Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that survivors of child sexual abuse (a) receive support in a timely manner and (b) are assured that support will be provided.

The Home Office recognises the devastating impacts that child sexual exploitation and abuse can have on victims and survivors and is committed to ensuring that all victims and survivors, including men and boys, receive better care and support.

As set out in the Government’s Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Progress Update in April, we are working across Government to develop ambitious proposals to improve therapeutic support services for victims of child sexual abuse.

This year the Home Office is doubling funding for adult victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, to a total investment of £2.59 million in the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (SVSCSA) fund. This includes funding for support helplines, in-person and remote counselling, group support, and training for professionals working with victims.

We also recognise the importance of ensuring that all staff supporting victims have sufficient guidance on child sexual abuse to deliver effective trauma informed support. The Government is providing funding to the independent Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse to strengthen professional responses to child sexual abuse through evidence-based training and resources.

In line with the Inquiries Act 2005, the Chair of the National Inquiry into Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, once appointed, will play a central role in shaping the inquiry’s Terms of Reference. These will be published in draft and consulted on with stakeholders, including victims and survivors, before being finalised. The Inquiry will have full statutory powers to investigate systemic and institutional failings wherever they are found.