THE lives of the victims in the Bullfinch case will almost certainly never be the same again.

And the news that more than 150 young people have been referred to a specialist exploitation unit set up in the wake of the child sex ring will no doubt come as a shock.

Some may see it as an alarming sign that we’re seeing a rise in the abuse of children, while others may believe it’s because of an increase in awareness.

The Kingfisher Team, made up of police officers, social and health workers, seems to have had some notable successes in its first full year. It has so far seen six cases progress to court sentences, catching abusers who may have previously not come to the attention of the authorities. Children referred to the unit will often be at their most vulnerable and may not even realise they’re being abused.

So the work done by the 20-strong team is both vital and challenging and it’s great that there is now a multi-agency unit to share information.

There’s still a long way to go to ensure we don’t see a repeat of the Bullfinch case. However, the authorities seem to have stepped up to the challenge and are seeing real results with the Kingfisher Team.

It can, of course, only deal with the cases it’s aware of, but with increased awareness it’s hoped more children can be protected from abuse and those responsible are brought to justice.