A major review into child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Greater Manchester is set to come to a conclusion by the end of this year, leaders have confirmed.
The final stage of the independent review, which started six years ago, will now look at how Greater Manchester Police and the 10 councils in the region handle cases of sexual exploitation of children and young people in light of historic failings.
A report focusing on Rochdale is also expected to be published later this year. It follows previous phases of the CSE assurance review, which focused on Manchester and Oldham and led to the launch of new police operations.
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The last strand of the review, requested by Oldham council, reported on allegations of child sexual exploitation and the way they were handled in the borough.
GMP chief constable Stephen Watson told political leaders today (June 30) that 'good progress' has been made in Operation Sherwood, which was set up immediately after the report into Oldham was published last year. However, he said that lengthy timescales are involved in these criminal investigations.
He said: "Sometimes these things take rather longer than perhaps the common sense would indicate might be reasonable. Timescales very much are tethered to the individual needs of victims.
"It is the case that we have vulnerable people who have suffered great trauma and some of these people have locked this trauma away for the last two decades and this is all being reopened for them. You cannot simply blunder in. It is for those reasons we tread carefully, sensitively and professionally."
The chief constable explained that a risk assessment is applied to potential perpetrators so police can prioritise their investigations. He said the teams working on both operations are well-resourced, well-trained and well-led.
Deputy mayor Kate Green, who is responsible for overseeing policing and crime within her portfolio, stressed the importance of concluding the review. She said: "Further protracted proceedings will not only distract from criminal proceedings, but it will also deepen the trauma for victims and survivors."
The final stage of the independent review aims to provide assurance that Greater Manchester's local authorities and the police have the right culture and best systems in place to protect children from sexual exploitation. The review was commissioned by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham following the airing of BBC documentary The Betrayed Girls in July 2017.
The Labour mayor, who launched the review soon after he was first elected, encouraged survivors of child sexual exploitation to come forward through organisations such as the Maggie Oliver Foundation. The charity was set up by the former GMP detective whose whistleblowing led to the assurance review.
Mr Burnham said: "People are being brought to justice who may not have otherwise been brought to justice had this review not been set up in 2017. That is the justification in the strongest possible terms for what we have done as a Greater Manchester system and why we must now continue to see this review through to its conclusion."
The mayor, his deputy and the 10 local authority leaders on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) passed a motion recognising the progress made so far on the assurance review and resolving to progress to the final stage with the expectation that it will be completed by the end of the year.
The independent review is being carried out by child protection specialist Malcolm Newsam CBE and former senior police officer Gary Ridgway. There have been calls for a full public inquiry to be commissioned by the government.
If you have information relating to these issues and you would like to contact someone about it or if you have been affected by these issues, please contact Greater Manchester Victim Support on 0300 303 0162. If you need support out of hours, call the Support Line on 0808 16 89 111. A self-referral form for the Maggie Oliver Foundation is available at themaggieoliverfoundation.com.
Keeping Our Girls Safe is a charity working with children and young people to Educate about unhealthy relationships, child sexual exploitation, grooming and risks, empower them to have confidence and self-esteem and inspire them to make positive life choices. The organisation can be contacted at kogs.org.uk
For more information on Greater Manchester’s Independent Assurance Reviews on child sexual exploitation, visit: Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation - Greater Manchester Combined Authority (greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk)
