Council’s response
Rotherham Council has made an ‘unequivocal commitment’ to tackling child sexual exploitation.
The statement came after chief executive Martin Kimber gave evidence to a select committee about the sexual exploitation of children.
The statement said: “The exploitation and grooming of children is now more widely reported across the country and areas like Rotherham have been working to unite all agencies in tackling the issue.”
“It is widely recognised both locally and nationally that child sexual exploitation was not tackled anywhere near as well in the past as it is now.”
“We would apologise to young people and their families where they have been let down. That is rarely as a consequence of individual failings, but is nearly always as a result of wider systemic failings.”
The authority said it accepted its services had been as strong as they are today, and it had learnt from it’s experiences to develop services.
It continued: “This is an area of work where significant progress has been made nationally to expand the knowledge and understanding of how to effectively recognise the warning signs of child sexual exploitation in a young person and how to deal with those to support those individuals and investigate the crimes committed.”
“It is now clear the best way to tackle child sexual exploitation is by agencies working much more closely together with shared responsibility and shared accountability as a single agency by itself will never be successful.”
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Dinnington
Wednesday 19 June 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 11 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: East
