Offences against Children: Victims
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that survivors reporting historic abuse in children’s homes receive consistent and transparent engagement from responsible local authorities.
Answered by Josh MacAlister
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse highlighted cases where records had been destroyed in accordance with the retention policies in place at the time, and the absence of those records subsequently hindered police investigations into allegations of child sexual abuse. In April 2025, the government set out the steps it is taking to act on the recommendations from this inquiry.
This year, the Home Office will continue to invest in the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse fund. This funding, provided to seven voluntary organisations, enables a range of vital national services to support child and adult victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. This includes support helplines, in-person and remote counselling, group support, online psychoeducation resources, training for professionals working with victims and support for parents and carers of victims and survivors.
The department has not issued specific guidance on engaging directly with survivors of historic abuse or ensuring that investigations are being conducted. Approaches and responses must be determined locally by the council in light of the full context and evidence available. The department is unable to comment on specific councils and their policies.
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