Solutions, Not Scapegoats
Responding to High Profile Cases of Sexual Exploitation
Justine Orme
Health Adviser
Brighton
Rochdale victims failed by the system
Councils in denial over extent of child sexual exploitation
Failures in Rotherham led to sexual abuse of 1,400 children
Sexual Exploitation - An Evolving Picture
Usefulness of risk factors
Widespread abuse of ‘older’ victims
Profiles of perpetrators
Healthy relationships
Learning from Rotherham
Poor understanding of exploitation
Victim-blaming
Quality of referrals
Safeguarding focus on under 16s
Missed opportunities for early intervention
No care pathways/reporting mechanisms
Key risk factors
Conversational style
Embed questions into consultation
Update on every visit
What is sex?
Professional judgement
Perception of consent
Claude Nicol under 18 visits
13 yr 14 yr 15 yr 16 yr 17 yr0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
Age at Attendance
Professional Assessment of Risk
152
38
14
Low
Medium
High
14 High Risk Patients
7 already had multi-agency involvement
5 already had an allocated social worker
7 had a documented plan for f/u
3 required onward referral
Consistent use of proforma
Better documentation of follow-up plan
Clear care pathway
Sharing soft intelligence
Challenging the support response
How can we do better?