Pledge on children's services funding in Shropshire Council fight on child sex exploitation

A report that revealed 67 children in the county have been identified as being at risk of exploitation went before the council’s people overview committee.

Of the 67 children, 15 have been assessed as high risk, 27 at medium risk and 25 are deemed low risk.

Members of the committee quizzed senior council officers Jeanette Hill and Dot Johnson on the report, as well as Ivan Powell, chairman of Shropshire’s Safeguarding Children Board and West Mercia Police chief superintendent, Kevin Purcell.

Councillor Ed Potter asked for reassurance that the budget for children’s services would be maintained as the council works to reduce the number of children and young people at risk of being sexually exploited.

Karen Bradshaw said: “The whole of the public sector is under financial pressure. We have to look at how we can make ourselves more efficient and more effective.

“For the local authority, this is an area we do not want to reduce our capital or resources. As it stands broadly, our budget is being held.”

Last month it was revealed that in neighbouring Telford & Wrekin police and council workers were working with 46 young people deemed to be vulnerable.

The figures emerged after a national newspaper branded Telford the ‘sex crime capital of Britain’.

Chief Superindent Purcell said West Mercia Police is now seeing an increase in the number of referrals.

Disrupt

"For us that is a good thing because it means awareness is being raised and we can start to deal with it," he said.

"But there will be a child out there somewhere who wants to talk about it but just can't. We want more reports coming in from people in the community saying they've seen a young man picking two girls up from school.That's the kind of referral we want- as well as children themselves being able to self refer.

"We're doing everything we can to disrupt perpetrators and continually raise awareness of child exploitation."

He said pubs, bars and hotels, particularly in Shrewsbury, are hotspots for perpetrators, as well as on social media.

"Shropshire is no longer just a county," he added. "There will be people in places like Mexico, Brazil and Africa talking to our children.

"We need to raise the self-esteem of children to make sure they feel like they can report it. They are more likely to become victims if they believe the people who are doing it."

The report also revealed that a 19-year-old white man from Harlescott, Shrewsbury, was arrested and questioned by police in relation to 12 alleged offences, including rape, sexual assault and grooming.

The man has been bailed pending further inquiries.