Mayor appoints statutory inspection bodies to lead final stage of independent CSE review
- His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) will take on the final stage of the review, supported by Ofsted and other statutory bodies as required.
- Statutory powers will allow for deep and wide-ranging review of the effectiveness of current practice in handling child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester.
The Mayor and Deputy Mayor have confirmed at a Greater Manchester Combined Authority meeting today (Friday 12 July), that police inspectorate, HMICFRS, will lead the final instalment of the independent review process that will assess improvements made by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and all the Greater Manchester Councils, and the effectiveness of multi-agency responses to child sexual exploitation (CSE).
This review, which was commissioned by Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, will seek to provide assurance that GMP and Greater Manchester councils have the right culture and systems in place to protect children from sexual exploitation.
The HMICFRS team, who recently published their rigorous inspection into the Metropolitan Police Service’s handling of the sexual and criminal exploitation of children, will be supported by other statutory bodies including Ofsted.
Together, they will assess the progress that has been made to date, in Greater Manchester’s multi-agency responses to CSE and identify priority areas for further improvement. In doing so, they will use their statutory powers to access the information needed to ensure that the review is comprehensive and fully addresses the Mayor’s remit.
Following the airing on 3 July 2017 of the BBC documentary, The Betrayed Girls, about child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester, the Mayor announced he wanted to assure himself and the public that everything possible has been done to protect children today and in the future, and prevent it from happening again.
Since then, independent reviews into Manchester (Part One) and Oldham (Part Two) have been completed, and Rochdale (Part Three) reported at the end of January, this year.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:
“The findings from the first three reports into historic practice revealed systemic failures to protect our children, some of which had been previously surfaced, and our public services have had to radically reform to address these failings.
“In light of these findings, I believe the people of Greater Manchester, especially those who have been affected by these despicable crimes, deserve a report that is wide-ranging and deeper than the one originally planned so they can be confident that the services protecting our children have been rigorously investigated across the whole system.
“The dedicated and experienced team at HMICFRS will bring the same forensic approach and uncompromising standards to their investigations here as they did in London, and their report will be an unflinching reflection of current arrangements in Greater Manchester.
“I’d like to thank the Independent Review Team, Malcolm Newsam and Gary Ridgway, for everything that they have done over the past seven years. Their determination, integrity, and absolute dedication to this task enabled us to uncover and face up to the serious failings of the services that were supposed to protect our children.
“I have been pleased to hear of the progress being made by Greater Manchester Police under Chief Constable Stephen Watson, to bring justice to those who have previously been let down.
“My focus has always been and will remain on helping these victims to get justice and make Greater Manchester a safer place.”
Deputy Mayor for Police, Crime, Criminal Justice and Fire, Kate Green, said:
“While the Independent Review Team’s reports have made for difficult reading over the last seven years, they have been necessary to uncover the extent of historic failings of our children and young people.
“The CSE Major Investigations Team was set up by Greater Manchester Police in 2021, and now involves around a hundred officers who have arrested nearly 150 people, with hundreds of charges being brought. Finally, we are seeing real justice for survivors.
“I know that today’s announcement may bring up terrible memories for anyone who has been affected by exploitation. I encourage survivors who want support to contact any of the excellent organisations in Greater Manchester who can help. They include the Maggie Oliver Foundation, Keeping Our Girls Safe, GM Victims' Services, We are Survivors and others. That support is there for you.
“This final element of the review process will help to bring the last seven years to a close. The Mayor and I are determined that we will do justice to the excellent work of the first three reports and demonstrate that our services are learning from past failings, and delivering the service and protection to survivors and young people that they rightly expect and deserve.”
Article Published: 12/07/2024 11:11 AM