Recent high profile cases have once again put child protection services under close scrutiny. The exposure of systematic safeguarding failures in Oxford, Rochdale and Edlington have raised questions about the extent to which services are putting children’s experiences and voices at the heart of the child protection process. In Rochdale, a high-profile case uncovering a child sexual exploitation ring revealed that, despite victims disclosing acts of child sexual exploitation to professionals,
‘overall child welfare organisations missed opportunities to provide a
comprehensive, co-ordinated and timely response. Victims expressed frustration with the response from social services and the police, describing them as ‘not listening to them.