Child grooming: “There is still much to do” says new CEO of Barnardo’s

 Anne Marie Carrie urges Michael Gove to appoint minister for child protection

Anne Marie Carrie, the new chief executive of Barnardo's, has said that  child sexual exploitation is a child protection issue and the Secretary of State for Education should appoint a minister to take forward a national action plan without delay.

The Chief Executive of the UK's largest children's charity has used her first day in office to call for urgent action to protect the thousands of young girls and boys who are being preyed upon and then abused, raped and exploited for sex. The charity, which has been supporting these children for 16 years and runs 22 specialist services across the UK, worked with more than 1,000 sexually exploited girls and boys last year.

Although Barnardo's welcomes CEOP's investigation into child sexual exploitation, it believes that without a minister with overall responsibility the Government response is likely to remain inadequate.

Anne Marie Carrie said:

"I have a lifetime of experience working in children's services, but there is nothing more shocking than child sexual exploitation. These vulnerable defenceless girls and boys, who crave love and attention, are groomed then abused in the most callous and calculated way, leaving them deeply traumatised and scarred for life.

Although I thoroughly welcome the recent attention around the issue, the children at the heart of this crime have been forgotten as discussion has focused on the ethnicity of perpetrators in high profile cases."