New Report Says Thousands of Child Sex Abuse Cases Are Missed

A new report by the Children's Commissioner says that the majority of child sexual abuse is carried out by family and friends and up to 85% goes unreported.

Around 50,000 cases were recorded between April 2012 to March 2014 but the report suggests that the actual number is nearer to 450,000.

Much attention has been focused on child abuse in institutions but most happens within families or their trusted circles, the report said.

The government said it was looking at how authorities dealt with abuse.

The report found:

• Two-thirds of child sexual abuse took place within the family environment or the close circle around it
• 75% of victims were girls
• Abuse was most likely to have occurred at about the age of nine
• Victims often did not speak out until adolescence or later, when they recognised what had happened
• Even if a child did tell someone, often the abuse did not stop

 Children's commissioner Anne Longfield said recent attention and investigations had focused on the abuse children suffered in institutions or by groups of perpetrators.

"We must now wake up to and urgently address the most common form of child sexual abuse - that which takes place behind the front door within families or their trusted circles," she said.

She called for urgent action from government to prevent abuse, and for more training to help teachers, social services, police and other professionals identify abuse early on.

"There are always signs. Mental health problems, children can become withdrawn or show overly sexualised behaviour. If you know the child it will be obvious to see changes in their behaviour," she said.

Deaf And Disabled Children Talking About Child Protection

The NSPCC has published a new report: Deaf and Disabled Children Talking About Child Protection: Research into Children's Experiences of the Child Protection System

The report commissioned from the University of Edinburgh / NSPCC Child Protection Research Centre invstigates deaf and disabled children's experiences of the child protection system.

It highlights findings from in-depth interviews with 10 deaf and disabled people who had been abused during childhood. It looks at how they sought help, the barriers they faced and how professionals and organisations recognised and responded to the abuse.


It includes recommendations for policy makers and commissioners, agencies working with deaf and disabled children, and parents and carers.

New Report Says Too Many Children Still At Risk Of Child Abuse

A new report by the Office of the Children's Commissioner says that too many children in England are still "slipping through the net" and remain at risk of sexual abuse.

The report: If it's not better; it's not the end - Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups - one year on found there had been "considerable" progress in some areas of tackling child exploitation.

But "at the front line much work is still needed," said Deputy Commissioner Sue Berelowitz, who headed the inquiry.

The OCC's follow-up report has raised concerns about the level of progress in some areas, along with the continued "under-identification" of victims.

It said it was "worrying" that the inquiry's recommendation to make sex education a statutory part of the curriculum had not been adopted by the government.

The report also found "vastly different" reported rates of child sexual exploitation in different parts of England.

On TV Tonight: Baby P, the Untold Story

Tonight (27th October 2014) on BBC 1 at 8.30 pm there will be a documentary entitled Baby P: the Untold Story.

The 90 minute film hears from those directly involved in the investigation into the death of Baby P in 2007.

Film-maker Henry Singer's documentary detailing the timeline of events leading to the death of 17-month-old Peter Connelly at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and her boyfriend's brother in August 2007, and considering its aftermath. The programme examines how some powerful institutions evaded the spotlight, while public attention was focused on the involvement of social workers in the infant's home area of Haringey, north London. Among the interviewees featured in the film are social workers Gillie Christou and Maria Ward, then-Children's Secretary Ed Balls MP and the husband of the last medical practitioner to see Peter before he died.

More Research on 'Sexting' From the NSPCC

The NSPCC has published a follow up study on 'sexting' following on from their May 2012 study:  A qualitative study of children, young people and 'sexting'

The researchers conducted 12 focus groups with 120 young people, aged 13 to 14 years, across three counties in England. An additional 30 children aged 10-11, from two different counties in England, were also questioned.

The research findings were:

* there was widespread knowledge of sexting amongst 13-14 year olds. Although not everyone was engaged in sexting, many had peers that were


* 13-14 year old girls tended to self-generate as a result of a request from a boy, whilst boys tended to self-generate unprompted

* many 13-14 year olds reported that the fear of being judged would prevent them from talking to an adult if something went wrong

* most 10-11 year olds had to deal with some form of online abuse, but there was little evidence that they were exposed to sexualised content, or asked to self-generate.   The full report is available to download for free here:

Sexting: an exploration of practices, attitudes and influences (PDF, 172KB)

Girls at Risk of Multilation Lack Help From Teachers

Girls at risk of genital mutilation are not being helped as their teachers lack training in how to deal with this type of child abuse, warns the NSPCC.

The charity is urging schools to treat female genital mutilation as they would other forms of child abuse.

"Teachers are on the front line", said Lisa Harker, NSPCC head of strategy.

Some 20,000 girls in England and Wales are thought to be at risk of this illegal practice, according to government figures, but there are fears that this figure masks a larger problem.

In March, a study by midwives revealed more than 100 victims in Bristol alone over a single nine-month period.

The NSPCC says the practice has no medical benefits but is motivated by cultural beliefs about preparing a girl for adulthood and marriage by making her "clean, chaste and faithful". The charity describes it as being potentially life-threatening and sometimes carried out without anaesthetic.


The government says teachers have a key role in spotting children who may be at risk of or who have undergone genital cutting. In January, the schools watchdog, Ofsted, announced it would be including schools' safeguarding arrangements on female genital mutilation in inspections.

Updated Ofsted guidance says that key staff should be able to show how alert they are to "possible signs that a child has been subject to female genital mutilation or is at risk of being abused through it".

However, some 83% of teachers in England and Wales said they had not had child protection training in this area, according to a survey for the NSPCC.

The YouGov poll of over 1,000 teachers also suggested that some 68% were unaware of government guidance on schools policy on this form of abuse.

You can read more on this story on the BBC News website here.

The NSPCC's Policy summary on Female Genital Multilation is available to read here.

Alarms Over New Trend In Online Sex Abuse

Photograph by Photark

New research by the Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre (CEOP) has revealed that children are increasingly being groomed over the Internet for online sexual abuse.

Only 7% of the 1,145 online abuse cases reported to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre in 2012 involved people trying to meet a child.

Peter Davies, chief executive of Ceop - which monitors child abuse online - said: "We've seen a drop in the amount of grooming with a view to meeting offline. That's still a risk but it's a diminishing risk.
"The growth area seems to be grooming, contact, and then sexual abuse purely online. We really need to make sure that young people are target hardened [sic] against that.

The research by CEOP and the University of Birmingham is available to read online here: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S135917891200122X 

How the latest research into child trafficking in the UK should inform social work practice - 10/16/2012 - Community Care

Social workers should not discount children’s claims to have been trafficked even if they sound extraordinary, says Emma Kelly, a lecturer in social work at University of Salford.


How the latest research into child trafficking in the UK should inform social work practice - 10/16/2012 - Community Care

New Report by The University of Bedforshire into Gang Sexual Exploitation

Photograph by Ulrica

The Office of the Children's Commissioner has released a new report: I thought I was the only one. The only one in the world which reveals that thousands of children are sexually abused by gangs and groups in England each year. 


The study says there were 2,409 victims in the 14 months to October 2011 - but the true number is likely to be far higher. The report also identifies 16,500 children who were at "high risk of sexual exploitation" in 2010-11.

As part of the study the University of Bedfordshire was commissioned to examine sexual violence in gangs. The interim report Research into gang associated sexual explotation and sexual violence is available to read here.

NSPCC Issues Parental Advice Over Signs Of Abuse

The NSPCC has issued new guidance for parents to help them spot the signs of sexual abuse in children.

The charity says it has brought forward publication of the guide because of the number of calls it has received since allegations of abuse against Jimmy Savile emerged.

It says that since then it has received a 60% increase in calls expressing concern that a child is being abused.The charity also says most abusers are someone "close to the child".

More than a third of current calls to the NSPCC about child sexual abuse are made by the child's own parent. Research suggests 80% of such offences take place in the home of either the offender or the victim.

The NSPCC's guidance for parents and carers - What can I do? Protecting your child from sexual abuse  is available to download from their website here.

A Teenager's Life In Care: 'Sex, Drink & Drugs'

There is a special feature on the BBC News website about the sexual exploitation of a teenager whilst in care.

Julie, not her real name, was placed in care at the age of 11, where she remained until she was 18, staying in a combination of foster homes and children's homes. Now 19, she has spoken to Newsnight about her experiences of sexual exploitation.

You can read the full feature here.


You can watch this episode of Newsnight on the sexual exploitation of children and what is being done to combat it on Tuesday 3rd July, 22.30 BST on BBC2, then afterwards on BBCiPlayer here.

Child Abuse 'Rife' Across England Says Deputy Children's Comissioner

MPs are to investigate the sexual exploitation of children, after an expert warned abuse was taking place "all over the country".

Deputy Children Comissioner, Sue Berelowitz told the Commons home affairs committee on Tuesday that thousands, not hundreds, of children in England were being abused and that "it was common" for girls lured out by predators on internet chat rooms to be gang raped by groups of boys. 

In her graphic account, which left MPs visibly shocked, she said the sex grooming case in Rochdale, in which Pakistani men were exploiting young white girls, was just part of a much wider picture that involved victims and abusers of all races and cultures.

And she revealed that young people were acting out scenes they saw in online pornography and organising abuse via social networking sites and messaging systems.

"What I am uncovering is that sexual exploitation of children is happening all over the country," she told the cross-party committee.

"As one police officer who was the lead in a very big investigation in a very lovely, leafy, rural part of the country said to me: 'there isn't a town, village or hamlet in which children are not being sexually exploited.

The Commons Home Affairs Committee promised an inquiry into the claims.

You can read more on this story on the BBC News site here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18422204

Sexually Exploited Children Are At Further Risk In Care Says Barnardo's

Children who have been sexually exploited and trafficked are being put in further danger because of a dire lack of trained foster carers, children's charity Barnardo's has warned.

The most vulnerable children are left in residential care or secure units where they are at greater risk from groomers and traffickers, according to the charity.

Taking action after nine men were jailed for grooming young girls for sex in Rochdale, the Department of Education has announced new funding for a specialist foster care scheme in an attempt to tackle the problem, but Barnardo's argues that more must be done.

"Without a doubt the system is completely failing children in residential care. This idea that you can gather large numbers of vulnerable children together in one place acts as a magnet to abusers – you might as well put up a neon sign saying get your most vulnerable children here," said Anne-Marie Carrie, chief executive of Barnardo's.

You can read more on this story on The Guardian's website here.

Social Workers Warn Over Cuts Threat

Social workers are warning that cuts to services and growing case loads are leaving vulnerable children without the protection they need.

Nearly five years after the death of Baby Peter Connelly, a survey of social workers suggests many are worried about unmanageable amounts of work.

You can watch a short video about this issue on the BBC New website here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18099498

First Reading Of The Crime & Courts Bill

The Crime & Courts Bill has received its first Reading in the Lords. The Bill contains the following key elements relating to children:

• A National Crime Agency will be established to tackle serious organised and complex crime including sexual abuse and exploitation of children and cyber crime; 
• A Single County Court system and a Family Court will be established to allow greater flexibility and increase the efficiency of the civil and family court systems in England and Wales; Enabling the introduction, in limited circumstances, of court broadcasting; 
• A new offence of driving or being in charge of a vehicle with concentrations of specified controlled substances in excess of specified levels will be introduced.

You can read a summary of the Bill here: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2012-13/crimeandcourts.html

Tyler Whelan Death: 'Agencies Missed Chances'

Peterborough Safeguarding Children Board has published its Serious Case Review into the death of Tyler Whelan. The report is available to download here: Peterborough Serious Case Reviews.

According to the BBC News Website's coverage the report shows that child protection agencies missed "numerous opportunities".The report examined the role of Peterborough Children's Services department, medical professionals, Cambridgeshire police and probation officers. It found an assessment of the family carried out by a social worker was "very poor" and had not met "procedural requirements".

The report identified "numerous missed opportunities when interventions should have been more rigorous and incisive or clear". But it said there was no evidence that the death could have been prevented.

Tyler died in hospital in March 2011 after collapsing at home in Peterborough. His mother, Stephanie Whelan, 27, was found guilty of allowing or causing the death of her son.Her former partner, Elvis Lee, 34, was convicted of the murder at Cambridge Crown Court.

Response To The Cross-Government Consultation On The Definition Of Domestic Violence

The Office of the Children's Commissioner has published a response to the cross-government consultation on the definition of domestic violence.

The response is based on: Emerging evidence from the Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups; Research into children’s experience of risk and child protection; Research into the mental health needs of children in the youth justice system; Internal expertise across safeguarding, child abuse, domestic violence, health and serious youth violence, held at the Office of the Children’s Commissioner.

The response is freely available to download here: http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/content/publications/content_568

The Case For Reforming The Law On Child Neglect

Neglect can have some of the worst and most long-term effects on a child's brain, physical development, behaviour, educational achievement and emotional wellbeing and Action for Children is calling for this to be recognised in law. The criminal law on neglect was passed in 1933 and Action for Children warns that it is out of date because it doesn’t cover all forms of neglect, particularly emotional neglect. The charity argues that in order to meet its purpose of prevention of neglect, the criminal offence and its associated sentencing guidelines should be updated to reflect the true nature of neglect, and should be re-written to enable early intervention and support for families. It is therefore calling on the government to commit to a review of the law on neglect during this Parliament.

The full report is available here: http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/3788628/action_for_children_keeping_children_safe_the_case_for_reforming_the_law_on_child_neglect.pdf

A Useful TV Programme For Social Workers

Over the next 3 weeks BBC2 is showing a series of documentaries " Protecting our children" following Bristol's Child Protection team over the course of a year to see frontline work first-hand and explore how the crises of the last decade have had an impact on their ability to safeguard children. The series airs each week at 9.00 pm on BBC2. If you missed last night's episode it available here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01bpjf7/ until Monday 20th February.

New Government Reports - Jan 20th

The following recently published Government reports may be of interest:

• Rules of engagement: changing the heart of youth justice
  Centre for Social Justice
  This report on the youth justice system in England and Wales calls for a drastic cut in the 5,000 children aged 10-17 given custodial sentences every year and recommends reforms in which child welfare services rather than youth justice teams and courts take the lead in preventing juvenile crime. It also advises that it is time to break the “taboo” surrounding raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) from ten to twelve. The report identifies four key shortcomings, which must be addressed if outcomes are to be improved: The youth justice system continues to function as a backstop: sweeping up the problem cases that other services have failed, or been unable, to address; The system is often operating in a way which promotes rather than reduces offending; There continues to be too much focus on functional process at the expense of lifechanging outcomes; and The importance of relationships to preventing offending and facilitating rehabilitation, emphasised consistently to the CSJ in its evidence hearings, continues to be overlooked.
  Published 16 January 2012
  http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/client/downloads/CSJ_Youth_Justice_Full_Report_WEB%20%282%29.pdf [PDF 2.6MB]
• Cutting them free: how is the UK progressing in protecting its children from sexual exploitation
  Barnardo's
  A report released to mark the first anniversary of the charity's campaign to stop child sexual exploitation, reveals that little is happening to protect victims of child sexual exploitation in many communities around the country and in some areas budget cuts are leading to the issue being downgraded.
  Published 17 January 2012
  http://www.barnardos.org.uk/cuttingthemfree.pdf [PDF 318KB]
• Landing in Dover: the immigration process undergone by unaccompanied children arriving in Kent
  Adrian Matthews for the Office of the Children's Commissioner
  This report focuses on immigration procedures to which unaccompanied children arriving in Kent are subject between their first encounter with the authorities and the time they are placed in the care of Kent County Council children's social care services. An investigation found that vulnerable unaccompanied children who arrived illegally at Dover docks or through the Channel tunnel were being sent straight back to France under a secret "gentleman's agreement". The practice has now been stopped by the UK Border Agency.
  Published 17 January 2012
  http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/content/publications/content_556
• Joint enterprise Commons Justice Committee. Eleventh Report of Session 2010-12. Volume I: Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence. Volume II: Additional written evidence.
  The Committee warns that efforts to tackle gang-related violence are being hampered because the law on joint enterprise is confusing for juries and courts alike. Over-zealous application of the principle, particularly with gang fights, can discourage witnesses from volunteering vital information that would solve killings for fear they end up on trial for murder. The report notes “The Prison Reform Trust is concerned that joint enterprise may be used disproportionately in cases involving children and young adults, and can act as a dragnet, bringing individuals and groups into the criminal justice system who do not necessarily need to be there”. The report advises that legislation is needed to ensure justice for both victims and defendants and end the high number of cases reaching the Court of Appeal.
  Published 17 January 2011
  Volume I:
  http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmjust/1597/1597.pdf [PDF 472KB]
  Volume II:
  http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmjust/1597/1597vw.pdf [PDF 400KB]