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The Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board (OSCB) has today (03 March 2015) published the independent serious case review (SCR) it commissioned in 2012 into the services provided to the victims of the seven men, convicted in 2013, of 59 offences of child sexual exploitation.

The Independent author of the review is Alan Bedford MA (Social Work), Dip.Crim

This report highlights failings of the OSCB and its member agencies to recognise that group child sexual exploitation was happening in Oxfordshire - prior to Operation Bullfinch in 2011 - despite the clear evidence of cases between 2005 - 2010 showing what we now know were signs of street grooming.

The Independent Chair of the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board, Maggie Blyth said: “What happened to the victims is deeply disturbing. 

“It is shocking that these children were subjected to such appalling sexual exploitation for so long. On behalf of the OSCB I would like to apologise for how long it took organisations in Oxfordshire to see what was happening to these children and bring the perpetrators to justice. It is clear that between 2005 and 2010 despite the efforts of some front line staff working with children individually, there was no understanding of the type of abuse which later emerged, a culture across all organisations that failed to see that these children were being groomed in an organised way by groups of men and therefore there was no concerted or organised response across Oxfordshire agencies working with children against this terrible child abuse.”

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