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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)

58
Accepted in Part
Residential schools inspection and guardians registration
Recommendation
The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should: require all residential special schools to be inspected against the quality standards used to regulate children's homes in England and care homes in Wales; reintroduce a duty on boarding schools and … Read more
Published evidence summary
- In May 2023, the UK government stated that it would strengthen National Minimum Standards (NMS) for residential special schools rather than requiring them to be inspected against children's home quality standards (Government Response to the IICSA Final Report, May 2023, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse-iicsa-final-report). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2023.
Department for Education (Primary)
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59
Accepted in Part
National LADO standards
Recommendation
The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should: introduce a set of national standards for local authority designated officers in England and in Wales to promote consistency; and clarify in statutory guidance that the local authority designated officer can … Read more
Published evidence summary
- In May 2023, the UK government stated it was considering revised content on the role of local authority designated officers (LADOs) within a review of the statutory guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' (Government Response to the IICSA Final Report, May 2023, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse-iicsa-final-report). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2023.
Department for Education (Primary)
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60
Accepted in Part
Independent school governance standards
Recommendation
The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should: amend the Independent School Standards to include the requirements that there is an effective system of governance, based on three principles of openness to external scrutiny, transparency and honesty within the … Read more
Published evidence summary
- In May 2023, the UK government stated it intended to consult on revised Independent School Standards in 2023 and was updating 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' to stipulate that proprietors cannot be designated safeguarding leads (Government Response to the IICSA Final Report, May 2023, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse-iicsa-final-report). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2023.
Department for Education (Primary)
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61
Accepted in Part
Nationally accredited safeguarding training in schools
Recommendation
The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should: set nationally accredited standards and levels of safeguarding training in schools; make the highest level of safeguarding training mandatory for headteachers, designated safeguarding leads in England or designated safeguarding persons in … Read more
Published evidence summary
- In May 2023, the UK government stated it would consider setting nationally accredited standards for safeguarding training and noted that 'Keeping Children Safe in Education' already provided a framework for training (Government Response to the IICSA Final Report, May 2023, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse-iicsa-final-report). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2023.
Department for Education (Primary)
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62
Accepted in Part
Schools notify inspectorate of DBS referrals
Recommendation
The Department for Education and the Welsh Government should: require schools to inform the relevant inspectorate when they have referred a member of staff to the Disclosure and Barring Service, the Teaching Regulation Agency or the Education Workforce Council; and … Read more
Published evidence summary
- In May 2023, the UK government stated it would consider a requirement for local authority designated officers to share information on referrals from schools with the relevant inspectorate (Government Response to the IICSA Final Report, May 2023, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse-iicsa-final-report). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2023.
Department for Education (Primary)
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63
Accepted in Part
Extend TRA jurisdiction to teaching assistants
Recommendation
The Department for Education should amend the Teachers' Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012 to bring all teaching assistants, learning support staff and cover supervisors within the misconduct jurisdiction of the Teaching Regulation Agency. The Department for Education and the Welsh Government … Read more
Published evidence summary
- In May 2023, the UK government stated that the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) already has the jurisdiction to consider misconduct for any individual undertaking 'teaching work', which can include teaching assistants and learning support staff (Government Response to the IICSA Final Report, May 2023, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse-iicsa-final-report).
Department for Education (Primary)
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64
Accepted
Welsh independent school standards update
Recommendation
The Welsh Government should: update the Independent School Standards as a matter of urgency; update the national minimum standards for boarding schools as a matter of urgency; legislate so that all residential special schools are judged against the quality standards … Read more
Published evidence summary
- The Welsh Government stated in June 2022 that it would amend independent school regulations and use powers to regulate care in residential special schools, with a target date of December 2023 (Government Response to the IICSA Final Report, May 2023, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-the-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse-iicsa-final-report). - No further published evidence has been identified since 2023.
Welsh Government (Primary)
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