Agencies ‘failing to meet child protection needs’ after Asian gang outrages

Two-thirds of Local Safeguarding Children Boards, which include police, councils and NHS bodies, are failing to meet national guidelines, according to a report by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).

The unit carried out a six-month investigation into the problem following the conviction of the ringleaders of a “street grooming” Asian gang in Derbyshire which preyed on more than 20 girls aged 12 to 18.

Details of the abuse in Derbyshire bore striking similarities with a previous case in Rotherham, in which five Asian men were jailed for having sex with vulnerable girls, including one as young as 12.

Sheffield Crown Court heard last year that the Rotherham men, aged 20 to 30, targeted girls who lived “chaotic lifestyles”, abusing them in cars and parks.

The girls believed they were in relationships with the older men.

The cases prompted former Home Secretary Jack Straw to accuse some Pakistani men in Britain of seeing white girls as “easy meat” for sexual abuse.

CEOP’s figures, published yesterday show that, where the ethnicity of offenders was recorded, a disproportionately high percentage of sexual abusers – 26 per cent – were of Asian origin.

But the statistics relate only to offenders recorded since the start of 2008, and CEOP head Peter Davies said more data was needed before firm conclusions could be drawn.

“Focusing on this problem simply through the lens of ethnicity does not do it service,” he said.

Mr Davies added he was “shocked, surprised and disappointed” at the lack of action by some Local Safeguarding Children Boards to tackle the abuse of children, which he described as a “horrific systemic crime that is designed to take place under the radar”.

He promised further work would be carried out to build on the findings of the study, which was based on testimonies from victims, police and child protection workers, as well as a review of existing research.

The report found that victims had trouble engaging with police and were “hugely reluctant” to give evidence against their “ruthless” abusers in court.

Mr Davies said: “They did not expect to be believed, they did not expect to be supported.”

The Deputy Children’s Commissioner, Sue Berelowitz, said the CEOP report offered a “vital contribution” to research on the issue.

“It will aid our collective thinking and lead to a clearer understanding of what is happening to children in England,” she added.

“However, we are only just beginning to scratch the surface of the extent and nature of these distressing and shocking acts of sexual exploitation against children.”

Children’s charities welcomed the report but said more research was needed to better understand the scale of the problem.

The director of the NSPCC’s Child Protection Consultancy, John Grounds, said: “This is an important piece of work as it has underlined some vital issues around the street grooming of children.

“Worryingly it is virtually a hidden problem. As this report highlights, there is very little data to give a clear picture of how extensive it is.

“We would like to see better and more consistent data collection and improved training for professionals working in this field.

Terina Keene, chief executive at Railway Children, said: “A much better grip on the numbers and evidence must be the first major step in tackling child sexual exploitation and grooming.

“The brakes also need to be put on the indiscriminate cuts into youth provision, otherwise a vital front-line link to those most at risk will be lost and the clearest possible picture of the problem will become a blur to both Government and police, making the safeguarding of these children pot luck.”