UPDATE: |New child protection authority to be created as government criticised for ‘no real progress’ on abuse inquiries News

It will ‘provide national leadership and learning’ the government say

A new child protection authority will be created, the government has announced. The new body, it is said, will address one of the central recommendations of a major inquiry into child sexual abuse

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) looked at institutional failings and found there were tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales.

It made 20 recommendations when the report was published in 2022.

The wait for the recommendations to be implemented hit the headlines in January after billionaire X owner Elon Musk criticised the Prime Minister and Home Office minister Jess Phillips over the UK’s handling of child grooming scandals.

On Tuesday, Ms Phillips told MPs the publication of the report should have been a ‘”landmark moment’ but that victims and survivors were ‘failed again’ when recommendations were not properly taken forward under the previous government.

She told the Commons: “I can announce to the House that to prioritise the protection of children and to improve national oversight and consistency of child protection practice, this Government will establish a new child protection authority.

“Building on the national child safeguarding review panel, the child protection authority will address one of IICSA’s central recommendations for providing national leadership and learning on child protection and safeguarding.

“Work to expand the role of the panel will begin immediately, and we will consult on developing the new authority this year.”

Ms Phillips said the Home Office is doubling funding for national services which support adult survivors of child sexual abuse, and that further details on improving access to therapeutic services for victims and survivors will be brought forward “in the coming weeks”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper vowed in January that the Government would lay out a clear timetable by Easter for implementing IICSA’s recommendations.

She was threatened with legal action by former detective Maggie Oliver, who resigned from Greater Manchester Police in 2012, unless the Home Secretary took ‘urgent steps to allay widespread public concern’ over gangs sexually exploiting children.

Ms Cooper’s announcement included a three-month ‘rapid audit’ of the current situation on grooming gangs and child sexual abuse across the country, and “victim-centred, locally led inquiries” in five areas including Oldham, Greater Manchester.

It was announced last month that Tom Crowther KC, who was chair of the widely-praised independent inquiry into CSE in Telford, would lead an independent review in Oldham.

Last week a bid by the government to call a public inquiry with full statutory powers failed for a second time. The Conservative group on the Labour-led Oldham Council called a extraordinary meeting in February, where councillors unanimously voted to ask the government for a judge-led review.

Councillors repeated to ministers for a ‘more powerful’ statutory probe, where witness could be compelled to give evidence.

The Government has knocked back calls for a national review in favour of locally led inquiries, saying it was focused on implementing recommendations from Professor Alexis Jay’s 2022 report on the issue.

The locations of the other local reviews are yet to be announced.

Responding to Ms Phillips’ statement, Conservative frontbencher Katie Lam told the Commons: “In January, the Home Secretary said the Government would conduct five local inquiries into the rape gangs which have terrorised so many innocent children.

“Over three months since the Government announced these local inquiries, Tom Crowther KC – a barrister invited by the Home Office to help establish them – knows almost nothing about their progress, and neither do we.”

Tory MP Robbie Moore said: “I am completely infuriated by today’s statement. Here we are on the very last sitting day before the Easter recess and the Government have all but admitted that no real progress whatsoever has been made on their promise to launch five local rape gang inquiries before Easter.”