
The requirement is one of 20 recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) the government intends to take forward.
But the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) warns that the move could lead to a spike in referrals and overwhelm children’s services, diverting them away from early support for families as they investigate and assess more cases.
“We believe the proposal for mandatory reporting needs careful consideration,” warned ADCS president John Pearce.
“Currently, the evidence does not suggest this offers greater protections for children or improves their outcomes.”
In addition, it “could have the unintended consequence of overwhelming local services requiring a pivot away from the provision of help and support to assessment and investigation”.
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