Child sexual abuse changes 'a work in progress'

More than 1,000 girls were abused over decades in Telford, an inquiry concluded in July 2022

Survivors of child sexual exploitation in Telford say they are "reasonably happy" over changes made after a damning report.

An independent inquiry found authorities in the area had ignored the issue and concluded 1,000 children had been abused since the 1980s.

Telford and Wrekin Council said it had actioned about half of the recommendations made by the inquiry.

Holly Archer, who was sexually abused in her teens, said the changes represented a "work in progress".

Telford and Wrekin Council said half of the report's recommendations have been actioned

"We are reasonably happy rather than overwhelmingly happy," she added.

Warning: this article contains information some people may find distressing.

In July 2022, the inquiry, led by Tom Crowther KC, found obvious evidence of child sex crimes in Telford was ignored for generations, with agencies often blaming children for the abuse they suffered, not the perpetrators.

Mr Crowther made 47 recommendations and 148 actions for organisations including the council, police and health providers.

'Survivors being heard'

Ms Archer, not her real name, was among those who campaigned for the inquiry after she was repeatedly raped between the ages of 14 and 18 in Telford.

The council asked survivors including her to help and she said she felt it was important not to rush the changes.

"These recommendations are not going to be set in stone, they're something which is going to be a work in progress and that's forever going to be, I hope," she added.

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Another survivor who worked with the council, Scarlett Jones, also not her real name, wrote a book about the sexual abuse she suffered as a child in the town.

She said when the report came out in 2022 it gave her an "overwhelming sense of relief" her voice and others were finally heard.

"It's great that victims, survivors voices, are now, in these meetings, making decisions and putting this side of it," Ms Jones said.

Telford child abuse survivor Holly Archer said she was "reasonably happy" at the progress since the report's publication

But Ms Archer said she felt more change was needed in organisations who were the first point of contact for CSE victims.

"If you can't get past that initial phone call, you're never going to get to the right place," she said.

"All of the other recommendations almost rely on those front doors to those organisations."

Councillor Shirley Reynolds said the authority was "making solid progress" and councillors will consider the progress report on Thursday.

Earlier in the week, Telford MP Lucy Allan said the council had so far failed to carry out meaningful change.

She also questioned what she described as a lack of detail transparency from the council.

In response the local authority said it had published papers setting out the current position around CSE in the borough and progress made on its website.

Many of the recommendations it has implemented relate to taxi-licensing and the night-time economy, education, children's services and the management of complaints around CSE, it said.