Important Update: Oldham Independent CSE Inquiry

“𝙑𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙄𝙣𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙮.”

I have written to the Home Office regarding the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Oldham.

The work to be undertaken by Oldham Council, the Home Office and the GMCA, will provide an opportunity for victims and survivors to have their voices heard, to seek answers to all failures and for the perpetrators of abuse to be held to account.

The local Inquiry will be one of five, supported by the Home Office, as part of a wide ranging package of action that also includes implementing the recommendations of the recent national Inquiry.

The local Inquiry needs to recognise that after many years of distress and frustration, this is now an opportunity to get this right and rebuild trust and confidence in the system that many feel they have been let down by. It is absolutely essential that this is done correctly, with victims and survivors front and centre of any Inquiry.

My office and I have been supporting victims and survivors for a long period of time on this issue, through these discussions and shared experiences, it is clear that more needs to be done. From these discussions and experiences I have set out what the Inquiry needs to include –

𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝; led by someone who has a proven background of dealing with inquiries of scale and complexity, and with a history of speaking truth to power, and following the evidence wherever it leads.

𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐞𝐝; that they lead the inquiry members in agreeing the terms of reference, and the support and advocacy arrangements.

𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞; recognising that failures to support victims of sexual exploitation and abuse can impact on other different periods and experiences. No victim or survivor of abuse and exploitation should be denied their case being included.

𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞; ensuring it covers all relevant time periods, engages all police forces and local authorities involved in the cases under review; essential to fully assess cross border and multiagency activity.

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞; ensuring the timing of the Hillsborough Law, which is expected to introduce a Duty of Candour, coincides to place a legal obligation on public officials to engage, give evidence and have a duty to offer full and truthful disclosure.

𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭; that immediate victims and survivor support is provided, commissioned by the Home Office (whether or not it is co-commissioned with Oldham Council) with a trusted organisation/s which can offer advice, support, and advocacy through the process and beyond it. This pre-inquiry stage is critical in my view and that of the victims and survivors in my constituency.

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧; collaborating with victims and survivors in Telford and recognising the experience in Oldham to build a wider support network as Inquiry’s are established elsewhere, and to ensure that the lived experience by those most affected is valued and shared.

𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲; that any official in a position of authority and responsibility found through the Inquiry to have deliberately failed to take action when they should have done, and where the evidence supports it, should be held to account for that failure through formal action by the appropriate body.

𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬; that in addition to taking action on the recommendations of the IICSA (Alexis Jay Inquiry) victims and survivors who have raised further issues can see that they have been acknowledged and acted upon. This may include reviewing criminal offences recorded against victims and survivors during the abuse and exploitation, and the release of offenders back into the community where the abuse and exploitation was carried out.

From talking to victims and survivors in this process, I believe these tests will ensure we seek to right the wrongs of the past, and finally secure a sense of justice and peace for victims of this horrendous abuse.

I would add that there should be a dedicated resource provided, alongside a single point of contact for those victims and survivors who wish for their case to be reviewed criminally during the course of the review.

In the letter, I also recognised the longstanding work of Oldham based KOGS (Keeping our girls safe) who have both lived and professional experience, which has been invaluable to constituents in Oldham. Their input would be instrumental in this process.

This has the opportunity to finally make all victims and survivors of this awful abuse to be heard, listened too and have some semblance of justice provided. We must get it right.

𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁

If you have any concerns about child sexual exploitation you can report them and find resources at https://www.itsnotokay.co.uk/

If you have concerns about the welfare of children you can report them to Oldham Council Social Services on 0161 770 7777 or by email at child.mash@oldham.gov.uk

Local charity KOGS (Keeping Our Girls Safe) provides one to one support and can be found at https://kogs.org.uk