Leader of the Council: Sunrise shines as a leading example

Op Noric BBC Radio MCR 22.09.2017

I was delighted with the BBC Radio Manchester Feature on our Sunrise Team on how we tackle child sexual exploitation (CSE) last Friday (6 October).

Sunrise is a multi-agency team of social workers and police who work to specifically tackle CSE. It was set up in the wake of the grooming trial in 2012 and has long been known that we have taken a really innovative approach to tackling CSE and that many councils look to our Sunrise model as a leading example. This is something we are really proud of.

We know that prior to 2012 victims, here and in many other areas of the country, were let down. We have been working very hard to put that right since then and I am glad that the work of Sunrise, most of which, quite rightly, happens behind the scenes and away from the glare of the media, is finally being recognised as ground-breaking and innovative.

We took BBC Radio Manchester's Jonathan Ali on a Friday night operation so he could see the work of the Sunrise Team first-hand.

On the night the team did premises checks, victim checks, offender checks (where one had breached his bail conditions so could be reported), taxi checks and also found a girl missing from home! We gave the journalist a real snapshot of the work the team do.

For me our social worker Stephanie Mills summed it up: "It is making a massive difference".

The team also work excellently on engaging with young people, from one-to-one work to awareness raising sessions in schools. They also work very well at disrupting activity and training people on CSE awareness.

Some key achievements of the Sunrise Team in the last four years are that they have secured the conviction of 21 people to a total of 80 years in prison. Last year alone they conducted 940 public protection investigations. In their time they have worked tirelessly with over 400 children to protect them or bring their abusers to justice. They have also completed over 2,000 child protection investigations. Stephanie is right, we're making a massive difference.

During the radio feature PACE UK, a leading independent body who support parents of children affected by CSE, said that the Sunrise model should be rolled out nationally, this is something we are all very proud to hear, and I could not agree more.

We have a Parent Liaison Officer from PACE UK sat within the Sunrise Team, really enhancing our multi-agency approach, and the young people who have worked with the officer have found it to be immensely beneficial, one of them said: "My PACE worker has supported me through the tough days where I was a mess, the good days when I could talk about everything and all the other days' in-between. I honestly do not know where I would be today or what state I would be in without the support and time with her."

The feedback the Sunrise team gets from those they work with is so pleasing, as this comment from a child in contact with our social workers in the Sunrise team shows: "You are the only person I feel who listens to me... thanks for helping and being with me through the whole court thing."

We have also had really encouraging feedback on the important role of the police in the team, as a child the team have worked with said: "Thank you for helping me through everything this is the most important thing in my life. I am so lucky to have such amazing people like you. I know you help everyone and it is your job but you know when you are genuinely helping someone and that is you two. Thank you."

If you did not manage to catch it on Friday's breakfast show, the feature is still on the BBC iPlayer (timings are 1:45:39 to 1:49:32 and 2:35:27 to 2:29:44) so you can hear for yourself about the innovative work of our Sunrise team.

Councillor Richard Farnell
Leader
Rochdale Borough Council

Read Rochdale Online reporter Michelle Kight's in-depth interview with the Sunrise team in July:

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/111016/rochdale-sunrise-team-explain-how-child-sexual-exploitation-and-related-harm-is-being-tackled