Safeguarding
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
In October 2022, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published 19 reports on 15 investigations covering a wide range of institutions. Here we share resources related to this inquiry.
Read the report on the IICSA website or see our 20 at a glance key recommendations from the report below.
Key RecommendationsAt a glance
Key recommendations from the IICSA report
1. A single core data set
There should be one single set of data covering both England and Wales. Both UK and Welsh Governments should improve data collected by children’s social care and criminal justice agencies about child sexual abuse and exploitation. This data should be consistent and include the characteristics of victims and alleged abusers, such as age, sex and ethnicity.
2. Child Protection Authorities for England and Wales
Both the UK and Welsh governments should create a Child Protection Authority to improve practise in child protection, advise and make recommendations to Government to improve child protection and inspect institutions and settings as it thinks appropriate.
3. A Cabinet Minister for Children
The UK Government should create a cabinet-level ministerial position for children. The Welsh Government should ensure that there is cabinet-level ministerial responsibility for children.
4. Public awareness
Both the UK and Welsh Governments should commission regular campaigns to increase public awareness of child sexual abuse. These should say what to do if child sexual abuse is happening or suspected.
5. Pain compliance
The UK Government should ban the use of any technique that deliberately induces pain and withdraw any policies that allow pain compliance techniques to be used in custodial institutions where children are detained and should prohibit the practice.
6. Children Act 1989
The UK Government should amend the Children Act 1989 so that “Looked After Children” or someone acting for them can apply to the family courts for orders to mandate or limit a Local Authority’s exercise of its parental responsibility.
7. Registration of care staff in children’s homes
The UK Government should introduce a system for registering staff working in care roles in children’s homes, including secure children’s homes.
8. Registration of staff in care roles in young offender institutions and secure training centres.
The UK Government should introduce a system for registering staff in roles responsible for the care of children in young offender institutions and secure training centres.
9. Greater use of the barred list
The UK Government should enable anyone who hires people to work or volunteer with children on a frequent basis to check if they have been barred by the Disclosure and Barring Service from working with children. This should also apply where the role is supervised.
10. Improving compliance with the statutory duty to notify the Disclosure and Barring Service
The UK Government should take steps to improve compliance with the duty to notify the Disclosure and Barring Service.
11. Extending disclosure regime to those working with children overseas
The UK Government should enable the Disclosure and Barring Service to provide enhanced certificates with barred list checks of those not allowed to undertake certain work with children, including on a voluntary basis.
12. Pre-screening
The UK Government should require regulated providers of internet search services and user-to-user services to pre-screen for known child sexual abuse before material is uploaded.
13. Mandatory Reporting
Both UK and Welsh Governments should introduce laws requiring certain people to report child sexual abuse. These people are called ‘mandated reporters’.
14. Compliance with the Victims’ Code
The UK Government should arrange for a joint inspection of compliance with the Victims’ Code in relation to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.
15. Limitation
The UK Government should change the law to remove the time limit for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse to make a legal claim for compensation.
16. Specialist therapeutic support for child victims of sexual abuse
The UK Government and the Welsh Government should guarantee that all child victims of sexual abuse will be offered specialist and accredited therapeutic support.
17. Access to records
The UK Government should direct the Information Commissioner’s Office to introduce a code of practice on keeping and accessing records which relate to child sexual abuse.
18. Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme
The UK Government should make further changes to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
19. Redress Scheme
The UK Government should set up a single redress scheme for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
20. Age Verification
The UK Government should change the law to make sure that internet companies that provide online internet services and social media introduce better ways to check children’s ages.
We think you may be interested in
Resources
We have put together a list of resources related to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse report
The Whyte Review: An Investigation into Allegations of Mistreatment within British Gymnastics
The Whyte Review is an independent investigation by Anne Whyte QC, commissioned by Sport England and UK Sport following allegations of mistreatment of athletes within the sport of gymnastics. The review was released in June 2022 and this blog summarises the main findings and recommendations of the review.
Independent Review into Child Sexual Abuse in Football
A recent Independent review led by Clive Sheldon QC, has identified generations of young footballers who have suffered abuse due to an absence of child protection and safeguarding policies and procedures. All of us at The Safeguarding Company have been saddened by the findings of the 700+ page report, identifying abuse between 1970 to 2005.
Tackling Sexual Abuse and Whistleblowing in Sports
We hosted a panel discussion on the issues of safeguarding in sports, particularly tackling sexual abuse and whistleblowing in the sports sector, highlighting the key issues in identifying abuse and the problems around reporting on it.
