20 Child Abuse Investigation Proposals – What’s happened so far?

In October 2022, child protection expert Professor Alexis Jay completed a seven-year investigation into numerous methods of sexual exploitation of children in England and Wales.

He presided over hundreds of days of evidence in which victims described their treatment and those who had a duty to protect them answered for their failures.

His team investigated abuse in churches, schools, patronal institutions, political parties, religious groups and children’s homes.

They found that for decades, children on the streets of British towns and cities have been harmed online, offline, by individuals and pedophile networks in the UK and abroad, including grooming gangs.

His conclusion: the nation was scarred by an “epidemic that left thousands of victims under its poisonous influence”.

Abuses were often covered up by institutions that “prioritized their reputations above the welfare of the people they were obliged to protect”.

There was no court to investigate him. No one would go to jail because of his findings, but he had the power to make recommendations for changes and monitor whether they occurred.

The final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) had 20. The Conservative government was tasked with carrying them out but lost last year’s general election. Now, 27 months after the recommendations were first made, all recommendations are still outstanding. The new Labor government says it is “working at pace” to deliver them.

The biggest reform Professor Jay suggested was that people working in regulated jobs working with children have a duty to report any abuse they witness or are told by the child or the perpetrator. Failure to do so would be a criminal offence.

The Conservative government agreed, but to the dismay of campaigners, it was decided that the sanction would be less severe – a ban on working with children. Criminal offenses will only be committed by those who actively prevented authorities from finding out about the abuse. This policy was scheduled to go to Parliament in 2024, but elections were called before it could be made a law.

The issue has been resurrected by the Labor government with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper Telling the Commons on Monday 6 January It would impose criminal sanctions for both concealment of child sexual abuse and failure to report it. The government says mandatory reporting will be part of the crime and policing bill planned for this spring.

The inquiry recommended a greater effort to produce better data on child abuse, including data covering the age, gender and ethnicity of victims and perpetrators, the locations where abuse occurs, and the factors that make children vulnerable. A main set was prepared.

The Conservatives set up research projects in several government departments to improve data. The then Home Secretary Suella Braverman created the “Grooming Gangs Taskforce”. Police did not like the description of grooming gangs and rebranded it as a child sexual abuse taskforce as it would also fight institutions, families and groups of online abusers.

It provides intelligence and expertise to police forces through various programs, and has begun collecting data continuously. However, statistics on the ethnicity of abusers, a major issue in the grooming gang debate, are difficult to obtain.

Professor Jay’s inquiry found that the police were “not confident” about gathering this information. A suspect’s race can only be determined definitively after he has been arrested, by asking him at a time when he has the right to remain silent.

The latest figures show there is still a long way to go. In 2023, police dealing with organized abuse recorded the ethnicity of 34% of suspects and 47% of victims. Cooper says she is working to “improve the accuracy and robustness of the data and analysis.”

Professor Jai recommended the appointment of a New cabinet minister for childrenA number of junior ministers are responsible for aspects of young people’s lives, and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson attends cabinet, but there is no cabinet minister with the title envisaged by the inquiry.

A major change involves the recommendation of a Child Protection Authority for England and WalesConservatives instead preferred to make existing institutions work better.

The new government wants what has been described as “full negotiations” on a new authority. Many government departments will be involved in setting it up. Lucy Duckworth, of campaign group Act On IICSA, says it should act like a health and safety executive, providing training and support in protecting children.

recommendation for a national public awareness campaign Backlogs remain, although the government is already providing funding for several missions. Professor Jai wanted this to be extended to content on TV and digital channels, but also to use “positive role models” in creative media such as drama.

These include better registration of employees children’s homeas well as Young Offenders Institute and Safe Training CenterHe called for greater use of Vetting and debarred list of approved employees, that government Steps taken to improve compliance with this, and this Extension for those working with children abroadThese measures were “in progress” according to the Conservative government’s update in 2023.

There is a related recommendation Prohibit employees from using pain in institutions Getting children to comply. The previous government made no clear commitment on this and said it could be required in 2023 to prevent serious physical harm to a child or adult.

Ms Duckworth says that while banning the use of painkillers is necessary, it is tantamount to “legalising a form of child abuse”, and points out that some criminals may deliberately seek out jobs where they can hurt children. Can deliver.

The previous government was worried about the implications of this proposal Change Child Act Giving courts power over local councils when children are at risk. This has not happened.

During the seven years of Professor Jay’s investigation, online abuse continued to increase. They recommended platform providers Pre-screen for known child sexual abuse material,

Conservatives pass Online Security Act. Ofcom now requires some internet companies to remove harmful images using databases that contain profiles of known child abuse images.

Act but the law tightens age verification onlineAnother investigation recommendation. Ofcom is to publish new guidelines for pornography sites. The demand for investigation included a wide range of “online services and social media platforms”. In response, Ofcom said it would expect “much greater use of the age-assurance system” in future.

There were a variety of recommendations for courts, police and prosecutors. Professor Jai wanted this to end Three-year limit for victims of abuse to sue for compensationBecause it often takes them longer than they realize to disclose what has happened. The Conservatives began a consultation but it ended shortly before the election.

call for an inquiry single prevention plan For victims of institutional abuse, applying for back pay reflects their experiences. It could cost billions, with central and local governments footing the bill.

change in Criminal Injury Compensation Scheme It was recommended to expand the compensation limit to cover the mental health effects of abuse. Work is in progress.

proposal for a National guarantee of specialist medical care for child victims It will be challenging for the government to respond. The J Inquiry demanded that it be “fully funded”, with councils providing the service. Yet child mental health facilities are under pressure and local authorities are already struggling to deliver social care services.

Another big issue in historical matters has been access to records Related to child abuse conducted by authorities. The task of making this possible has been given to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

An investigation into whether the criminal justice system was Compliance with Victim Code Is being done. However, the investigation was first called for in 2018.

The government has made it a priority to provide counseling to victims and survivors of abuse. It has announced a panel to work with ministers on delivery of the recommendations.

Professor Jay has said he is “disappointed” by the slow progress in completing his reforms. This is partly due to the change of government.

Labor says it is committed to all the recommendations, but will not give any timetable for delivering them.

Just as the investigation found that child abuse touches many areas of life, solutions involve a wide range of government departments and institutions, making the delivery of recommendations a complex task.