Mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse could overwhelm councils, say DCSs

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.

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“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”.

He says that a similar duty has been imposed on professionals in parts of Australia and “led to a significant influx in contacts, most of which were unsubstantiated”.

Rather than a lack of compulsion to report cases, Pearce says the “most common reason people do not report abuse and neglect is because they don’t recognise it for what it is”.  

Instead, he wants to see better education and training of those who work with children so that they “are aware of the signs of child abuse and how best to raise concerns with the appropriate agency”.

Ministers are also being warned by Pearce that any new duty would need to be “fully funded by central government” due to the increase in work for social workers.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman this week announced a 12-week consultation on mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse. This closes on 14 August.

This would make it a legal requirement to report child sexual abuse when they are told about it by a child or perpetrator, witness it happening or see an indication that it has happened.

Other IICSA recommendations backed by the government include introducing a financial redress system as well as better support for victims. But the government has rejected a ban on pain compliance techniques on children in custody.

Pearce added: “The Inquiry has shone a light on sexual abuse and exploitation and the devastating impact it has on victims, their families and wider society and reporting has increased in recent years, perhaps in part to this profile.

“However, more work is needed to tackle the social and moral issues surrounding the root causes of abuse and exploitation together with the over sexualisation of children and young people in our society today.”