A leaked draft version of Labour's election manifesto revealed the party plans to "deliver earlier protection to victims of abuse by strengthening mandatory reporting" if it is successful at the polls.
Tom Perry, founder of pressure group Mandate Now, which is campaigning for mandatory reporting, said that Labour had included plans to introduce mandatory reporting of child abuse in its 2015 election manifesto, and was "pleased" to see the pledge repeated.
However, he has raised concerns that, based on its contribution to a current government consultation on the matter, which launched last July, Labour would not introduce tough enough reforms.
The government has yet to set out whether it intends to pursue mandatory reporting.
In its response to the consultation, Labour indicated it would introduce criminal sanctions for professionals who failed to report abuse, but only if they were found to have "deliberately and recklessly failed to report abuse or neglect".
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