Oldham Council’s Safeguarding Partnership is working to introduce recommendations from the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA), following further work from the Liberal Democrat group on the Council.
Having already received a promise from the Council that it would apply any relevant local recommendations into their work, Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani went through the last two IICSA reports in detail to identify those that applied, and demanded a detailed response from the Council on how they were being implemented.
Those recommendations have now been taken to Oldham’s Safeguarding Partnership by the Managing Director of the Children & Young People team, who will then be reporting back on what specific actions are being taken.
Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “We worked hard to ensure that the Council made that commitment, but we never regarded that as the end of the matter.
“The recent investigations into Bradford and Lambeth show that we must always continue to work with the Council and other organisations, but also to hold them properly to account. A good opposition will always do the hard work that is needed to make sure that change happens.
“We must show people that we are taking action, as that is the only way that we can build back people’s trust. We must be honest, decisive and responsible. Anything else is failing survivors.”
As part of the Council’s approach, all councillors have recently completed a six-week training course from Barnardo’s on recognising the signs of abuse and making sure people get the right support, just one of a series of changes that have been delivered by the Council which were called for by the Liberal Democrat team. Councillor Al-Hamdani has also been working with national charity Our Streets Now to help develop policies to combat harassment, for councils across the UK.
Councillor Al-Hamdani continued: “It is frightening to see the reports on what has happened in the past. I cannot begin to imagine what people must have gone through, and that’s why I have been working so hard to ensure that we can make a difference to how people are treated in the future.
“The independent investigation into what has happened into Oldham in the past is a huge part of that. While I am frustrated by the delays in the report, I also want to know that it is being done properly. A rushed report will not address all the issues, and that would let survivors of abuse down. I will not let that happen.”