Terms of reference: Inspection of Greater Manchester Police and its safeguarding partners’ approach to child criminal and sexual exploitation
Contents
Print this document
Overview
On 10 July 2024, the Mayor of Greater Manchester commissioned His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, under section 54(2BA) of the Police Act 1996, to inspect Greater Manchester Police and its safeguarding partners’ approach to investigating allegations of child criminal and sexual exploitation, and supporting victims and survivors.
In our inspection we will examine how the force and its safeguarding partners learn lessons and make improvements from peer reviews of child exploitation investigations.
The mayor of Greater Manchester has also requested assurance that four ongoing investigations into non-recent child sexual exploitation cases are effective. These investigations cover a 12-year period between 2002 and 2014:
- Operation Bernese – an investigation into the death of a child in 2003;
- Operation Green Jacket – an investigation into alleged child sexual exploitation between 2004 and 2005;
- Operation Sherwood – an investigation into 11 cases of child sexual exploitation in Oldham between 2011 and 2014, as identified in the 2022 independent assurance review; and
- Operation Exmoor – an investigation into non-recent child sexual exploitation in Rochdale.
This inspection will supplement our national child protection inspection for the force. We intend to publish the national child protection inspection report before December 2024.
In this inspection, and with necessary support from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, we will address the following questions:
How effective is the Greater Manchester Complex Safeguarding Programme peer review process at improving the partnership approach to child criminal and sexual exploitation?
We will consider:
- the effectiveness of the peer reviews that the force and its safeguarding partners carry out;
- the effectiveness of peer reviews in identifying learning (such as good practice and areas where the partnership could make improvements);
- how the force and its safeguarding partners share and report learning from peer reviews;
- how peer reviews contribute to other partnership scrutiny and accountability processes; and
- how the force and its safeguarding partners use learning from peer reviews to improve how they approach child criminal and sexual exploitation.
How effective is the force in carrying out its investigative strategies in relation to operations Bernese, Green Jacket, Sherwood and Exmoor?
We will consider whether:
- the force has allocated enough personnel with the necessary skills and experience;
- the force’s strategies to support victims and survivors are consistent with national guidance (such as guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing, and the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime);
- the force’s strategies to manage suspects are consistent with national guidance (such as guidance from the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing) and take account of risks that suspects may pose to the public; and
- the force makes victims and survivors aware of the support services available to them, regardless of whether those organisations operate independently of the criminal justice system.
How effective is the force’s approach to the 74 victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation, who were identified through the work of the independent review team (previously appointed by Greater Manchester Combined Authority)?
We will consider:
- how the force approached information it received about potential victims;
- the force’s investigative policies and strategies in relation to information on potential victims;
- whether the force considered the wishes of victims and survivors;
- the criminal justice outcomes for victims and survivors;
- other, non-criminal justice outcomes for victims and survivors (such as restorative justice, where the force recognises the abuse and victims and survivors have an opportunity to share their experiences, or, where suspects have died and proportionate investigation takes place); and
- the provision of, and access to, support services for victims and survivors, regardless of whether there is a positive criminal justice outcome.
As part of our inspection, we will carry out:
- interviews and focus groups with police officers and staff, and personnel in their safeguarding partner organisations; and
- document reviews, including reviews of relevant cases, single and multi-agency audits, position statements, training material, strategies, contact logs, policies, guidance, and the agendas, minutes and other papers of relevant meetings.
We intend to report our findings by June 2025.