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New figures published by the Department for Education on 11 December provide a detailed picture of how child sexual abuse (CSA) and child sexual exploitation (CSE) feature in children in need assessments in England.
The ad hoc statistical release covers the year ending 31 March 2025 and draws on assessments completed by children’s social care services under the Children Act 1989.
• 29,560 children were assessed as having been affected by child sexual abuse in 2025
• This figure has remained broadly stable since 2016, rising by around 5%
• 12,120 children were assessed as having been affected by child sexual exploitation
• CSE assessments have fallen by 29% since 2016, reaching their lowest recorded level
• 2,190 children started child protection plans with sexual abuse as the initial category, a 26% fall since 2016 and the lowest number since records began
The data highlights the high level of vulnerability experienced by children affected by sexual exploitation in particular:
• 66% of children assessed with CSE were persistently absent from school
• Nearly one in five had experienced at least one school suspension
• 81% of children assessed with CSE were aged 10 or over
• Girls were over-represented, accounting for 57% of CSA assessments and 67% of CSE assessments, compared with 43% of all children in need
Children assessed with CSE were also more likely to experience multiple overlapping risk factors. On average, five assessment factors were recorded per child, compared with two for CSA, and only 11% of CSE cases had no other factors recorded.
Common co-occurring concerns included:
For CSA:
• parental mental health concerns
• child mental health concerns
• emotional abuse
• domestic abuse
For CSE:
• child mental health concerns
• going missing
• parental mental health concerns
• socially unacceptable behaviour
• self-harm
Most children assessed as affected by CSA or CSE were supported as children in need (CIN) rather than being placed on child protection plans or becoming looked after. However, children assessed with CSE were slightly more likely to become children looked after.
Re-referral rates also differed markedly:
• 29% of CSE referrals were re-referrals, one of the highest rates across assessment categories
• By contrast, CSA had one of the lowest re-referral rates at 19%
While children assessed with CSA or CSE were more likely to be subject to section 47 enquiries, these enquiries were less likely to progress to initial child protection conferences or child protection plans than for children assessed overall.
The number of child protection plans starting under the ‘sexual abuse’ category has declined sharply since 2018. The DfE attributes this to:
• fewer children assessed as affected by CSA or CSE starting CPPs
• reduced use of ‘sexual abuse’ as the initial category
• increased use of neglect, emotional abuse and physical abuse categories
The release notes a divergence between children’s social care data and police-recorded crime:
• Police-recorded contact CSA has risen by 41% since 2016
• Children’s social care assessments for CSA and CSE have remained relatively stable
However, this gap narrows significantly once non-recent offences are excluded.
The Department for Education cautions that there is significant regional variation in the recording of CSA and CSE, likely reflecting differences in local authority practice rather than underlying prevalence.
For family law practitioners, the data underscores the complex, multi-factor nature of cases involving sexual abuse and exploitation, the strong links with school absence and mental health concerns, and the challenges in translating safeguarding concerns into formal protection plans.
