Truth Project concludes after six years

The Inquiry’s Truth Project has now come to a close. More than 6,000 victims and survivors of child sexual abuse have come forward to share their accounts.

For six years, the Truth Project has given victims and survivors a safe and supportive opportunity to share their experiences and put forward suggestions for change. It closed at the end of October so that all of the accounts shared could be used to inform the Inquiry’s Final Report, due to be published next year.

Every experience shared with the Inquiry has made a vital contribution to our work, helping us to build a clearer understanding of child sexual abuse and make changes to ensure the same failures don’t happen again. Read more.

Embedding a trauma-informed approach across the Inquiry

Members of the Inquiry’s Support and Safeguarding team have written for Therapy Today about the trauma-informed approach. This article demonstrates how the team used their theoretical knowledge and counselling skills to provide a trauma-informed environment for the legal Inquiry process to take place. It also shows how their understanding of person-centred and psychodynamic theory-informed engagement with all ‘clients’. Read more.

Inquiry publishes new responses to recommendations

The Inquiry has recently published further updates on responses to its recommendations.

The update relates to a range of recommendations from reports including Children Outside the UK Phase 2, Children in Custodial Institutions, the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church, Child Protection in Religious Organisations and Settings, Accountability and Reparations, Lambeth Council, the Internet and Westminster. 

The Inquiry’s dedicated recommendations section brings together the 74 recommendations addressed to a range of institutions, including government departments and agencies, made by the Inquiry so far. Read more.

Update on publication of the Child Sexual Exploitation by Organised Networks investigation report

The public hearing for the Child Sexual Exploitation by Organised Networks investigation concluded in October 2020. On closing the hearing, the Chair said that the Inquiry hoped to publish the investigation report in late summer/autumn 2021. Report production is entering its final stages, but publication is now planned for early in 2022. 

Other Inquiry reports highlight child sexual exploitation including the Cambridge House, Knowl View and Rochdale Investigation Report. The Inquiry heard that sexual exploitation of some boys was taking place in Rochdale town centre, in the public toilets and bus station, by men paying for sex. Some boys were also trafficked to other towns for that purpose. Details of all Inquiry investigations can be found on our website.

Society has allowed child sexual abuse to exist – now we must do more to help those affected

In a blog for LocalGov, Kit Shellam, member of the Inquiry’s Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel (VSCP) asks, ‘Are we as a society prepared to accept that as the sexual abuse of children continues to arguably be the last taboo, many more lives will be burdened, with long-lasting effects on victims and survivors’ mental and physical health, relationships, education and employment?’ Read more.