Walsall Safeguarding Partnership (WSP) will not be publishing its review into the largest child sex abuse case investigated by West Midlands Police in order to protect the identity of the victims.
Twenty-one people have been convicted for their part in the abuse of seven children, who were 12 years old or younger, in Walsall and Wolverhampton over nearly a decade ago.
WSP, which is responsible for safeguarding vulnerable children and adults in the area, carried out a serious case review but says it will not be published.
Sally Hodges, independent chair of WSP, said: ‘Whilst we appreciate this matter maybe of public interest the partnership’s overriding concern is for the children and young people that were involved in these horrific events. Our priority is to continue to provide them with the support, care and stability that they require.’
Ms Hodges added that while the WSP were not publishing the review, the lessons have been included in a new Child Sexual Abuse Strategy.
She said: ‘Although we will not be publishing the review in order to protect the identities of these children and young people it did lead directly to the development of a new Child Sexual Abuse Strategy for Walsall 2020 – 2023 which is a public document.
‘We are in the process of reviewing this strategy during 2023 and any learning from the recent court cases will be part of this review.’
