Government to pilot locally-led approach to conducting investigations into child grooming gangs
The Home Office has announced plans to develop a new framework for locally-led inquiries into child sexual abuse – working with Oldham Council and up to four other pilot areas as a “first step”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The Prime Minister and I both met last week with survivors from Telford who had enormous praise for the way that local inquiry was conducted after there had been failings over very many years.
“That inquiry led to tangible change, including piloting the introduction of CCTV in taxis, and appointing child sexual exploitation experts in local secondary schools.
“As we have seen, effective local inquiries can delve into far more local detail and deliver more locally-relevant answers and change than a lengthy nationwide inquiry can provide.”
According to the Home Office, the new framework will include support for local authorities who want to explore other ways of supporting victims, including setting up local panels.
The Government said it will also work with mayors and local councils to “bolster the accountability mechanisms” that can support and follow up local inquiries, to ensure that those who are complicit in cover-ups or who try to resist scrutiny are held to account.
Other measures announced yesterday included plans to lay out a “clear timetable” for taking forward the 20 recommendations from the final Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report before Easter.
In addition, the Government said it will implement “all the remaining recommendations” in IICSA’s separate standalone report on grooming gangs from February 2022 – including updating key Department of Education guidance.
According to the Home Office, the new package of national support for local inquiries will be backed by £5m of additional funding.
Responding to the announcement, Stephanie McGarry, Partner at law firm Browne Jacobson, said: “While the possibility of a national inquiry has not yet been ruled out, a locally-led approach to conducting investigations into grooming gangs is a sensible approach given that councils will often have a far better and deeper understanding of the various issues and intricacies within their local areas than any national body.
“This was evident in Telford and Wrekin Council’s independent inquiry between 2018 and 2022, with a follow-up review last year revealing the majority of the 47 recommendations set out had been implemented.
“However, given that a recent review by the Thirlwall Inquiry’s legal team found that only a small number of recommendations made by numerous public inquiries over the past 30 years have actually been implemented, it’s vital that an effective national mechanism is also identified to ensure local investigations result in tangible positive change.
“For local authorities, they should begin preparing as soon as possible for any future mandate from government to conduct their own investigations into child sexual exploitation by ensuring they have plans in place to retain key information.”
Lottie Winson
