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Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Completed

IICSA

Chair Professor Alexis Jay Academic / Researcher
Established 12 Mar 2015
Final Report 20 Oct 2022
Commissioned by Home Office

Wide-ranging inquiry into institutional failures to protect children from sexual abuse in England and Wales.

Evidence & Impact
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, chaired by Professor Alexis Jay OBE, published its final report in October 2022 after seven years of investigation. The inquiry examined institutional responses to child sexual abuse across multiple sectors including religious institutions, residential schools, the internet, and custodial settings. It made 107 recommendations aimed at improving child protection systems across England and Wales.

The government's response shows 65 recommendations (61%) were accepted, 30 (28%) accepted in principle, and 12 (11%) not accepted. According to tracking data from May 2023, 41 recommendations (38%) were marked as completed, though the evidence base for determining completion status is not detailed in the available records.

Published evidence of progress includes several legislative and policy changes. The Online Safety Act 2023 incorporates child protection measures recommended by the inquiry. The Crime and Policing Bill introduced in February 2025 establishes mandatory reporting duties for child sexual abuse. The Church of England implemented new safeguarding measures through statutory instruments in 2021.

However, significant recommendations show limited evidence of progress. The recommendation for a Cabinet Minister for Children remains pending. Multiple recommendations on data collection and monitoring (8-10, 56-59, 61-62) were listed as pending in the May 2023 government response. The government declined to extend the Disclosure and Barring Service scheme internationally, stating it could not legislate for employment practices in foreign countries.

The available evidence suggests a mixed picture: while some recommendations have resulted in legislative change, others remain at the planning or consideration stage three years after publication. The government committed to various future actions in 2025-26, including establishing a Child Protection Authority and improving therapeutic support for survivors, though these remain prospective rather than completed reforms.
Reforms Attributed to This Inquiry
- The Online Safety Act 2023 includes provisions requiring providers of regulated services to conduct assessments of whether children are likely to access their service, with age verification provisions to be enforced from July 2025
- The Crime and Policing Bill (introduced February 2025) establishes a mandatory reporting duty for child sexual abuse disclosures, with criminal sanctions for interference with reporting
- The Independent Office of Police Conduct published statutory guidance (February 2020) removing the 12-month time limit for complaints relating to child sexual abuse
- The Church of England's Safeguarding (Code of Practice) Measure came into force (October 2021), replacing the previous 'due regard' standard with statutory obligations
- The Cabinet Office updated honours forfeiture guidance (September 2021) to allow formal statements where forfeiture proceedings would have been initiated for deceased recipients
- The UK ratified the Lanzarote Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (June 2018)
- The Government published the Interim Code of Practice on Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (December 2020)
Unfinished Business
- Recommendation 1 on establishing a Cabinet Minister for Children remains pending according to May 2023 government response
- Recommendations 8-10 on data collection and monitoring remain pending as of May 2023
- Recommendations 56-59 and 61-62 on various safeguarding measures show pending status in May 2023 government response
- Recommendation 97 remains pending according to May 2023 update
- Professional registration for residential childcare staff (recommendation 24) was not accepted, with government stating it would keep under review
- Professional registration for youth justice staff (recommendation 27) accepted in principle but still under consideration as of May 2022
- Extension of DBS scheme to overseas employers (recommendations 34-35) not accepted, with government citing jurisdictional limitations
Generated 18 Mar 2026 using claude-opus-4. Assessment is indicative, not authoritative.
7 years, 7 months Duration
£190m Total Cost
725 Witnesses
325 Hearing Days
195,034 Documents
Inquiry Website Terms of Reference
Government Response
Accepted 63
Accepted in Part 33
Not Accepted 11
Total Recommendations 107
Data last updated: 31 Jan 2026 · Source
Data verified: 11 Mar 2026 (Claude)
How to read this

Government Response tracks what the government said it would do (accepted, rejected, etc.).

Full methodology

76 questions 20 statements since Oct 2016
Written Question Church of England: Children
Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat)
20 Feb 2026
Written Ministerial Statement The Sentencing of Vincent Chan
Bridget Phillipson (Labour)
12 Feb 2026
Written Ministerial Statement The Sentencing of Vincent Chan
Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour)
12 Feb 2026
Written Question Youth Custody: Restraint Techniques
Sarah Pochin (Reform UK)
13 Jan 2026
Written Question Offences against Children: Compensation
Sarah Pochin (Reform UK)
13 Jan 2026
View all 96 mentions →
All Activity (96)
Title Volume Publication Date Recs Links
Accountability and Reparations Investigation Report Accountability and Reparations 19 Sep 2019 7
The Anglican Church Investigation Report Anglican Church 06 Oct 2020 8
The Anglican Church Case Studies Investigation Report Anglican Church Case Studies 21 May 2019 5
Child Migration Programmes Investigation Report Child Migration Programmes 01 Mar 2018 3
Children Outside the United Kingdom Phase 2 Investigation Report Children Outside UK 30 Jan 2020 5
Child Sexual Exploitation by Organised Networks Investigation Report CSE Networks 01 Feb 2022 6
Sexual Abuse of Children in Custodial Institutions: 2009-2017 Investigation Report Custodial Institutions 26 Feb 2019 7
The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Final Report 20 Oct 2022 20
Interim Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse Interim Report 25 Apr 2018 15
The Internet Investigation Report Internet 31 Mar 2020 4
Children in the Care of Lambeth Council Investigation Report Lambeth Council 27 Jul 2021 4
Children in the Care of the Nottinghamshire Councils Investigation Report Nottinghamshire Councils 30 Jul 2019 2
Child Protection in Religious Organisations and Settings Investigation Report Religious Organisations 02 Sep 2021 2
The Residential Schools Investigation Report Residential Schools 10 Mar 2022 7
The Roman Catholic Church Investigation Report Roman Catholic Church 10 Nov 2020 7
Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse Linked to Westminster Investigation Report Westminster 25 Feb 2020 5
07 Jul 2014
Inquiry Announced

Home Secretary announced inquiry into institutional child sexual abuse.

Source
16 Jan 2015
Terms of Reference Set

Broad terms examining institutional failures to protect children.

12 Aug 2016
Chair Appointed

Professor Alexis Jay appointed as fourth and final Chair.

07 Mar 2017
Public Hearings Begin

First public hearings commenced.

06 Aug 2018
First Reports Published

Investigation reports into various institutions began publication.

20 Oct 2022
Final Report Published

Final report published with 20 principal recommendations.

Source
22 May 2023
Government Response

Government published response to recommendations.

Source
Total Inquiry Cost (Cumulative) £189,963,980
to Mar 2023 IICSA Total Expenditure 2015-2023
Cost Breakdown (to Mar 2023)
Inquiry Legal Costs £52,079,728 Panel remuneration & Counsel to the Inquiry
Core Participant Legal Costs - Legal funding for core participants
Panel £4,808,410
Staff £85,624,282
Accommodation £10,234,048
Technology £8,191,929
Safeguarding £1,085,618
Other £27,185,751
Cumulative total over 8 years. The inquiry ran from 2015 to October 2022, with final report published 20 October 2022. Core participant legal costs were funded but not separately reported in IICSA financial statements.
Cost History
Period Total Inquiry Legal CP Legal Source
Mar 2023 £6,971,878 £773,728 -
Mar 2023 (cum.) £189,963,980 £52,079,728 -
Mar 2022 £14,191,559 £2,606,000 -
Mar 2021 £32,693,623 £8,393,000 -
Mar 2020 £35,321,985 £11,018,000 -
Mar 2019 £36,673,118 £10,871,000 -
Mar 2018 £28,550,591 £8,820,000 -
Mar 2017 £20,836,063 £5,628,000 -
Mar 2016 £14,725,163 £3,970,000 -
Clear

Recommendations (7)

15
Accepted
Research high child remand population
Recommendation
The Inquiry was told that children should only be placed in custody as a last resort. However, it was concerned to hear evidence that some children are remanded in custody because of a lack of appropriate community provision. Given that … Read more
Published evidence summary
The Ministry of Justice published its Review of Custodial Remand for Children on 26 January 2022, directly addressing the recommendation for research into the high child remand population (Official government response, 22 May 2023). The review's findings challenged the narrative that remand is overused, highlighted factors impacting the increase in children on remand, and noted ongoing issues with short remand episodes and ethnic disproportionality. No further published evidence has been identified since January 2022.
Youth Custody Service (Primary)
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16
Accepted
Review mixed justice/welfare placement risk
Recommendation
The Chair and Panel recommend that the Department for Education and the Youth Custody Service conduct a full review of the practice of placing children for justice and welfare reasons together in secure children's homes to establish whether it increases … Read more
Published evidence summary
The Department for Education published its review of placement practices in secure children's homes on 7 May 2021, fulfilling the recommendation to assess the risk of sexual abuse from placing children for justice and welfare reasons together (Official government response, 22 May 2023). The review concluded that this practice does not create or exacerbate systemic risk of child sexual abuse, and consequently, the Department for Education did not propose exploring alternative models. No further published evidence has been identified since May 2021.
Department for Education (Primary)
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17
Not Accepted
Prohibit pain compliance techniques
Recommendation
The Chair and Panel consider that the use of pain compliance techniques should be seen as a form of child abuse, and that it is likely to contribute to a culture of violence, which may increase the risk of child … Read more
Published evidence summary
The Ministry of Justice did not accept this recommendation. A review by Charlie Taylor, published on 18 June 2020, recommended amending the Minimising and Managing Physical Restraint (MMPR) programme to remove pain-inducing techniques from its syllabus, but permitted their use to prevent serious physical harm (Official government response, 4 May 2022). No further published evidence has been identified since May 2022.
Ministry of Justice (Primary)
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18
Not Accepted
Joint MoJ/DfE policy for children in custody
Recommendation
The Chair and Panel recommend that the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Education share policy responsibility for managing and safeguarding children in custodial institutions. This is to ensure that standards applied in relation to children in custody are … Read more
Published evidence summary
The Ministry of Justice did not accept this recommendation. The Ministry of Justice stated on 23 July 2019 that it maintains joint working relationships with the Department for Education on secure children's homes, safeguarding, and establishing secure schools, with an aim to replace young offender institutions and secure training centres (Official government response, 4 May 2022). No further published evidence has been identified since May 2022.
Ministry of Justice (Primary)
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26
Accepted
Youth Custody Service safeguarding training
Recommendation
The Chair and Panel recommend that the Youth Custody Service takes steps to ensure that its training provides staff with an appropriate understanding of safeguarding in the context of the secure estate, and that this is regularly reviewed and updated. Read more
Published evidence summary
The Ministry of Justice stated on 23 July 2019 that the Youth Custody Service (YCS) would review mandatory training for frontline staff (Official government response, 4 May 2022). The YCS published its national safeguarding review on 4 October 2019, which recommended that YCS sites, in conjunction with local authority designated officers, develop specific and localised training. No further published evidence has been identified since May 2022.
Youth Custody Service (Primary)
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27
Accepted in Part
Professional registration for custodial care staff
Recommendation
As the Inquiry set out in its Interim Report, professional registration of the workforce in settings responsible for the care of vulnerable children complements regulation of institutions by a separate, independent regulator. The government has agreed in principle that professional … Read more
Published evidence summary
The Ministry of Justice stated on 5 November 2021 that it had reviewed evidence from a targeted consultation on professional registration, and on 4 May 2022, it was considering this review (Official government response, 4 May 2022). A government progress update from April 2025 indicated that the government would undertake a programme of work to improve safeguarding and build workforce capability in the youth justice estate, including reviewing recruitment, training, and qualifications for staff.
Ministry of Justice (Primary)
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28
Accepted
Revise Prison Service safeguarding guidance
Recommendation
The Chair and Panel note that Prison Service Instruction 08/2012, which sets out the mandatory actions for young offender institutions and secure training centres for 'maintaining a safe and secure environment', has expired. The Chair and Panel recommend that the … Read more
Published evidence summary
The Ministry of Justice stated on 23 July 2019 that work had begun to revise or replace Prison Service Instructions (PSIs) with 'policy frameworks' (Official government response, 4 May 2022). The Youth Custody Service published a policy framework that replaced some aspects of PSI 08/2012 relating to behaviour management of children. As of 4 May 2022, early work had started on producing the Care and Management of Young People framework, which is intended to replace PSI 08/2012. No further published evidence has been identified since May 2022.
Ministry of Justice (Primary)
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