Mandatory Reporting of Child Sexual Abuse

Responsibilities of those working in education

The government has made a move to meet one of the key recommendations from the Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report. As you will probably remember, there was a recommendation that there should be a statutory requirement for all people working with children and young people to report all incidents of child sexual abuse.

Last week the Home Office published a press release: Tougher laws to protect children from sexual abuse.

The Home Office believes that introducing this recommendation will better protect children from sexual predators. They have stated that there will be a legal requirement for anyone in regulated activity relating to children in England, including teachers or healthcare professionals, to report it if they know a child is being sexually abused.

What this means for those working in education settings

Where people are aware of child sexual abuse incidents and fail to report it, they will be falling short of their legal duties and face being barred from working with young people. 

In a move to further protect people from sexual predators, the police are being given greater powers to stop registered sex offenders from changing their name if they think they still pose a risk to their communities.

How this decision may impact on your future work:

We recommend that you take the following steps:

• Ensure your Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy references the legislation (when it is passed). That the policy clearly sets out the mandatory responsibility for reporting for all staff in regulated activity. That you include or possibly strengthen the training staff will receive and the procedures that support staff in reporting child sexual abuse.

• Inform staff of the new legislation and deliver training that enhances their knowledge and understanding of all forms of child sexual abuse, how to report it, and how their report supports the referral process.

Help with understanding and implementing your responsibilities

This legislation affects individuals working in a school but the school itself also has a number of responsibilities, as outlined above. If you would like further guidance on how to implement this in your setting, please get in touch.