The NWG Network[1] welcomes the National Audit Report completed by Baroness Casey and the recommendation for a National Inquiry that places an emphasis on the voices of victims and survivors of serious and organised crime known as group-based child sexual exploitation. It will be vital that the terms of reference for such an Inquiry do not simply repeat previous inquiries, nor that it creates a lengthy timescale that yet further delays the implementation of improvements and more importantly justice for those who have been so let down for so long.

Following the first grooming gang prosecutions in Derby (Op Retriever) and the requests for support, the more informal beginnings allowed the organisation to steadily grow from 2011 by expanding its activities, increasing involvement, and gradually its structure to enhance the impact and responses to children and young people victim to sexual exploitation. Since then we have worked tirelessly with front line practitioners and services to establish improved and best practice and support with the implementation of recommendations and learning within Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships (LSCP).

Despite major improvements in how we safeguard and protect children, we continue to see a lack of innovation in the disruption of exploitation, e.g. trafficking legislation still under used, despite the clear movement of children across towns and cities for the purpose of sexually exploiting them.  We would welcome a national response that sees child exploitation, in particular coordinated and planned grooming, as serious and organised crime, resourced appropriately and prioritised in the same way as terrorism and drugs investigations are.  Again, we welcome the proposed oversight of the National Crime Agency and the details around a national response.

We were especially pleased to see the recognition of the role of the commercial sector and establishments in Exploitation, something that led to the NWG’s ‘Say Something if you See Something’ [2]campaign.  Perpetrators have frequently used local taxi services, nightclubs, fast food outlets, hotels and other public venues to transport victims and facilitate exploitation.  This is not however new, survivors have been telling us this for years.

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[1] The NWG Network is a charitable organisation formed as a UK network of over 14,500 practitioners who disseminate information through their services, to professionals working on the issues of child exploitation (CE) and trafficking within the UK. Our network covers voluntary and statutory services and private companies in this field. We offer support, advice and raise the profile of CE, provide updates, training, share national developments and influence the development of national and local policy informed by practice.

[2] Stop CE