The children’s cases reviewed demonstrated thorough assessments of need and risk, resulting in children and families receiving the right help and support at the right time.
• There was a robust appetite for improvement and holding to account those delivering services to children to perform better across the Safeguarding Children Partnership.
• Senior leaders ensured there were effective lines of accountability across children’s social care.

It was noted in the meeting that Rotherham was seen as being a national leader when it came to the tackling of child exploitation and that an accessible version of the Strategy was being worked on.

Resolved:

1. That Cabinet endorse the Child Exploitation Strategy 2024-29.
   
   
2. That Cabinet approve the Local Authority involvement in the development and implementation of the Strategy Delivery Plan and the oversight of progress by; the Child Exploitation Delivery Group (CEDG), Rotherham Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (RSCP) and the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) Improving Lives Select Commission (ILSC).