Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Crime and Police Bill 2024-26, what assessment his Department has made of adequacy of training for reporting child sexual abuse for (a) healthcare professionals and (b) people who volunteer to deliver healthcare services for children.

The Government is committed to tackling the appalling crime of child sexual abuse. Every registered health professional working across the National Health Service has a professional duty of care to protect children from abuse, harm, or violence. This will be strengthened through the introduction of mandatory reporting, as part of the Crime and Police Bill 2024-26, which introduces a legal duty for those who work with children, including volunteers, to report child sexual abuse to the police or social services.

The Government will set out clear guidance on the operation of the duty, and we will work with regulators and professional standards-setting bodies to ensure that the new duty is clearly communicated ahead of implementation.

All healthcare staff and volunteers working with NHS providers complete mandatory safeguarding training. This training is being strengthened for launch in December 2026. This will reinforce to staff their safeguarding responsibilities and support them in identifying and supporting victims of abuse.

The Department and NHS England are developing standalone training on addressing child sexual abuse and exploitation for launch in 2026 to further support healthcare staff to identify victims and survivors and respond in a supportive and trauma-informed manner.