SEXUAL exploitation of children in Oxfordshire will not stop overnight, the man in charge of social services has warned.

While Oxfordshire County Council children’s services director Jim Leivers outlined a number of lessons learned from the Bullfinch scandal – which saw six girls groomed and sexually exploited in Oxford – he said it wasn’t the end of the problem.

His comments came as senior councillors yesterday met to discuss a 48-page document put together by social services in the wake of the scandal.

The report, the first of its kind published since seven men were jailed in relation to the scandal, sets out what the council has learnt and actions it has taken in response to Bullfinch.

Mr Leivers said more was now being done to prevent child sexual exploitation in Oxfordshire.

During a meeting of the county council’s cabinet yesterday at County Hall, Mr Leivers said: “This is a big, historic issue for us which is still ongoing.

“This is unlikely to be the last time you will hear the phrase ‘child sexual exploitation’ in relation to Oxfordshire.”

In the report, Mr Leivers said old attitudes within the profession meant vulnerable girls who missed school and fell in with the wrong crowd were often not seen as victims.

He explained that £3m was spent by the council on its contribution to Operation Bullfinch, and that spending in children’s social care had doubled in the last seven years.

Last night, the mother of the Bullfinch victim known as Girl Five said she was pleased to see money being invested in children’s social care and welcomed the changes in attitudes.

She said: “They didn’t protect my daughter but they might protect my grandchildren.

“There need to be results. But we will not know until time passes.”

Council leader Ian Hudspeth congratulated social workers, and praised his own council for tackling the issue head-on after the scandal.

He said: “We didn’t dismiss it and bury our heads in the sand.

“I hope it doesn’t happen anywhere else, but when I spoke to other leaders recently about this they all said they wanted to go back and check they had the right safeguards in place.”

Dan Scott, from Oxford Community Against Trafficking, said much more work was needed in the city.

He said: “In principle, we have seen a willingness to change, but the application of that is a different story.

“I think the reality is that there needs to be a catalyst and a departure point, which is what the last two years has effectively been, but in terms of the reality of the situation, how widespread it is, not enough has been done.”

Mentioned in the report was the setting up of the multi-agency safeguarding hub, which will aim to combine agencies’ efforts and, officials say, streamline services, saving up to £250,000.

The cost was not revealed, but the new centre would not prevent a second scandal on its own, the council said.

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: “I welcome these steps, which do apply vital lessons from the horrors of Bullfinch.

“I still think more needs to be done to raise community awareness, though, and to bring parents fully into the picture, with advice on tell-tale signs that their child might be at risk, and help with where to go to for advice.

“We all have to remember that the test of the policies is how far they stop abuse happening.”

Key points from the report:

  • Social workers to be “more like detectives” in working with complex evidence
  • ‘Kingfisher’ – a 12-strong team of police officers and social workers based in Oxford – has been praised by the Local Government Association for good practice.
  • Plans in place to improve work with schools, communities, faith groups and other organisations to educate young people and prevent exploitation.
  • Society should play its part – reporting concerns about children “in the same way as they would not hesitate to report a burning building”.
  • The budget for children’s services in Oxfordshire has increased from £24m in 2006/7 to £48m in 2013/14.
  • Efforts will be made to inform other authorities to avoid a repeat elsewhere.
  • Victims do not always understand what they are involved in, or regard it as an exploitation.
  • Pre-Bullfinch, the council and others did not fully understand the grooming process or recognise the scale of the sexual abuse and exploitation.
  • More work is needed so those investigating abuse and exploitation can establish trust with the victims.
  • A serious case review, led by barrister David Spicer, will be published in 2014.
  • Read the full report here: Bullfinch report Nov 13.pdf

Opinion: Report needed

  • And you can listen to an interview with Mr Leivers from last week about proposed ongoing work around Bullfinch