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IICSA published its final Report in October 2022. This website was last updated in January 2023.

6.2 Professional and political

The leadership, professional and practice issues for those working or volunteering in relevant institutions.

Summary of key messages

  • Open and honest discussion of child sexual abuse requires leaders within institutions to model the right behaviours and values.

  • Recommendations are made to reinforce the UK Government’s leadership on international co-operation and within the police service.

It is self-evident that the quality of leadership and practice within institutions is critical to protecting children, and to preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. This has been seen consistently across all parts of the Inquiry’s work.

It is important to note that the Inquiry’s consideration of these issues is not restricted to professionals working within the relevant statutory agencies. In accordance with the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference, the Inquiry’s consideration of leadership and practice extends to all those working in state and non-state institutions that have a role to play in preventing and responding to child sexual abuse ‒ including those in government, law enforcement, education, health care, religious institutions, charities and voluntary sector organisations.

In the previous section, the Inquiry referred to the need for leaders within institutions to play a key role in helping improve culture in relation to child sexual abuse. The duty of candour is now established in health care and requires professionals to be open and honest when something goes wrong with the treatment or care they are providing.

However, across its work so far, the Inquiry has seen examples of institutions failing to have open and honest leadership. For example, the UK Government ‒ which should set an example for others to follow ‒ did not for many decades take full responsibility for its failures in relation to the child migration programmes.[1] During its examination of institutions in Rochdale, the Inquiry heard senior leaders deny any responsibility for the lack of effective response to the sexual abuse of vulnerable boys. This was despite compelling evidence and testimony indicating that they were aware that abuse was taking place.[2]

The Inquiry does not consider these to be isolated examples. Participants in the Truth Project have frequently stated that institutions deny responsibility for, or knowledge of, the abuse they suffered.[3], [4] Many approach an institution decades later, wanting to understand what happened and how it was allowed to happen. They know that the people they are dealing with are not responsible for the abuse they suffered or the response of the institution at the time, but they expect the institution to take responsibility now. However, this does not always happen. The Inquiry considers that all too often institutions are prioritising the reputation of political leaders or the reputation of their staff, or avoiding legal liability, claims or insurance implications, over the welfare of children and tackling child sexual abuse.

As its work progresses, the Inquiry will consider how the UK Government and other institutions should work to promote increased awareness and understanding about child sexual abuse. This will require a broader change in culture across society and within the institutions responsible for keeping children safe. There are two recommendations the Inquiry is making now that it considers will make an important contribution.

The first recommendation focuses on the UK Government’s important leadership role in facilitating culture change. The UK Government must demonstrate the priority and importance of tackling child sexual abuse through its actions. However, the Inquiry has noted that the UK Government is still to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse[5] (also known as the ‘Lanzarote Convention’) that it signed in 2008. The UK is one of 42 countries that signed the Convention but is now one of only five signatory countries still to ratify.[6]

The Lanzarote Convention sets out the wide range of measures that must be in place to protect children from sexual abuse. These include:

  • introducing preventive measures (such as the screening, recruitment and training of people working with children, and making children aware of the risks of child sexual abuse)

  • establishing programmes to support victims and survivors, encourage the reporting of suspected child sexual abuse, and set up telephone and internet helplines for children, and

  • ensuring that engaging in sexual activities with a child (such as grooming and overseas child sexual abuse) are criminalised.[7]

Given the increasing need to consider how children are protected from threats abroad (for example, online child sexual abuse), international co-operation is becoming increasingly important. The Inquiry acknowledges that the UK Government has made significant efforts to tackle child sexual abuse at an international level, but considers its delay in ratifying the Lanzarote Convention to be regrettable.

Recommendation

The Chair and Panel recommend that the UK Government ratifies the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (the ‘Lanzarote Convention’) without further delay. They also recommend that ratification is followed, again without further delay, by action to implement the Lanzarote Convention.

The Chair and Panel recommend that the Home Office, as the lead UK Government department, publishes the timetable for ratifying the Lanzarote Convention and taking any additional steps required to make the UK fully compliant by June 2018.

The second recommendation is intended to support culture change in the police service by raising the profile and priority of child sexual abuse. The police service will always have a crucial role in preventing and responding to allegations of child sexual abuse. It is responsible for investigating allegations of child sexual abuse and helping to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. The police will often be one of the first agencies encountered by victims of child sexual abuse, and therefore play a critical role in ensuring that a child is recognised as a victim and given access to the help and support they need.

The Inquiry is aware that the College of Policing develops training for police officers working within Public Protection Units. It has also proposed a licence to practise for specialist police officers, which intends to ensure that child sexual abuse cases are only investigated by officers with the necessary expertise. This is important work but it will not, nor is it intended to, ensure that the wider culture within police forces reinforces and supports their role in preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. The Inquiry considers that specific steps should be taken to raise the awareness of child sexual abuse within police forces, and to ensure that the right culture is developed and maintained.

Any police officer who wants to progress to senior leadership positions in the police force must first pass the Strategic Command Course. The Inquiry considers that the entry requirements for this course should be extended to include the completion of specific training and accreditation in relation to the role of the police service in preventing and responding to child sexual abuse. These police officers should also be required to have specific operational experience of policing relating to child sexual abuse. The College of Policing should lead the work to develop the new training package and accreditation.

Recommendation

The Chair and Panel recommend that any police officer (or staff equivalent) who wants to progress to the Chief Officer cadre must first be required to:

  • have operational policing experience in preventing and responding to child sexual abuse, and

  • achieve accreditation in the role of the police service in preventing and responding to child sexual abuse.

The Home Office should amend entry requirements using its powers under the Police Regulations 2003 to achieve this.

The Chair and Panel recommend that the College of Policing develops the training content and accreditation arrangements.

The Inquiry will continue to consider issues relating to leadership and practice in institutions as its work progresses. This will include consideration of how to improve awareness of child sexual abuse to help professionals identify victims, and what can be done to encourage professionals to identify and report abuse.

References

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