Better late than never

It's really good news that the Crown Prosecution Service is reviewing practice on child sexual abuse. There have been serious failures in both directions, with some malicious allegations and some serial abuse being wrongly dealt with. The development of national guidelines and practice standards, together with training for all concerned, seems an obvious step.

But we must remember that In many areas, children's trusts and Local Safeguarding Children's Boards have been working well for several years, although practice is not perfect everywhere. I hope that Keir Starmer uses this wealth of local practice rather than starting from scratch.

This will not be easy, though, as there remains a culture of cover-up and brushing-under-the-carpet as no-one wants to admit failings on their watch, or to recognise that a person they trusted has been an abuser, or to come out and say in public – in court – that they suspect a friend or colleague of abuse. We must shift the culture so that openness is the norm, which will take years, not just the publication of new guidelines. And we must never forget the pressure put on victims of abuse both in court and in their own lives – it's much easier to say nothing and forget it – and that's what abusers rely on.

I once dealt with an abuse case involving many young people where there had been systematic denial and cover-up by colleagues who stymied attempts to investigate, and finally buried the case with a reprimand. It was only with the most persistent of later investigations that the truth finally came out, and even then it took the best part of 10 years before the person concerned was publicly named and shamed.