Recommendation FR-16: Specialist Therapeutic Support
From The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, published 20 October 2022.
Recommendation
The Inquiry recommends that the UK government and the Welsh Government introduce a national guarantee that child victims of sexual abuse will be offered specialist and accredited therapeutic support. There should be sufficient supply of these services so that children in all parts of England and Wales can access support in a timely way. These services should be fully funded. Responsibility for commissioning these services should be given to local authorities. There must be no eligibility criteria for children to access these specialist therapeutic services other than having been a victim of child sexual abuse.
In brief (written by this site)
In January 2026, Dr Zubir Ahmed, answering for the Department of Health and Social Care, stated that up to £50 million is being invested to roll out the Child House model across all National Health Service regions in England, following an announcement by Wes Streeting in December 2025 (Wes Streeting, Dec 2025; Dr Zubir Ahmed, Jan 2026). HM Government had stated in April 2025 that it was developing proposals to improve therapeutic support across the health, social care, and justice sectors following the Spending Review (Home Office, Apr 2025). In May 2023, it had accepted the recommendation in principle and pledged to consult on possible systemic changes to therapeutic provision (Home Office response, May 2023).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
We accept that victims and survivors must be able to access effective systems for provision of therapeutic support. We will elicit views on the future of therapeutic support, including possible systemic changes to provision, through extensive engagement and consultation as part of our response to recommendation 19 on victim redress.
Delivery
Department of Health and Social Care says in progress (29 January 2026)
Last April, we committed to ambitious proposals in response to recommendation 16 from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. As part of our response to delivering on that promise, we are investing up to £50 million to roll out the internationally recognised Child House model across all National Health Service regions in England. The model brings health, justice, and social care professionals together under one roof to reduce trauma and deliver the care children deserve in a safe, child-centred environment.
UK Government says in progress (9 April 2025)
We know that more must be done. That is why the Government will work on ambitious proposals for improving the therapeutic support offer, with further details to be set out following the upcoming Spending Review. These options will be developed with victims, experts and local areas to make sure they deliver the step- change needed. However, we know that meaningful change will require a shift in how support is delivered to vulnerable groups across the health, social care, justice and VCSE sectors. This means better integrated support, training and partnerships that are focused on the needs of victims, such as the Child House model in North London which brings together child protection, criminal justice, physical and mental health support under one roof.
From: Tackling child sexual abuse: progress update (accessible version)
Earlier statement on delivery (1)
Department of Health and Social Care (17 December 2025)
In April, as part of our response to recommendation 16 of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, we set out ambitious proposals to strengthen therapeutic support for victims. Today, I am pleased to announce a further step in delivering on that promise. The Government will provide up to £50 million in new funding to expand the Child House (Barnahus) model to every NHS region in England. This internationally recognised model—rightly viewed as the gold standard for supporting children who have experienced sexual abuse—will ensure that wherever a child lives, they can access the specialist, trauma-informed care they need to begin recovering and rebuilding their lives.
From: Written statement HCWS1203, "NHS specialist support for abuse victims", 17 December 2025, Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The tracker describes this as a long-term recommendation: systemic or cultural, with no single completion point.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response, delivery statement - Department of Health and Social Care
Delivery statement