Reports & recommendations
107 recommendations from 16 reports, each with the government response on the record. Filter by government response, report, nation or delivery status.
Reports (16)
Recommendations (6)
Collect disaggregated CSE data
Police forces and local authorities in England and Wales must collect data on all cases of known or suspected child sexual exploitation and child sexual exploitation by networks. These data should be separated from other data sets, including data on child sexual abuse, and be disaggregated by the sex, ethnicity and disability of both the victim and perpetrator. This disaggregated data should be used by police forces to inform problem profiling and activities to disrupt and investigate offenders. Local authorities should take account of the disaggregated data when commissioning services for children. The UK government and the Welsh Government should take steps to ensure that these data are being collected and disaggregated in a consistent and accurate way by police forces and local authorities.
The Inquiry asked the government to ensure authorities collect disaggregated child sexual exploitation data. In July 2022, HM Government stated that it was working with police to improve the collection, analysis, and use of child sexual exploitation data (Home Office response, Jul 2022; Home Office, Jul 2022). It highlighted funding for regional analysts and noted a mandatory requirement for police forces to record the ethnicity of suspected grooming gang arrestees (Home Office response, Jul 2022). The response did not mention local authorities or disaggregation by sex and disability, and noted that the first ethnicity data publications were expected in late 2023 (Home Office response, Jul 2022). The record holds nothing dated later than the response of July 2022 (Home Office response, Jul 2022).
Mandatory aggravating factor for CSE offences
The government should amend the Sentencing Act 2020 to provide a mandatory aggravating factor in sentencing in the case of the commission of an offence under Part 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 relating to a child, where (1) the child was exploited, (2) 'exploitation' means the child was controlled, coerced, manipulated or deceived into sexual activity and (3) two or more persons were concerned in the exploitation.
The Home Office and the Ministry of Justice stated in May 2026 that the Crime and Policing Act 2026 includes provisions to "legislate to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences" (Home Office and Ministry of Justice, May 2026). HM Government had previously stated in July 2022 that the factors set out in the recommendation were already adequately covered by existing criminal law and sentencing guidelines (Home Office response, Jul 2022; Home Office, Jul 2022).
Publish enhanced Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit
As referenced in its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy, the government should publish an enhanced version of its Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit as soon as possible. This Toolkit must: specify that the core element of the definition of child sexual exploitation is that a child was controlled, coerced, manipulated or deceived into sexual activity; include specific guidance on building effective problem profiles for child sexual exploitation and child sexual exploitation by networks, as differentiated from other forms of exploitation; specifically state the sources and types of data that agencies should use to build problem profiles; and indicate the minimum frequency at which problem profiles should be updated.
In July 2022, HM Government stated that it had accepted and delivered on the recommendation, having published an enhanced Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit on 19 July 2022 (Home Office response, Jul 2022; Home Office, Jul 2022). It explained that the updated toolkit highlights key signs of child sexual exploitation such as coercion and deception, and provides guidance to support local services in building effective problem profiles (Home Office response, Jul 2022). The record holds no update since the government's response of July 2022 (Home Office response, Jul 2022; Home Office, Jul 2022).
Ban CSE-risk children from semi-independent placements
The Department for Education should ban the placement in semi-independent and independent settings of children aged 16 and 17 who have experienced, or are at heightened risk of experiencing, sexual exploitation. This should be implemented without delay.
In July 2022, HM Government did not accept the recommendation, stating that it did "not believe that a blanket ban would aid local authorities in making these decisions" (Home Office response, Jul 2022; Home Office, Jul 2022). It stated that local authorities are best placed to decide on placements in a child's best interests, noting they have statutory duties to assemble placements that manage individual risks while Ofsted holds them to account (Home Office response, Jul 2022). The record holds no update since the government's response of July 2022 (Home Office response, Jul 2022; Home Office, Jul 2022).
Update CSE guidance with network information
The Department for Education should review and publish an updated version of its guidance on child sexual exploitation. The update should specify that the core element of the definition of child sexual exploitation is that a child was controlled, coerced, manipulated or deceived into sexual activity. It should also include detailed information on: the role of the internet in the perpetration of child sexual exploitation; and how to identify and respond to child sexual exploitation perpetrated by networks of offenders. The Welsh Government should also update its guidance on child sexual exploitation to provide detailed information on how to identify and respond to child sexual exploitation perpetrated by networks of offenders.
In July 2022, HM Government stated on behalf of the Department for Education that it accepted the recommendation in principle, explaining that it did "not propose making changes immediately" before considering findings from broader child protection reviews (Home Office response, Jul 2022; Home Office, Jul 2022). It added in July 2022 that any future revision to guidance would address the inquiry's proposals on network offending and the role of the internet alongside those wider findings (Home Office response, Jul 2022). The record holds no update since the department's response of July 2022 (Home Office response, Jul 2022; Home Office, Jul 2022).
Distinguish CSE risk from actual exploitation
The Department for Education and the Welsh Government must ensure that their updated national guidance makes clear that signs that a child is being sexually exploited must never be treated as indications that a child is only 'at risk' of experiencing this harm. In line with this, local authorities in England and Wales should ensure that their assessment of risk and harm enables them to accurately distinguish between: children who are at risk of experiencing sexual exploitation; children who are experiencing or have already experienced sexual exploitation; and children who have experienced sexual exploitation and are at risk of experiencing further abuse.
The Inquiry recommended updating national guidance to distinguish sexual exploitation risk from actual abuse. In July 2022, HM Government stated that it proposed accepting the recommendation in principle (Home Office response, Jul 2022; Home Office, Jul 2022). It noted that changes would not occur immediately because it needed to consider recommendations emerging from the Independent Review of Children's Social Care and other national reviews (Home Office response, Jul 2022; Home Office, Jul 2022). The government added that future guidance updates would incorporate findings from inspections by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and other inspectorates, while considering clarity on risk assessment language (Home Office response, Jul 2022). The record holds nothing dated later than the response of July 2022 (Home Office response, Jul 2022).