UNITED KINGDOM
Southend Standard
Town halls have called for new powers to help them intervene to prevent children being groomed for sex.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said court-backed orders were necessary because officials were “powerless” to act if they suspected grooming but did not have enough evidence to prosecute.
Sanctions already in place were “too limited”, the association said, with Sexual Risk Orders available only to police for suspects posing a risk of sexual harm.
The call, backed by children’s charity Barnardo’s, comes in the wake of multiple child sex abuse scandals in towns including Rochdale, Rotherham and Oxford – for which police and councils have apologised over their failure to act.
Councillor David Simmonds, chairman of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “At present sanctions to prevent the grooming of vulnerable children are too limited and we need to make it easier to intervene earlier before harm is done.
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