Following the verdicts in the Rochdale child sexual exploitation case in May this year, the Secretary of State asked the Deputy Children's Commissioner to report to him urgently on emerging findings from her inquiry into Child sexual exploitation in gangs and groups.

He asked that the report focus particularly on risks facing children living in children's homes. The report was published on 3 July together with the Government's response to its recommendations, which were accepted in full.

The action announced by Government also took account of the Joint All Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) Report into Children who Go Missing from Care which was issued on 18 June.

The APPG report emphasised the need to tackle failings in arrangements to safeguard children in residential care, and made similar recommendations to the Deputy Children's Commissioner’s report.
 
The Government is taking the following immediate action to respond:

  • making sure there is a clearer picture of how many children go missing from care, and of where they are, by improving the quality and transparency of data;
  • ensuring children’s homes are properly protected and safely located by removing barriers in regulation, so that Ofsted can share information about the location of children’s homes with the police, and other relevant bodies as appropriate;
  • helping children be located nearer to their local area by establishing a `task and finish group’ to make recommendations by September on strengthening the regulatory framework on out-of-area placements;
  • establishing a further expert working group to look at the quality of children’s homes. This will review all aspects of the quality of provision in children’s homes, including the management of behaviour and appropriate use of restraint, and the qualifications and skills of the workforce.

The announcement was made to Parliament through a written ministerial statement. Letters to Sue Berelowitz and Ann Coffey MP, responding to their reports, also set out the government response. The letters can be downloaded in the associated resources section below.

 The Government has also published a progress report on the implementation of the Tackling child sexual exploitation action plan, published in November last year, and a short step-by-step guide on what frontline practitioners should do if they suspect a child is being sexually exploited.