£3.1 million to help victims of child sexual exploitation in Rotherham

The package was pulled together by Rotherham Borough Council, the KPMG Foundation, Department for Education, Communities and Local Government Department and children's charity Barnardo’s.

Barnardo’s will have 15 workers running a service in the town for the next three years which aims to will help children who have been sexually exploited to rebuild their lives and support them through the criminal justice system.

New staff are expected to start work in the autumn.

The specialist team will also look out for young people who are victims or at risk of being exploited, and its community expertise is aimed at helping the council and police prevent future crimes.

Barnardo's Chief Executive Javed Khan, said: “Barnardo’s has supported sexually exploited children across the UK to rebuild their shattered lives for more than 20 years.

“We bring all of our combined expertise and experience to deliver this specialist service in Rotherham, to help prevent this abuse from inflicting devastating damage on more young lives.

“We must all become alert to spotting the signs that sexual exploitation may be taking place as a matter of urgency.

“It is everyone’s responsibility to protect those girls and boys who are most vulnerable from ruthless predators.”