Shipman probe group taking on Telford child sex abuse inquiry

A report, which will be considered at a meeting of Telford & Wrekin Council’s child sexual exploitation (CSE) advisory committee on Wednesday will confirm the appointment of the organisation – the identity of which will not be revealed until the meeting.

It will pave the way for the inquiry to get under way, with the organisation appointing the independent chair.

The report also reveals that the organisation has had involvement in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry and the Trojan Horse Investigation into Birmingham’s schools. The organisation was selected following an evaluation day after submitting a bid in response to a council tender. The selection panel was made up of council officials, a solicitor, and an independent consultant.

The council has said that the process was also watched by two members of a CSE survivors committee and one survivor. The council agreed to set up the inquiry after reports in the national media suggested that there could have been as many as 1,000 victims of CSE in the borough in the past 20 years.

The most high profile case saw seven members of a Telford grooming gang jailed as a result of a police investigation dubbed ‘Operation Chalice’, in 2013.

During the trial four judges heard distressing evidence from four young women, who were aged 13 to 16 when they were abused during a two-year period between 2007 and 2009.

The leading abusers were brothers, Ahdel and Mubarek Ali, then of Regent Street, Wellington, who received long jail sentences after an eight-week trial.

The report detailing the selection of the successful organisation also states that it has experience of abuse investigations, having been involved in the North Wales Child Abuse Inquiry.

Although no timescale has been set out for when the inquiry will begin, or how long it will take, the report outlines confidence in the commissioning organisation’s ability to deliver to an agreed timescale.

It states: “The successful bidder response demonstrated that they have a wealth of experience running similar inquiries and investigations to prescribed and ambitious timescales.

“They gave detailed case studies to illustrate this including the Trojan Horse investigation which was completed in a very tight timescale of two months.”

Finalise

The council said that once the details are agreed it will “step away”, to allow the commissioning organisation to run the inquiry independently.

The report states: “Next steps, officers will meet with the successful bidder to finalise the contract and to agree final details such as accommodation, IT systems, handover of relevant information, reporting etc.

“The council will then ‘step away’ to let the successful bidder progress the inquiry.”

A second report on the progress of the investigation into CSE outlines how the council has secured records.

It states: “The council has made it clear from the outset that it does not seek to influence the terms of reference of the inquiry, either in terms of extent or period. The council will make records available for review during the course of the inquiry. The council has undertaken a lot of work in identifying and cataloguing records, both paper and electronic to make sure that those records are identified, catalogued and secure before the inquiry starts.

“Paper files are in locked cabinets in a locked room on council premises to keep them secure and electronic records have had all existing access rights removed.”

The council has said that the preparatory work for the inquiry would mean it will progress “efficiently and effectively”.

Jonathan Eatough, the council’s monitoring officer, said: “The council has made it clear from the outset that it does not seek to influence the terms of reference of the inquiry, either in terms of extent or period. This must be wholly independent of the council.

“The report to next week’s committee summarises the work completed since the advisory group last met in June 2018, much of which will help to support the inquiry.

“This includes supporting the inquiry, both in respect of commissioning support services for victims and survivors, establishing the inquiry and collating and securing information and records that the inquiry might access.”