Morning, Wednesday, 16th July 2025
Online
This conference will examine next steps for child protection and safeguarding practice in England, particularly in the context of recent policy developments aimed at tackling child sexual exploitation.
Regulation and coordination
It will bring together key stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss recent regulatory proposals. Sessions in the agenda will assess the way forward for implementation of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse chaired by Professor Alexis Jay and commissioned by the Home Office, including its recommendations focused on mandatory reporting, the establishment of a new Child Protection Authority, clearer national oversight, and development of consistent standards for safeguarding practice.
Delegates will also consider the impact of provisions in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on protecting young people from abuse, looking at proposals for a unique child identifier, register of children not in school, and greater coordination across local services. Areas for discussion include assessing resources that will be needed to support effective delivery of the Bill’s proposals, and how multi-agency teams can be equipped to meet growing safeguarding responsibilities. We also expect delegates to assess how stakeholder concerns might be addressed around workforce capacity and the adequacy of funding and training to implement new frameworks.
Inquiries into grooming gangs and risk factors
Sessions will consider priorities for locally-led inquiries into child exploitation networks locally and online in light of the nationwide review, the efficiency of safeguarding partners, and challenges for authorities when reviewing cases of child sexual exploitation and other areas of child abuse and neglect. We expect delegates to consider public expectations for accountability in high-profile local cases and the wider implications for survivor engagement, including recent calls for inquiry processes that prioritise victims' voices and avoid politicisation.
Delegates will examine key findings so far from both the audit and inquiry into grooming gangs, examining the scope of evidence to be reviewed, and impact of investigations on victims. Implementation of the new Victims and Survivors Panel and the Child Protection Authority will be discussed, as well as practicalities of new measures for closed case appeals and mandatory reporting mechanisms.
Attendees will consider recommendations made by previous reviews as well as best practice and lessons learnt from previous locally-led inquiries, including options for improving survivor compensation frameworks and possible mechanisms for addressing barriers to redress in cases where there has not been a conviction.
Protecting children online
Sessions will examine challenges for ensuring the safety of children online, implications of the Online Safety Act 2023 for victims of exploitation and technology firms, as well as potential strategies such as digital platforms and online service providers monitoring and helping tackle harmful material. There will be discussion on the efficacy of national preventative measures already in place such as the Child Abuse Image Database, and the Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme, as well as on Ofcom’s guidance published in January 2025. The evolving debate on proposals for increased parental access to children’s digital platforms and accounts will also be reflected in discussion, including wider questions around children’s privacy and safety, along with oversight responsibilities.
There will also be wider discussion of online harms, including cyberbullying, self-harm encouragement, exposure to radical content, and challenges for schools and parents in managing children’s digital lives.
Identifying and mitigating risk factors
There will be discussion on the increasing complexity of risk factors, including contextual harms outside the home such as risks in school or community settings, peer-based and gang exploitation, and county lines activity. Delegates will look at the work of agencies in identifying those at risk of exploitation, as well as best practice for education, local authorities and policing - with new offences proposed in the Crime and Policing Bill, looking at their impact on the enforcement of exploitative behaviour towards young people.
We expect discussion to take into account research linking housing instability, mental health, and local authority capacity constraints to safeguarding outcomes, and how such pressures might be addressed to mitigate impact on frontline responses. Discussion will also consider how safeguarding services can better address the needs of children with SEND, those in care, and young people affected by domestic abuse.
Delegates will consider priorities for the recruitment, training and retention of social workers, and the growing need for care to support young people in order to mitigate risks of abuse. Attendees will consider options for reform, including proposed digital tools for identifying and categorising online context, preventing re-victimisation, and effectively dismantling organised child exploitation networks while addressing public expectations for visible enforcement and timely action.
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those due to attend include officials from DfE; Ofcom; and Ofsted.
