Offences against Children: Violent and Sex Offender Register

Baroness Casey's Audit signalled concerns that victims of child sexual exploitation have been unjustly criminalised and treated as perpetrators for actions taken whilst under the coercion of groomers. As an immediate first step, we will legislate in the Crime and Policing Bill to introduce a disregard scheme for individuals who as children were convicted or cautioned for the offence of loitering or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution. We will work with relevant bodies across the criminal justice system to ensure any such cases are identified, reviewed and that victims are properly supported.

The notification requirements for sex offenders (often referred to as "the sex offenders' register") are an automatic consequence of a conviction or caution for an offence in Schedule 3 to the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Offenders subject to the notification requirements must notify their personal details (e.g., their name(s), address(es) and national insurance number) to the police annually or whenever their details change. The notification requirements apply to adult and juvenile offenders, although their duration is halved for juveniles.

The offence of loitering or soliciting for the purposes of prostitution has never been in Schedule 3 to the 2003 Act, so convictions or cautions for that offence have not triggered the notification requirements for sex offenders.