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A new series of joint targeted area inspections (JTAIs) will begin this autumn, examining how local agencies respond to child sexual abuse in the family environment.
The inspections will be carried out by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and HM Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP). Guidance for the programme was published on 10 September.
Inspectors will review how police, children’s social care, probation and relevant health services work together to:
respond when children are identified as being at risk or victims of child sexual abuse within the family
assess, plan and make decisions following referrals and notifications
protect, support and care for children affected
prevent abuse from occurring
They will also consider how local agencies collaborate with schools, early years providers and the voluntary and community sector to identify and respond to abuse.
The focus revisits themes raised in a 2020 joint inspectorates report, which urged policymakers and local partners to give greater attention to child sexual abuse in the family setting. Data since then shows a decline in the number of children on child protection plans for sexual abuse, while prosecutions remain limited. Growing concerns about child-on-child abuse and online exploitation also underline the importance of the renewed inspections.
Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s national director for social care, said:
“In 2020, we published a report calling on policy makers and local partners to give greater attention to child sexual abuse in the family environment; so that its prevalence could be better understood, victims could be protected, and offenders brought to justice… it is the right time to revisit this issue in our upcoming JTAI.”
Martin Jones, HM Chief Inspector of Probation, highlighted the central role of probation in managing sexual offenders and working with partners to safeguard children, saying the inspections will “strengthen practice and drive improvements that make a meaningful difference to children’s lives.”
Lucy Harte, deputy director for multiagency operations at CQC, stressed the importance of health services in identifying signs of abuse and providing support, noting that the inspections will “provide us with a better understanding of how health services support children who are victims of sexual abuse in the family environment.”
Michelle Skeer, His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, described child sexual abuse within families as “a horrific crime, accounting for almost half of all child sexual abuse offences reported to the police in England and Wales,” and said the inspections will assess how agencies work together “to identify risks early, respond appropriately to concerns, and ultimately act quickly to make sure children receive the support and protection they deserve.”
The new JTAI programme follows a recommendation made in November 2024 by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel for further scrutiny of multi-agency responses to child sexual abuse in the family environment.
