The proposals were set to be implemented through the Crime and Sentencing Bill, however, it was not passed through parliament quickly enough to become law ahead of the pre-election period.
The proposal came from recommendations made in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in October 2022.
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Jury out on proposed mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse
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Child Sexual Abuse: A ten-billion-pound problem
The report had found that “allegations and indicators of child sexual abuse were under-reported by adults who ought to have reported them”.
The inquiry panel wrote: “This happened so often to victims and survivors that many gave up trying to report what had happened to them.”
Under the plans, staff who failed to report concerns could have barred been from working with young people, with those deemed to be actively protecting abusers facing up to seven years in prison.
Earlier this year, sector leaders warned that the plans that lacked “real substance” in tackling issues presented by the IICSA after it was announced that concerns involving staff who failed to report alleged abuse would be dealt with by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) rather than justice services.
The initial inquiry also found that witnessing CSA or the victim disclosing the abuse directly was relatively rare, so the duty to report CSA under these terms would not go far enough, sector leaders warned.
Chief Executive Officer of charity Thirtyone:eight, Justin Humphreys said: “it is deeply concerning that the legislation proposed in this current form has so many flaws that will inhibit the effective safeguarding of children and young people.”
All amendments to the Crime and Sentencing bill involving child sexual abuse, will now be left with the incoming government to decide whether to implement the measure.
The Labour Party has backed mandatory reporting laws since 2014.
