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Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Completed

IICSA

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

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) was a statutory inquiry established to investigate whether public bodies and other non-state institutions in England and Wales have taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse. The Inquiry examined institutional failures across religious organisations, schools, local authorities, the NHS, the internet industry, and other settings.

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 into institutional responses to child sexual abuse in England and Wales. The inquiry made 107 recommendations aimed at improving child protection across multiple sectors including criminal justice, education, religious institutions, and online safety.

The government's response shows 65 recommendations (61%) were accepted, 30 (28%) accepted in principle, and 12 (11%) not accepted. According to the progress updates, 41 recommendations (38%) are marked as completed, though this classification requires scrutiny of the actual evidence of implementation.

Published evidence indicates several concrete changes have occurred. The Online Safety Act 2023 incorporated provisions for age verification and child protection online. The Crime and Policing Bill introduced in February 2025 establishes mandatory reporting duties for child sexual abuse. The police complaints system removed time limits for historical abuse complaints in 2020. Religious institutions, particularly the Church of England and Church in Wales, introduced new safeguarding measures and governance structures.

However, significant gaps remain between acceptance and action. Many recommendations accepted in 2022 show limited published evidence of progress. The creation of a Child Protection Authority for England remains at consultation stage. Professional registration schemes for care workers and youth custody staff continue under review despite being recommended. The government rejected extending Disclosure and Barring Service checks to UK nationals working overseas, stating it could not legislate for employment practices in foreign countries.

The pattern emerging from the evidence suggests institutional willingness to accept recommendations but slower progress on implementation requiring legislative change or significant resource allocation. Where progress has occurred, it has often been in areas requiring policy updates rather than structural reform. The three-year gap since publication has seen movement on some fronts, particularly in online safety and mandatory reporting, but many core recommendations addressing systemic issues await substantive action beyond initial acceptance.
Reforms Attributed to This Inquiry
- The Online Safety Act 2023 introduced 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 (February 2025) introduced clauses establishing a mandatory reporting duty for child sexual abuse disclosures, with criminal offences for interfering with reports
- The Independent Office of Police Conduct published statutory guidance (February 2020) removing the 12-month time limit for child sexual abuse complaints against police
- The Church of England's Safeguarding (Code of Practice) Measure came into force (October 2021), replacing the existing duty to have 'due regard' with a statutory code
- The Cabinet Office updated honours forfeiture guidance (September 2021) allowing 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 Interim Code of Practice on Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation was published (December 2020)
Unfinished Business
- Recommendation for a Child Protection Authority in England remains pending, with consultation on a roadmap planned
- Professional registration of residential childcare staff and youth custody staff remains under review despite recommendations
- Extension of Disclosure and Barring Service scheme to UK nationals working overseas was not accepted, with government citing jurisdictional concerns
- Requirement for Electoral Commission to monitor safeguarding policies of political parties would require legislative change not yet pursued
- Three-year time limit for civil child sexual abuse claims remains in place, though government has committed to its removal
- Compensation scheme time limits for child sexual abuse victims remain unchanged despite recommendation for extension
- Many recommendations accepted in principle await final government responses beyond initial six-month deadline
AI-generated narrative. Generated 26 Mar 2026 using claude-opus-4. Assessment is indicative, not authoritative.
Live tracking hearings, witnesses and documents synced daily from the inquiry website Open live tracker Search evidence
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: 29 Apr 2026 · Source
Data verified: 11 Jun 2026 (Claude)
How to read this

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

Full methodology

76 questions 31 statements since Sep 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 107 mentions →
All Activity (107)
Title Volume Publication Date Tracked 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 (4)

40
Accepted
Publish interim online harms code of practice
Recommendation

The government should publish, without further delay, the interim code of practice in respect of child sexual abuse and exploitation as proposed by the Online Harms White Paper (published April 2019).

Published evidence summary
- On 15 December 2020, the UK government published the Interim Code of Practice on Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (Government Response, Home Office, December 2020).
- In May 2023, the government confirmed that this recommendation had been completed (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
UK Government (Primary)
View Details
71
Not Accepted
Pre-screen material before upload
Recommendation

The government should require industry to pre-screen material before it is uploaded to the internet to prevent access to known indecent images of children.

Published evidence summary
- In November 2020, the UK government stated that it had launched the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse alongside the Tech Coalition (Government Response to IICSA Internet Report, Home Office, November 2020).
- The Online Safety Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023 and requires regulated services to take measures to prevent, detect and remove child sexual abuse material (Online Safety Act 2023, Part 4).
- In May 2023, the government confirmed that this recommendation was being addressed through the Online Safety Act (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
UK Government (Primary)
View Details
105
Accepted
WeProtect international action on CSAM
Recommendation

The government should press the WeProtect Global Alliance to take more action internationally to ensure that those countries hosting indecent images of children implement legislation and procedures to prevent access to such imagery.

Published evidence summary
- In November 2020, the UK government committed to continue working with the WeProtect Global Alliance to combat indecent images of children, including through the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (Government Response, Home Office, November 2020).
- In May 2023, the government stated that it continued to press the WeProtect Global Alliance to take more international action (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
- No published assessment of the outcomes of UK diplomatic engagement with the WeProtect Global Alliance since 2023 has been identified to March 2026.
UK Government (Primary)
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106
Accepted
Online age verification legislation
Recommendation

The government should introduce legislation requiring providers of online services and social media platforms to implement more stringent age verification techniques on all relevant devices.

Published evidence summary
- On 12 May 2021, the government published a draft Online Safety Bill including provisions requiring providers of regulated services to consider age verification techniques (Draft Online Safety Bill, HM Government, May 2021).
- The Online Safety Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023 and requires in-scope companies to assess whether their services are likely to be accessed by children and to deliver safety measures including age verification (Online Safety Act 2023, s.11-12).
- In May 2023, the government stated that this recommendation had been completed through the Online Safety Act (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
UK Government (Primary)
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