Public Inquiry Recommendations

SP1 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Single agency for high-risk children

Phase 2 should consider what single agency or structure should be appointed or established to record, monitor and co-ordinate interventions for children and young people who present a high risk …

- The government stated the Chair identified this recommendation for further consideration by the Inquiry in Phase 2, and that the government agrees with all …

SP2 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Shared multi-agency risk-assessment tool

Phase 2 should consider the development of a shared multi‑agency risk‑assessment tool that is clear, accessible and suitable for use across public sector services.

- The government stated the Chair identified this recommendation for further consideration by the Inquiry in Phase 2, and that the government agrees with all …

SP3 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Internet access restrictions for high-risk children

Phase 2 should consider whether there should be a further ability to restrict or monitor access to the internet on the part of children and young people, if a significant …

- The government stated the Chair identified this recommendation for further consideration by the Inquiry in Phase 2, and that the government agrees with all …

SP4 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Taxi driver duty to report criminal activity

The Department for Transport should require local authorities to ensure that all licensed taxi drivers have a clear duty promptly to report any significant criminal activity they witness while working. …

- The Department for Transport stated on 27 November 2025 that it proposed national minimum standards for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing across England, …

SP5 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Taxi company and school safeguarding arrangements

The Department for Transport should ensure that local authorities establish effective arrangements between licensed taxi companies and schools. These should enable school safeguarding teams to access taxi booking information where …

- The Department for Transport opened a consultation running from 8 January 2026 to 1 April 2026 on the licensing of taxis and private hire …

SP6 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Police use of unarmed officers in immediate threat

All police forces should ensure that their policies, guidance and training address taking on a calculated degree of risk in recognition of the immediate need to protect the public from …

- The government stated this recommendation requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, that it has written to all national, regional and local organisations …

SP7 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Second Force Incident Manager support

All police forces that have not implemented a model providing immediate and direct support to Force Incident Managers, ideally through a second Force Incident Manager, should consider adopting such arrangements …

- The government stated this recommendation requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, that it has written to all national, regional and local organisations …

SP8 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Ambulance staff training exercise funding

NHS England should review funding, and consider providing additional resources, to enable all emergency response ambulance staff to participate in appropriate training exercises.

- NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care stated in the response that they are the lead organisations working with the Emergency …

SP9 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

NWAS Major Incident declaration procedures

North West Ambulance Service should review its procedures for declaring a Major Incident or Major Incident (Standby) to ensure clarity in how declarations are made and how they are communicated …

- NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care stated that, in the spirit of recommendations 9 and 10, there is an opportunity …

SP10 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Police-ambulance terminology interoperability

Merseyside Police and North West Ambulance Service should review the terminology used in their systems and procedures to ensure shared understanding and interoperability. The College of Policing and the National …

- NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care stated that terminology used in major incident response must be consistent across all ambulance …

SP11 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Out-of-school settings guidance update

The Department for Education should update the out‑of‑school settings guidance by reviewing the health and safety section to ensure terminology is clear and consistent, particularly regarding emergency plans and fire/evacuation …

- The Department for Education ran an out-of-school settings safeguarding call for evidence from 29 May 2025, which closed on 21 September 2025, seeking views …

SP12 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Detection of concerning online behaviour

Phase 2 should consider systems to detect and report concerning online behaviour and suspicious combinations of purchases. This should include consideration of: 1. Concerning patterns of online browsing and purchasing …

- The government agreed with the recommendation and noted the Chair identified it for further consideration in Phase 2 of the Inquiry (Government Response to …

SP13 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Regulation of castor bean sales

The Home Office’s ongoing review of the sale of castor beans should consider regulation of the number of castor beans that can be sold in a single transaction.

- The Home Office stated it completed a targeted review of the sale and availability of castor beans in May 2026, that ministers agreed further …

SP14 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Archery bow age verification and restrictions

Phase 2 should consider whether conventional archery bows should be subject to age‑verification prior to sale, delivery restrictions including ID checks, mandatory labelling for deliveries, and industry or trading standards …

- The Crime and Policing Act 2026 contains provisions on the remote sale, letting and delivery of crossbows introducing age and identity verification at point …

SP15 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Crossbow prohibition or licensing

Phase 2 should consider, in parallel with the government’s consultation where possible, a prohibition on the sale of crossbows, a licensing scheme similar to firearms, tighter controls on purchasing such …

- The government set out that it will introduce a prohibition on the sale of crossbows, a licensing scheme for existing owners with suitability checks, …

SP16 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Guidance on suspicious archery/crossbow purchasers

The Home Office should provide clear guidance to all UK retailers of archery bows and crossbows on identifying and reporting suspicious behaviour, including underage purchasers or those who appear to …

- The Crime and Policing Act 2026 contains provisions on the remote sale, letting and delivery of crossbows, under which the government states statutory guidance …

SP17 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Investigation of Ageo Wholesale knife marketing

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis should consider an investigation, with input from the Crown Prosecution Service if appropriate, as to whether Ageo Wholesale UK Ltd committed criminal offences …

- The government noted this recommendation requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, that it has written to the relevant organisations to highlight the …

SP18 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Online knife retailer compliance with Knives Act

The Home Office should take immediate action to ensure that online knife retailers are complying with the Knives Act 1997, particularly regarding the marketing of knives, machetes, swords and similar …

- A Home Office consultation proposed a licensing scheme for online knife sellers including mandatory age verification, application of Challenge 25 policies, a requirement for …

SP19 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Amazon bladed article delivery controls

Amazon should: 1. Improve its measures to prevent children from making purchases, including making the conditions of use and sale more prominent. 2. Improve the labelling on packaging of bladed …

- The government noted this recommendation requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, that it has written to the relevant organisations to highlight the …

SP20 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Further knife/bladed item sales measures

Phase 2 should consider further measures relating to knives/bladed items sales, including: 1. Restrictions on sharp‑tipped knives. 2. Prohibiting some online sales (such as machetes). 3. Strengthening online age‑verification and …

- The Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduces stricter age verification for the online sale and delivery of knives, a duty to report bulk sales …

SP21 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

School monitoring and filtering systems guidance

The Department for Education should review and strengthen its guidance to schools on monitoring and filtering systems, including ensuring that the systems used are appropriate and adequate from a technical …

- A Department for Education consultation sought views on proposed changes to Keeping Children Safe in Education, including a strengthened expectation that schools review the …

SP22 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

LCC online harms risk assessment review

Lancashire County Council should undertake a comprehensive review of how its children’s services and Early Help teams (i.e. Children and Family Wellbeing Service) assess and manage risk and online harms …

- The Department of Health and Social Care published advice for parents on screen use for children aged 0 to 5 on the Best Start …

SP23 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Coroner and inquiry Ofcom notification powers

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology should consider extending the powers under the Online Safety Act 2023 to enable Senior Coroners to make a notification to Ofcom to obtain …

- Ofcom guidance states that from 30 September it can require tech firms to preserve data about a deceased child's activity if requested by the …

SP24 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

VPN age verification

Phase 2 should consider age verification for the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) software and other options to avoid VPNs being used to circumvent the age-related protections in the …

- The government agreed with the recommendation and noted the Chair identified it for further consideration in Phase 2 of the Inquiry (Government Response to …

SP25 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Operation Encompass cross-border extension

Lancashire Constabulary should consider extending Operation Encompass to share automatically relevant information with schools in bordering areas. The Department for Education should consider national implementation. This is because children will …

- The Home Office introduced a statutory duty on police in England and Wales to notify a child's educational setting when officers attend a domestic …

SP26 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Recording words and behaviour of high-risk individuals

Lancashire Constabulary, and the College of Policing nationally, should ensure that forms and training emphasise the importance of recording, as precisely as possible, the words and behaviour of individuals who …

- The government response states this recommendation requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, that the government has written to the responsible organisations to …

SP27 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Cross-force information sharing review

Lancashire Constabulary and Merseyside Police should review the effectiveness of their information‑sharing systems and consider whether a more robust process is required. Findings should be shared with the National Police …

- The government response states this recommendation requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, that the government has written to the responsible organisations to …

SP28 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Recording case information on police systems

Lancashire Constabulary should ensure its training and systems address the risks associated with failing to record case information on police systems so it is readily available to others. The National …

- The government response states this recommendation requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, that the government has written to the responsible organisations to …

SP29 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Risks posed by children and young people

Lancashire Constabulary should ensure its procedures and training sufficiently addresses the risks children and young people may pose to others and the options for addressing that risk. The College of …

- The government response states this recommendation requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, that the government has written to the responsible organisations to …

SP30 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Autism spectrum disorder police training

1. Lancashire Constabulary should strengthen its autism spectrum disorder‑related training for new officers and through continuous development. 2. National policing bodies, with input from the Department of Health and Social …

- The government response states that options for improving guidance or training on autism for police have been provided by the Department of Health and …

SP31 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Response officer access to case information technology

1. Lancashire Constabulary should ensure response officers have access to effective technology providing clear, essential case information. 2. The National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing and Home Office should …

- The Home Office published a White Paper announcing a National Police Service, national standards and investment in data, which the government response states included …

SP32 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Prevent training on online activity assessment

While training for Counter Terrorism Policing, staff involved in Prevent currently cover the importance of understanding a referred individual’s online activity and the practical steps required to assess it, the …

- The Interim Independent Prevent Commissioner's review, examining the Prevent interactions of the Southport perpetrator, found that Prevent needs rapidly to adapt to the online …

SP33 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

CT Policing online activity analysis capability

Counter Terrorism Policing’s capability to access and analyse data relating to a referred person’s online activity should be reviewed in the context of Prevent referrals, to determine whether staff have …

- The government response states the Prevent National Referral Form was updated in 2024 to request an individual's social media handle, that the Prevent Assessment …

SP34 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Neurodiversity training for Prevent practitioners

Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters should review its neurodiversity training for Prevent practitioners (including, where appropriate, drawing in wider healthcare advice) to ensure that they sufficiently equip practitioners with a proper …

- The Home Office stated that an internal strategic policy review of mental ill-health and neurodivergence in Prevent has been undertaken, and that the findings …

SP35 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Balancing vulnerability with professional curiosity

Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters should review and where necessary strengthen the training that Counter Terrorism officers involved in Prevent already receive to ensure that they understand the importance of balancing …

- The Home Office stated it updated the Prevent National Referral Form in 2024 to request an individual's social media handle, and rolled out the …

SP36 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Sharing information about closed Prevent referrals

Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters and the Home Office should assess and issue clear guidance on best practice for sharing appropriate information about closed Prevent referrals. This guidance should ensure that …

- The government response states Counter Terrorism Policing are scoping the legal implications of sharing information about closed Prevent referrals, that the Home Office and …

SP37 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Prevent Supervisor training on closure decisions

Prevent Supervisors should receive improved role specific training, including training on supervising decisions to close Prevent referrals and ensuring that all outstanding actions have been completed. This may be achieved …

- The government response states this recommendation requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, that the government has written to the responsible organisations to …

SP38 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Prevent referral training for organisations

Building on the Key Principles of Prevent issued on 23 February 2026, the Home Office should ensure that accessible information and appropriate training materials should be made available to organisations …

- The Home Office published the Key principles of Prevent, setting out how Prevent operates and the basis on which referrals should be made (Key …

SP39 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Working Together guidance on risks to others

The Department for Education should update Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Children’s Social Care National Framework. These documents should highlight that safeguarding and child protection assessments, when considering …

- The government agreed the recommendation and stated the Department for Education is consulting on the 2027 update to the statutory framework for help, support …

SP40 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

LCC frontline staff Prevent training

Lancashire County Council should ensure that by 13 October 2026 all its frontline staff have received suitable training, or refresher training, on Prevent.

- The government agreed the recommendation and noted it requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, stating it has written to the responsible organisations …

SP41 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Social worker supervision for Level 3 cases

Lancashire County Council should ensure that its arrangements for social workers provide appropriate support and supervision for family support workers handling Level 3 cases on the Continuum of Need.

- The government agreed the recommendation and noted it requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, stating it has written to the responsible organisations …

SP42 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Decisions based on assessed need not inflexible criteria

Lancashire County Council should review its processes and training to ensure decisions regarding children and families are made on the basis of assessed need rather than inflexible criteria such as …

- The government agreed the recommendation and noted it requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, stating it has written to the responsible organisations …

SP43 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Significance of multiple referrals

Lancashire County Council should ensure that its policies and training emphasise the significance of multiple referrals when considering the relevant risks relating to a child (including the risk to others).

- The government agreed the recommendation and noted it requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, stating it has written to the responsible organisations …

SP44 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Frontline staff access to full case information

1. Lancashire County Council should ensure that frontline staff are required to familiarise themselves with full case information, with this being embedded through training and performance review. 2. Lancashire County …

- The government agreed the recommendation and noted it requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, stating it has written to the responsible organisations …

SP45 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Autism training for frontline social care staff

Lancashire County Council should ensure frontline staff receive appropriate training on autism spectrum disorder, emphasising that autism does not necessarily explain or excuse behaviour. The Department for Education should ensure …

- The government stated the recommendation will be led by Lancashire County Council, that the Department for Education will consider Lancashire's approach and how training …

SP46 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Addressing parental consent manipulation

1. Lancashire County Council should consider how to address repeated lack of consent or manipulation of consent within existing legislation. 2. Phase 2 should consider whether legal reforms are needed …

- The government agreed the recommendation and noted the Chair identified it for further consideration by the Inquiry in Phase 2 (Government Response to Phase …

SP47 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Audit of LCC Child and Youth Justice Service

Lancashire County Council, in consultation with the Youth Justice Board, should arrange for a comprehensive and independent audit to be undertaken of the Lancashire County Council Child and Youth Justice …

- The Ministry of Justice stated that it supports the Chair's recommendation 47, calling for an independent audit of the Lancashire County Council Child and …

SP48 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Training on Child and Youth Justice Service

1. Lancashire County Council should ensure that staff within Children and Family Wellbeing Service, and Children’s Social Care receive training on the services available through the Child and Youth Justice …

- The government agreed the recommendation and noted it requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, stating it has written to the responsible organisations …

SP49 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Audit of Young Adults Team transition assessments

Lancashire County Council, with the Care Quality Commission, should commission an independent audit of the Young Adults Team to ensure assessments for transition to adult care are timely, properly reasoned …

- The government agreed the recommendation and noted it requires delivery by an organisation outside central government, stating it has written to the responsible organisations …

SP50 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Healthcare trust risk information visibility

The Department of Health and Social Care / NHS England should ensure that all healthcare trusts involved in the care of children and young people who are at risk of …

- The 10 Year Health Plan for England committed the NHS to introducing a single patient record bringing an individual's records together in one authoritative …