Oxfordshire is ‘indictment of failure of frontline workers’, Nicky Morgan

The sexual exploitation of hundreds of girls in Oxfordshire should never have happened, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said as she criticised police and social workers for failing to protect them.

Ms Morgan described a highly critical serious case review which details a catalogue of errors by the authorities as an indictment of the failure of frontline workers to protect vulnerable young people over a number of years.

She also outlined plans to create a £7 million fund to support the hundreds of potential victims identified in the county over 16 years.

Responding to the review which identified 373 potential victims of abuse, Ms Morgan said it was clear that numerous opportunities to intervene and protect the girls were missed.

She told the Commons: “No child should have to suffer what the victims of child sexual exploitation in Oxfordshire have suffered.

“The serious case review published today by Oxfordshire’s safeguarding children’s board is an indictment of the failure of frontline workers to protect extremely vulnerable young people over a number of years.

“Reading the details of what happened to them has been truly sickening.

“The serious case review makes clear that numerous opportunities to intervene to protect these girls were missed as police and social workers failed to look beyond what they saw as troubled teenagers to the frightened child within.”

Ms Morgan said she was joining the Prime Minister, the Home Secretary and other Cabinet ministers to discuss with local and police leaders how to implement reforms set out by David Cameron which include potentially jailing public officials who fail to protect children from exploitation.

She said: “The experiences the children set out in this serious case review should never have happened.

“We are determined to do everything in our power to stamp out this horrific abuse and to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

Ms Morgan said at the heart of the issue were the young people who “have been utterly let down by the system and whose lives have been blighted”.

She said: “I think it’s important that we think about all of the victims and their families and I am pleased to announce or to confirm that part of today’s summit and the announcements thereof will be a £7 million fund in order to support those who have been victims, but clearly there is much more that we will all need to be doing.”

The purpose of this serious case review, she added, was to understand what went wrong and why and to ensure that “we learn the lessons for the future”.

She concluded: “Actually it’s not just lessons learned – we want action. It was very clear that those who came across this information, some of them not just in Oxfordshire, in other authorities too, did not act on that information. That is simply unacceptable.”

Labour’s Andrew Smith (Oxford East), who asked the urgent question, called for the setting up of an independent inquiry.

He said: “Does she (Ms Morgan) agree me that the victims, the 370 other children identified at risk, their families and the public horrified that these sickening crimes were allowed to continue for so many years, are owed answers to crucial questions which this serious case review could not address?

“How was it there was a culture in the county council and police whereby such serious incidents were not escalated to senior officers? How was it that a professional tolerance of under-age sexual activity developed, as the report says, so that it contributed to failure to stop the abuse?

“Who takes responsibility, Mr Speaker, for the catastrophic failings?”

He added: “Shouldn’t there be a wider independent scrutiny of the internal management reviews which underpinned this SCR? Doesn’t the public interest and redress for victims dictate that those responsible for these failings are fully held to account?

“Will the Government set up an independent inquiry into what went wrong and who made the mistakes which enabled this depraved exploitation of vulnerable girls to go on for so long, so that the lessons are learned from these awful crimes and from the failure of public bodies to provide the protection it was their duty to provide to children suffering such unspeakable abuse?”

Conservative Nicola Blackwood (Oxford West and Abingdon) asked about future support for victims.

She said: “We must not only pay tribute to the victims for their bravery in coming forward, but we must also recognise that such serious abuse has long-term and complex consequences and I would ask the Education Secretary today to make it a personal priority to ensure that these survivors get the long-term and sustainable support that they need.”

Ms Morgan responded: “She can have our assurance on this side of the House that we will absolutely, not just in my department, but in all relevant departments, support and do what we can to help the victims of these crimes.”

Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt also called for an independent inquiry.

He said: “As we saw in Rochdale, the voice of victims was not listened to, and prejudicial thinking around lifestyle choices blocked detailed investigation, but these were young girls, exploited teenagers suffering terrible abuse.”

He asked: “Does the Government now intend to establish an independent inquiry into Oxfordshire County Council to see if it has the capacity to safeguard its children?”

He added: “Will she and the Home Secretary now support stronger laws on child exploitation and abduction?”

Dr Hunt also urged the Government to support “age-appropriate statutory sex and relationship education to teach young people about consent and healthy relationships”.

He added: “We need to give young people the armoury and the education to know that this kind of sexual abuse is wrong and needs to be stripped out of British society.”

Labour’s John Mann, a staunch campaigner on child abuse, called for the resignation of elected leaders of Oxfordshire County Council.

But Ms Morgan did not back him, saying it was a matter for the council to consider.

Mr Mann said: “I called for the immediate removal and resignation of the Labour leadership of Rotherham Council.

“Will you join with me in calling for resignations of the political leadership of Oxfordshire Council?”

Ms Morgan replied: “I think that is a matter for Oxfordshire County Council, for the leaders to consider and for the elected members.

“The serious case review obviously covers failings in 2004 and 2011 and we have today asked for further locally led assessment of child sexual exploitation in Oxfordshire and have asked for Sophie Humphreys to continue with that work.

“This is an ongoing piece of work.”

Meanwhile, Ms Morgan said the failure of the authorities to listen to victims’ parents’ calls for help made the case even more appalling.

In a separate answer, she said: “I think, in this case, looking again at the serious case review, there were parents of the victims who were also saying they needed help and they were not believed and that is at the core of what makes this case even more appalling.”

Replying to Dr Hunt on the issue of sex education, Ms Morgan said: “I am fully in favour of excellent PSHE (personal, social and health education), sex and relationships education, and education on consent, but I have to say to him it has to be excellent – it can’t just be about ticking boxes.”

Labour’s Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) said “these ghastly crimes against children are a blight on any civilised society and we must stop them occurring”.

He said: “But would she also agree that it’s too often too easy to do a knee-jerk fast response and get it wrong? Can we look at the evidence? Let’s look very carefully at how we respond. Can we also, Mr Speaker, actually look at the way we – we are shrinking childhood in this country?

“Personally I’d like to see the age of consent raised. This is why I actually oppose votes at 16 because it will bring childhood closer and closer. There’s too much pressure on childhood today and we as a society have got to look very carefully at the preciousness of the childhood years.”

Conservative chairman of the Education Select Committee Graham Stuart said politicians had to do “everything we can to reduce the vulnerability of young people”.

He also called for statutory sex education.

He said: “My committee agrees that it’s about having excellent sex and relationships education in schools, precisely to give the resilience to young people. Talk about consent in a meaningful way, as one witness put it, tell them about age gaps and predatory behaviours so they start to recognise that.

“What we wrestled with was how are we going to ensure that we get the curriculum time, we get the investment in teacher quality if we don’t make it statutory. Relucantly because we don’t want to impose further duties on schools we can avoid, we came to the conclusion it had to be made statutory if we are going to deliver it.”

Ms Morgan said the report was “interesting” adding: “We will consider the conclusions very carefully”.

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