Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of measures to prevent child sexual exploitation; and what steps she is taking to improve support for (a) victims and (b) survivors of child sexual exploitation.

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, receive better care and support.

The Government is committed to intervening as early as possible to prevent vulnerable children and young people from experiencing child sexual abuse and exploitation.

This includes through equipping frontline professionals and safeguarding partners with the right tools and training to identify and respond effectively to child sexual abuse, and through raising awareness via communications and engagement with parents/carers and the wider public.

Through the provision of targeted support, and collaboration across the public, private and third sectors, we are also working to protect those who may be at increased risk from offenders who seek to exploit their vulnerabilities.

Prevention and education are absolutely fundamental to our approach, and we will tackle the root causes of these crimes, including supporting our education system to teach children about respectful and healthy relationships and consent.

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.