10 May 2016
·
Mr Jim
Leivers, Director of Children’s Services, Oxfordshire County Council
·
Mr
David Smith, Chief Executive Officer, NHS Oxfordshire CCG Mr Anthony
Stansfield, Police and Crime Commissioner
·
Mr
Francis Habgood, Chief Constable of Thames Valley police force
·
Mr
Amrik Panaser, Youth Offending Service Oxfordshire County Manager
·
Mr
Gabriel Amahwe, CEO, Community Rehabilitation Company
·
Ms
Angela Cossins, Deputy Director NPS, South West and South Central
·
Ms
Maggie Blyth, Chair of Oxfordshire Local Safeguarding Children Board
Dear local partnership
Joint targeted area inspection of the multi-agency response to abuse and
neglect in Oxfordshire Between 7 March 2016 and 12 March 2016, Ofsted, the Care
Quality Commission (CQC), HMI Constabulary (HMIC) and HMI Probation (HMIP)
undertook a joint inspection of the multi-agency response to abuse and neglect
in Oxfordshire.
This inspection included a ‘deep dive’ focus on the response to child
sexual exploitation (CSE) and those children missing from home, care or
education. This letter, to all the service leaders in the area, outlines our
findings about the effectiveness of partnership working and of the work of
individual agencies in Oxfordshire.
Following the challenges presented by a high profile investigation,
local partners have responded robustly to child sexual exploitation.
Oxfordshire now has a highly developed and well-functioning approach to
tackling exploitation. The local authority Strategic Lead for Child Sexual
Exploitation provides clear direction and the Oxfordshire Safeguarding
Children’s Board (OSCB) effectively oversees this through its CSE sub-group.
The specialist, multi-agency child sexual exploitation team,
Kingfisher, is pivotal to the operational responses of the local
authority, police and health services, and this ensures that there is a high
standard of inter-agency working with sexually exploited children. A
significant strength of the key agencies is their ability to learn lessons from
joint investigations and to use these to improve performance. For instance,
they now work closely and collaboratively with exploited children and young
people to understand their perspectives and to help them keep safe.
This joint
inspection was conducted under section 20 of the Children Act 2004.
However, the high quality of practice seen in child sexual exploitation
and missing children cases is not always replicated across the services offered
to other children and families when they are first referred to children’s
services. Although no children were identified as at risk of harm, in some
cases poor processes and practice were seen at the ‘front door’. This is the
first point of contact for all children and young people not identified as at
risk of exploitation or abuse. This means that not all
children and young people receive the same safe and responsive level of
service as exploited young people. Although senior leaders in children’s
services have firm plans in place to improve this situation, implementation of
these has been too slow to take effect, given the pressure on the service.
Key Strengths
Significant financial resources and time have been expended by the local
authority, police and health agencies, following a high profile investigation
into child sexual exploitation in the county. This investigation commenced in
2011. The Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children’s Board (OSCB) has strategically
and effectively led the development of a robust multi-agency response to child
sexual
exploitation. Senior leaders of all partner agencies, led by the
Director of Children’s Services, the council’s Head of Paid Service, and senior
politicians, demonstrate a thorough understanding of the issues involved in
child sexual exploitation, and a willingness and commitment to tackle those
issues in partnership. This approach is successfully coordinated by the
partnership’s Strategic Lead for Child Sexual Exploitation, who is based within
children’s social care services. Young people in Oxfordshire are significantly
safer from sexual exploitation as a result of all agencies’ heightened levels
of understanding and investment.
Oversight of practice is successfully maintained across all agencies
through the OSCB, which is well sighted on child sexual exploitation through
its effective CSE sub-group. The CSE sub-group undertakes themed audits and
appropriately reviews multi-agency data from a number of sources, such as
children missing from home and prevalence data, so that it can identify themes
and patterns, and problem-solve any areas of concern. A particularly strong
feature of the partnership’s approach is learning from multi-agency
investigations of child sexual exploitation to improve the quality of services
provided. For instance, there was feedback from young people, such as those who
participate in the Children in Care Council and those who have experienced
abuse through exploitation, that investigating officers did not give the voice
of the child sufficient consideration.
All professionals now work hard to engage with potential victims of
exploitation, to understand them and to build relationships with them. This
promotes young people’s safety by helping them to understand the risks, and to
keep themselves safe.
Oxfordshire’s Kingfisher team is pivotal to how the local authority,
police and health services join up the response to sexual exploitation. The
team’s multi-agency information-sharing meetings ensure that a comprehensive
set of information about the risk of exploitation is communicated in a timely
manner, and this means that young people’s risk of exploitation is identified
early. Effective information sharing results in robust action planning to
reduce risk and to support successful disruption techniques. Multi-agency plans
are well coordinated, with a clear focus on reducing risk factors for vulnerable
young people and on keeping them safe. Team members appropriately provide
specialist advice to colleagues, and this means that cases of sexual
exploitation reviewed
during the inspection, held both within the Kingfisher and mainstream
social work teams,were well managed and of a high standard overall.
Post-abuse therapeutic work is well considered and embedded in practice.
The local authority and health joint commissioners have commissioned a
specialist resource, the Child and Adolescent Harmful Behaviour Service
(CAHBS), which is complemented by the Horizon Service that provides advice to
professionals and a range of effective therapeutic interventions for children,
young people and their families across Oxfordshire who have experienced sexual
abuse
A clear and coherent action plan of disruption activity has been
developed by the CSE sub-group and local community safety partnerships. This
includes a ‘hotel watch’ scheme that provides hotels with guidance and
direction in ‘signs to watch out for’ in respect of child sexual exploitation.
Intelligence received from hotels about young people at risk of exploitation
has increased in volume since this work started and is being used by the
police. In addition, a comprehensive screening and training programme is now in
place for taxi drivers. All are now vetted, and attend compulsory training in
safeguarding matters as a condition of being issued with a licence. Drivers
already licensed are also undertaking the safeguarding training. These are
important steps in building community confidence in the recognition and
reporting of safeguarding issues. The persistent approach to raising awareness
of child sexual exploitation across the community has led to increased numbers
of children being identified and referred for services. The effective use of
service-specific screening tools has assisted referrers to assess risk and
correctly apply the threshold for services.
This means that agencies recognise the signs of sexual exploitation, and
refer promptly to each other where they have concerns. For example, in the
Youth Offending Team (YOT), where the specific tool is helping them in
identifying risk. Immediate action is taken when an incident or crime involving
possible child sexual exploitation is reported to police officers, and concerns
are generally
shared quickly with children’s social care services. Almost all
referrals to school nurses are timely. Swift responses at all levels ensure
that multi-agency safeguarding measures to protect children are put into place
quickly.
The Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) forms the ‘front door’ to
services and has a strong interface with the Kingfisher team, which ensures a
timely and thorough response where sexual exploitation is known or suspected at
the point of referral. Where agencies understand thresholds, MASH arrangements
result in effective practice. Good examples seen by inspectors of timely
information sharing included routine domestic violence referrals by police to
children’s social
care services, and referral of pertinent issues by the YOT to the MASH.
Collaboration between health providers is a strength. In the MASH, this
is demonstrated by the easy accessibility of information from databases used by
two NHS trusts. This enables the appropriate sharing of information about individual
children. Several examples of good work from health partners were seen by
inspectors, including the provision of discrete, specialist services, such as
those for unaccompanied asylum seekers; hospital emergency departments’close
working with children’s social care out-of-hours services; and work with the Designated
Officer in cases where an adult has abused a position of trust.
Effective learning from prior experience means that agencies understand
very well the complexities of child sexual exploitation, the harm it does to
children, and the challenge in responding effectively and consistently.
Screening tools are used well by professionals as part of assessments to inform
decision making, and recommendations made following assessments are therefore
well targeted and appropriate. For young people identified as being at
immediate risk of significant harm from exploitation, multi-agency enquiries
made under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 are of good quality. Examples
were seen of thorough social care assessments that clearly identified all
risks, needs and strengths and made effective use of historical information.
Written analyses demonstrate that assessing social workers understand the
children and families well, and have effectively identified vulnerabilities and
potential risks. In some cases examined, police officers had taken positive
action and apprehended suspected perpetrators of exploitation without relying
on the vulnerable victims making formal complaints.
A clear commitment to safeguarding children at risk of exploitation is
evident from young people’s case records. Line managers in the multi-agency
team and mainstream social work teams maintain oversight of the direction of
cases, and effective supervision had supported some of the cases tracked to
achieve good outcomes. Overall, there is effective decision making at all
points in the sexually exploited children’s journey to safety.
A multi-agency Missing Children Panel carefully monitors children and
young people who go missing repeatedly. Effective panel meetings ensure that
robust assessment, monitoring and a review of risk and impact is considered for
each child. Where risk of exploitation is identified, suitable investigative
responses and strategies to disrupt perpetrator activity are put in place.
Inspectors observed
appropriate professional challenge and escalation of action, with the
meeting’s chair providing clear strategic direction to ensure that children
received timely and appropriate support in order
to mitigate the risk to them.
Senior leaders interviewed by inspectors know their services well and
are able to describe with confidence and a shared sense of purpose their
agency’s approach to sexual exploitation and child protection. Thames Valley
police force demonstrates a clear understanding of risk, threat and harm and
effectively directs its actions and activities to mitigate the risk of harm
across the force area.
The force displays strong leadership and a clear understanding of the
steps needed to protect children. The effective prioritisation of child sexual
exploitation is evident in the resources it has allocated and the training it
has delivered to staff. In investigations, police officers work hard to engage
children and families and to build rapport.
Managers of the YOT have a clear understanding of risks that young
people face, both as perpetrators and potential victims of exploitation. The
YOT systematically assesses all young people whom they case manage for the risk
of sexual exploitation. Where young people who have offended are considered to
be at risk, the YOT appropriately refers cases to the Kingfisher team for assessment.
Managers in the National Probation Service and the Community Rehabilitation
Company demonstrate effective knowledge and understanding of
safeguarding practice. In the small number of cases held by the Community
Rehabilitation Company where exploitation has been identified as a potential
risk, there is a clear record of inter-agency communication about the
safeguarding needs of vulnerable children.
Leadership and commissioning arrangements, between health partners for safeguarding
children and young people at risk of sexual exploitation, are particularly
strong. Professional accountabilities, for intervening early, reporting concerns
and sensitively engaging young people and their families, are clearly recognised
and effectively championed at all levels within health services. For
instance, forensic medical services for children experiencing trauma are
readily available and accessible round the clock, ensuring that children
receive an appropriate sensitive response when needed.
The quality of joint working in health is highly developed, underpinned
by a shared vision and purpose between local health providers and joint commissioners.
In health, a personal and organisational commitment and energy is driving
innovative work in reaching ‘hidden’ individuals or groups, such as young men.
Positive recognition and support for young people whose sexual
orientation or gender identity is an element in their vulnerability to
grooming or exploitation is evidenced across the partnership, including
thorough holistic assessment and individually tailored therapies. Management
oversight and support for frontline practitioners undertaking this complex work
is evident. Good attention is paid to developing the skills of frontline health
staff through a range of learning and development activities, underpinned by
regular case consultation,
peer review and supervision to support continuous professional
development. Additional resourcing for safeguarding leadership across primary
care, community health and the hospital sector effectively supports the
development of frontline professional confidence and expertise, and ensures
that there is effective health service provision to vulnerable young people.
Case study:
highly effective practice Oxfordshire child protection agencies place
children and young people who
have experienced child sexual exploitation at the heart of their practice.
One young person who had been subjected to exploitation said he had received a
comprehensive service from his social worker. He said he has experienced
sustained and trusting relationships with the social worker. He
felt the help he received had been timely and well targeted, and he felt
well supported and better protected. The young person received support to develop
his understanding of exploitation, insight into the risks and help to undertake
self-protective strategies. The young person felt that his social
worker has contributed to ensuring that outcomes for him improve generally.
For example, through assistance with housing needs, emotional support through
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, finances, improved relationships
with parents, as well as completing ‘Real Love Rocks’ to understand healthy
relationships. The young person spoken to stated ‘I don’t know where I’d be
without my social worker right now. She is great!’
Areas for improvement
Leadership and management Senior leaders within children’s social care
have not yet achieved the same good standard of practice across all services.
They are full and effective partners in initiatives to improve partners’
responses to sexual exploitation, such as the Kingfisher team and services to
support missing children. However, the quality and standard of this integrated
model of service delivery is not replicated for all children and young people
at the point of referral to children’s services for reasons other than
exploitation. These problems in the provision of mainstream
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