The Government is to amend the Criminal Justice Bill to make it 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.

Those who fail to report child sexual abuse they are aware of, falling short of their legal duties, face being barred from working with young people, the Home Office said.

Anyone who actively protects child sexual abusers – by intentionally blocking others from reporting or covering up the crime – could meanwhile go to prison for seven years.

The amendments also include plans to give the police greater powers to stop registered sex offenders from changing their name on official documents such as passports or driving licences.

The Home Office said that making mandatory reporting a legal requiremen would deliver on a key recommendation in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “There is no excuse for turning a blind eye to a child’s pain.

“Having listened to the voices of victims and survivors and reviewed the work of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, we are working at pace to get a mandatory reporting duty for child sexual abuse onto the statute book.”

He added: “We’re also going further, equipping the police with more powers to prevent those who have committed abhorrent sexual crimes in the past from evading the police by changing their name.

“We will continue use all levers at our disposal to tackle this horrific crime and keep women and children safe.”

Minister for Victims and Safeguarding Laura Farris said: “By bringing into force a mandatory duty to report child sexual abuse – the inquiry’s principal recommendation – we are sending a clear message that children will never be let down whether in schools, sports settings or any supervised environment.”

Gabrielle Shaw, Chief Executive for The National Association for People Abused in Childhood, said: “NAPAC welcomes this important measure by the government that will improve safeguarding of children and increase accountability amongst those who have a duty of care.

“The introduction of mandatory reporting is a big step in the right direction, which must be implemented alongside an approach that prioritises the wellbeing of the child and ensures they have access to ongoing, specialist support. This will require investment in training requirements, wider supporting structures and effective tracking and review.”

Alan Collins, Partner in the sex abuse team at law firm Hugh James law firm, described the Home Office’s announcement as “welcome and long overdue”.

However, he added that this was “a missed opportunity because the government proposals are weak and are likely to be ineffectual”.

Collns said: “The whole purpose of mandatory reporting is to drive cultural change so that suspicions and concerns are reported. It would be very unusual (if not unique) for a professional to have witnessed child sex abuse. It is the concern that needs to be reported.”

He added: “Unless you have a requirement to report concerns – as opposed to knowing a child has been abused – we are not going to see the cultural change that is needed.”

The measures will apply to England and Wales.

Scottish Government no longer ruling out ‘mandatory reporting’ laws for child sexual abuse

https://www.scotsman.com/education/scottish-government-no-longer-ruling-out-mandatory-reporting-laws-for-child-sexual-abuse-4237169

Child sexual abuse and child sexual and criminal exploitation

https://www.gov.scot/policies/child-protection/child-sexual-exploitation/