Recommendation 27: Professional registration for custodial care staff
From Sexual Abuse of Children in Custodial Institutions: 2009-2017 Investigation Report, published 28 February 2019.
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 regulation of staff in children's homes in England could provide an effective additional means of protecting children. It has indicated that it will be conducting an evidence-gathering exercise to inform further action. The Chair and Panel now recommend that the Ministry of Justice introduces arrangements for the professional registration of staff in roles responsible for the care of children in YOIs and STCs. The Interim Report recommendation already applies to staff working with children in SCHs.
In brief (written by this site)
The recommendation asks the Ministry of Justice to introduce professional registration for custodial care staff. In an update archived in October 2022, The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse reported that the department stated in May 2022 that it was considering the review (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Oct 2022). The department had stated in November 2021 that it had concluded its review of evidence gathered through targeted stakeholder consultation across youth justice, and committed to notify the Inquiry of the outcome as soon as possible (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Oct 2022).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 19 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
No government response to this recommendation is on the record yet.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Ministry of Justice has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 October 2026). This is separate from the response above.
The tracker describes this as a long-term recommendation: systemic or cultural, with no single completion point.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (20 October 2022)
On 23 July 2019, the Ministry of Justice stated that it will conduct an evidence gathering exercise involving consultation with the sector and an analysis of successful models in other jurisdictions. It noted that the Ministry of Justice will work closely with the Department for Education to gather this evidence and explore options for establishing a new register. On 14 May 2021, the Ministry of Justice stated that it has undertaken a targeted consultation with key stakeholders from across youth justice to look at the potential benefits and impacts of professional registration and it is currently in the process of reviewing the evidence. The Ministry of Justice committed to providing the Inquiry with further updates in due course. On 5 November 2021, the Ministry of Justice stated that it has now concluded its review of the evidence collected through targeted consultation with stakeholders to look at the Inquiry's proposal of professional registration. The Ministry of Justice is considering this issue and will notify the Inquiry of the outcome of this process as soon as possible. On 4 May 2022, the Ministry of Justice stated that it is considering the review.
From: Recommendations - Children in Custodial Institutions: 2009-2017 investigation report
Site note: These are the Inquiry's own words, from its recommendations page for the Sexual Abuse of Children in Custodial Institutions investigation report, captured by the Internet Archive on 20 October 2022. They are the Inquiry's account of what the body told it, not the body's own words.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Finding