Ofsted: Councils 'too slow' over child sexual exploitation

What happened in Rotherham could "could happen anywhere", a victim of abuse in the town told ITV News.

The girl, one of an estimated 1,400 child sex victims in the area, said: "It can happen to anyone. It's not just a problem in Rotherham. It's a problem all over the country.

"What officials need to do is acknowledge that it's a problem and show that they are going to tackle it. Not just say yes, we know it's a problem, but to start and prove to people that they are going to challenge it."

Rotherham's new director of children's services Jane Parfrement said any council worker not up to the job faces the sack.

An Ofsted report into child sexual exploitation identified seven other problem areas in the England where services need to be improved.

It said Brent, Bristol, Camden, Kent, Luton, Oldham and Rochdale, are "not responding to child sexual exploitation consistently or well" and leaving children "exposed to risk of harm".

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Ofsted's national director for social care has said it not enough to 'simply wait for the next scandal to happen' in a damning report on councils' response to child sexual exploitation.

The education watchdog has warned that the most vulnerable children in society are at risk of sexual exploitation due to unacceptable failings by social services, health workers and police.

Ofsted said local authorities have been "too slow" to face up to their responsibilities in preventing child sexual exploitation while those designed to protect young people had failed to share information with others.

Arrangements to tackle sexual exploitation at a local level were described as "underdeveloped", while leadership was criticised as being "frequently lacking".