article: Professor Alexis Jay's report detailed how girls as young as 11 were raped, trafficked, abducted, beaten, and intimidated, predominantly by men of Pakistani-heritage. It said there had been "blatant" collective failures by the council's leadership, a failure by South Yorkshire Police to prioritise the issue and said senior managers had "underplayed" the scale of the problem. The report prompted a raft of resignations and further inquiries, one of which led to the council being taken over by government-appointed commissioners. But, 12 months on, BBC News asked those most closely involved what has changed in Rotherham? Jessica, not her real name, said she was first abused when she aged just 12. Since the report was published, she believes there has been "real change" in the way the authorities deal with victims of child sexual exploitation (CSE). "We're now being listened to, there's more support in place and survivors and their families are now on board and helping agencies shape services," she said. "We're telling them what we need and what's going to help us move forward." However, she said more needed to be done and called for "mandatory education" for children on the dangers of grooming and increased funding for police forces. "I know a lot of people find it difficult to trust the authorities but I do think things are really changing now," she continued. "I think the way people look at abuse is changing and I think the authorities recognise that it's not the victim's fault, it's not the parents' fault and that the perpetrators are the ones to blame." In a video message posted on Rotherham Council's website, council leader Chris Read said: "We've begun to make the changes that we need and we are making progress. We've been listening and we are acting. "Our child sexual exploitation team has been rebuilt and we're working more closely than ever with our partners to deliver the services that people need and deserve. "We are rebuilding our council so it can't fail so badly ever again." Ian Thomas was appointed director of children's services at the council in January, following the resignation of Joyce Thacker. "When you look at where we've come in the last few months it's been a long way, especially when you look at the amount of services in place now for victims and survivors," he said. "We're supporting around 300 victims and survivors of CSE through investing over half a million pounds. "But, let me be very, very clear - we still have a long way to go." Dr Alan Billings was elected as South Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in October 2014 following the resignation of Shaun Wright. Since then he has set up a "Victims, Survivors and Families panel" to allow those affected by CSE in Rotherham to discuss their experiences with officers. In June, he also appointed Prof John Drew to lead an independent review of South Yorkshire Police's handling of CSE reports. "I think very few of us understood the nature of grooming, the police ought to have done, but I don't think
summary: It has been a year since a report found at least 1,400 children were subjected to appalling sexual abuse in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.