Inspections to focus on child sexual abuse in the family environment

Inspections will consider local areas’ multi-agency responses to child sexual abuse in the family environment from this autumn.

“In 2020, we published a report calling on policy makers and local partners to give greater attention to child sexual abuse in the family environment; so that its prevalence could be better understood, victims could be protected, and offenders brought to justice,” Yvette Stanley, Ofsted National Director for Social Care, said.

“Since the publication of our previous report, data is showing a decline in the prevalence of children on child protection plans for child sexual abuse and the absence of justice for victims remains a concern. Considering this, and given growing concerns around child-on-child and online child sexual abuse, it is the right time to revisit this issue in our upcoming JTAI.”

Teams of inspectors will look at how the police, children’s social care, probation services and relevant health services in a local area work together to respond to children at risk of, or who are victims of, child sexual abuse in the family environment at the point of identification.

Inspections will also look at how local areas protect and care for children at risk of, or who are victims of, child sexual abuse in the family environment; and also how they are preventing children from becoming victims of child sexual abuse in the family environment.

Inspectors will also evaluate how local agencies work with education and early years providers and the voluntary and community sector, to identify and respond to children who are victims of this kind of abuse.

Martin Jones, HM Chief Inspector of Probation, said that probation services are a “vital part” of the multi-agency response to child sexual abuse in the family environment.

“As part of the joint targeted area inspections, we will be examining how probation staff assess and manage the risks posed by sexual offenders, deliver effective interventions, and work with other agencies to safeguard children.”

Lucy Harte, Deputy Director for Multiagency Operations at CQC, added that health services “play a key role in both identifying the potential signs of abuse and also in providing support to those who are experiencing harm.”

“Working alongside our fellow inspectorates, this multi-agency inspection programme will allow us to focus on the experience of children who often receive support from a number of different agencies. This will ultimately provide us with a better understanding of how health services support children who are victims of sexual abuse in the family environment.”