FOSTER parents in Bradford are being given training on how to spot the warning signs of child sexual exploitation as part of the city’s work to guard against the threat.

Councillors have been told work was being done as part of a wider package of measures.

The intention is that they will keep channels open to ensure that any signs of problems are dealt with immediately.

Speaking on foster carers, chairman of Bradford Council’s Corporate Parenting Panel, Cllr Carol Thirkill, said the new measures were important: “We might get someone out in foster care who doesn’t know what to look for. It worries me someone may miss the signs.”

Cllr Arshad Hussain expressed concern that work against exploitation done by council staff with community leaders was not always getting back into the communities they represented.

“I feel they are not reaching back to the right sort of people,” he said.

The council’s assistant director for children’s services, Julie Jenkins, said it was an important challenge and the information would be fed back.