28.08.14
No disciplinary action for council staff over Rotherham abuse
No council employee will face disciplinary action following the sexual exploitation of more than 1,400 children in Rotherham over a 16-year period, the local authority’s chief executive has said.
Martin Kimber, the chief executive of Rotherham Council, stated that there was not “enough evidence” to take action, despite Professor Alexis Jay’s report attributing failures “almost without exception” to senior managers in child protection services, elected councillors and senior police officers.
Prof Jay’s report detailed the rape of children as young as 11 by multiple men, grooming and trafficking in Rotherham, in which many of the perpetrators were described as Asian.
In fact Prof Jay said councillors seemed to think the exploitation was a “one-off” problem they hoped would go away.
Kimber said: “Officers in senior positions responsible for children's safeguarding services throughout the critical periods when services fell some way short of today's standards do not work for the council today.
“To that extent, I have not been able to identify any issues of professional practice related to current serving officers of this council that would require me to consider use of disciplinary or capability procedures.”
He added that he will not be standing down from his post, and that the report indicates that during the last five years there have been “very significant” improvements under his tenure.
“One of the things the report does allow me to do is to reassure young people today, parents today, that where young people are in trouble, that we will take them seriously and we will put services in to protect them,” said Kimber.
Earlier this week, following the release of the report, the leader of Rotherham, Cllr Roger Stone, stepped down to take responsibility for the historic failings outlined by the investigators.
(Image: c. Dave Higgens)
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