The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published its latest report: institutional responses to the sexual exploitation of children by organised networks.
The report concludes that the exploitation of children by organised groups is an issue across the country, and it is very important that comprehensive support is provided to children deemed ‘at risk’ of CSE, as well as those known to be victims. Those in residential care and children with a disability were highlighted as two particularly vulnerable groups.
Six recommendations are made to both the UK and Welsh governments, police forces and local authorities.
1. The government should strengthen the response of the criminal justice system by amending the Sentencing Act 2020 to provide a mandatory aggravating factor in sentencing those convicted of offences relating to the sexual exploitation of children.
2. The government should publish an enhanced version of its Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit containing more specific guidance in certain areas such as defining child sexual exploitation and building effective problem profiles, as soon as possible.
3. The DfE should review and publish an updated version of its guidance on child sexual exploitation, clarifying the definition of CSE and providing detailed information covering areas such as the role of the internet in CSE and how to identify and respond to CSE.
4. The DfE and the Welsh Government must ensure that updated national guidance makes it clear that signs that a child is being sexually exploited must never be treated as indications that a child is only at risk of experiencing this harm.
5. Police forces and local authorities in England and Wales must collect specific data using accurate and consistent methods, disaggregated by sex, ethnicity and disability, on all cases of known or suspected child sexual exploitation. Data should be separated from other data sets, including data on child sexual abuse.
6. The DfE should ban the placement of 16 and 17-year-old children who have experienced, or are at heightened risk of experiencing, sexual exploitation in semi-independent and independent settings. This should be implemented without delay.
