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3 hours ago
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Terms of reference for the independent inquiry into grooming gangs in England and Wales have been agreed. The formal process starts in less than two weeks. For victims and survivors, this is a huge moment. Many have battled for years for a statutory inquiry of this sort.
In response to their feedback, the timeframe now stretches back to 1996. Examining crimes, and the response to them, in many locations over such a long period is a daunting task. But by commissioning this inquiry, after initially rejecting the idea, the government has accepted that a nationwide overview of the phenomenon of group-based child sexual exploitation is needed.
Anne Longfield, the former children’s commissioner for England, was a Labour peer before being chosen to lead the inquiry. Some victims and survivors wanted a judge. She and her panel will have to earn their trust. Public inquiries are by definition challenging and sensitive, since their purpose is to make amends when multiple agencies have failed. This one is particularly difficult for several reasons.
One is the sheer scale of the criminality involved. In her audit for ministers last year, Louise Casey strongly criticised the poor quality of existing data. But no one doubts that there are many thousands of victims. In 2024, around 17,000 child sexual exploitation offences were flagged by police (out of a total of around 100,000 child sexual offences). Given that a police investigation of a single crime can take months or even years, Lady Longfield needs to explain how the inquiry will cope with so many victims and perpetrators. Due to concerns about the length of previous inquiries, including the seven-year independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA), she has set a time limit of three years.
Lady Casey judged that evidence showing the disproportionate representation of men of Asian ethnicity exploiting white teenage girls in some areas “warrants further examination”. Lady Longfield must go where the evidence leads, but finding a way to do this despite flawed data, in a political context in which far-right activists are eager to exploit findings related to race, religion or culture, will require great care. Around a quarter of recorded group-based child sexual offences take place in a victim’s family environment. There is also a risk that the promised “laser” focus on grooming gangs has the effect of skewing public perceptions of child sexual abuse overall.
For seekers of accountability following failures by public authorities, statutory inquiries have become the gold standard due to their high profile, dedicated resources, the platform they offer to victims, and power to summon witnesses. But some participants in previous inquiries have ended up disappointed. Last month the Maggie Oliver Foundation, a charity led by a former detective, launched a novel legal case against the government over its failure to implement recommendations from the IICSA.
Previous local reports on grooming gangs have highlighted the need to invest in frontline services to aid prevention and support victims. This inquiry seems virtually certain to make similar recommendations – with significant financial implications. Clearly, ministers cannot promise to follow the advice of a report that will be published after the next general election. They must ensure that participants go into this important process with an awareness of its limitations as well as advantages.
