BASW response to IICSA final report

Since the publication of the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in England and Wales, BASW has been considering the report’s recommendations.

The full report is available to download here.

Members have been offered the opportunity to provide their thoughts via a short survey, through a meeting for discussion and through the BASW England Children and Families Thematic Group. 

BASW wants to once again take the opportunity to recognise the bravery and courage of the victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and supports their rights to redress, compensation and specialist therapeutic support for victims and survivors. It also supports the ban on pain compliance techniques.

BASW is generally supportive of the report’s recommendations, whilst recognising that members have also raised practical issues, queries and caveats that would require addressing for some of the proposals, including mandatory reporting. Contributions from members highlighted importance of the details of implementation, for example: the need for sensitive handling of a single redress system; whether and how the proposed Child Protection Authorities would fit into an already complex landscape of agencies; and how widely the proposed amendment to the Children Act 1989 would be used.

Upon the publication of the report, the UK and Welsh Governments were given six months to respond to the recommendations. The Home Secretary has recently indicated that the Home Office will consult on mandatory reporting for England. BASW will engage with members to prepare a response to this and to any other consultations that are subsequently launched on taking recommendations forward.