Morning, Wednesday, 16th July 2025
Online
This conference will examine next steps for child protection and safeguarding practices in England, in the context of recent policy developments aimed at tackling child sexual exploitation.
It will bring key stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss recent regulatory proposals, including the implementation of The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, and the impact of provisions in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on protecting young people from abuse, and strengthening multi-agency co-ordination.
Attendees will consider priorities for effective safeguarding partnerships, locally-led inquiries into grooming gangs, and challenges for authorities when reviewing cases of child sexual exploitation and broader areas of abuse and neglect. There will also be discussion on the increasing complexity of risk factors, including contextual harms outside the home such as gang exploitation, county lines activity, and risks in school or community settings.
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.
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 for companies to monitor and 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. There will also be wider discussion of online harms, including cyberbullying, self-harm encouragement, exposure to radical content, and the challenges for schools and parents in managing children’s digital lives.
Further discussion will look at the work of agencies in identifying those at risk of exploitation, as well as best practice for policing, education and local authorities. 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.
With the agenda currently in the drafting stage, overall areas for discussion include:
- regulatory proposals for improving child protection provision in England and tackling child exploitation: implications of measures proposed in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill - clarifying the pilot approach to the Oldham local inquiry and four other regions - examining the practicalities of new measures allowing survivors from child exploitation to request independent case reviews where cases were closed without prosecution
- ensuring consistent national oversight: reinforcing the value of multi-agency co-ordination - addressing safeguarding partners’ individual responsibilities to protect children locally - potential strategies for implementation of the Bill’s proposal for a register of children not in school - assessing how far school safeguarding spot checks and a single unique identifier can address vulnerabilities
- online protection for young people: discussion on obligations set out in the Online Safety Act 2023 - reviewing codes of practice and guidance so far for implementing the Bill - analysing the efficacy of current digital initiatives to mitigate and prevent risks of child sexual exploitation
- options for reform: translating and applying previous reports’ recommendations - discussion on what a cohesive legal framework on child criminal exploitation would look like - examining practicalities of implementing multi-agency regulation - assessing proposed digital tools for identifying and categorising online context, preventing re-victimisation, and effectively dismantling child exploitation networks
- supporting vulnerable groups and early intervention: addressing the needs of children with SEND, those in care, and young people exposed to domestic abuse - strengthening early help and family support - mental health and trauma-informed approaches
- survivor engagement: reviewing the use of victim engagement, national data and previous inquiries to inform future regulation - ensuring appropriate mental health and holistic support services for survivors - discussion on strategies for multi-agency co-ordination with safeguarding partners and victim advocacy groups
- contextual safeguarding: addressing harms outside the home - tackling gang and peer-based exploitation - building safer schools, neighbourhoods, and online spaces - embedding contextual safeguarding into local authority strategy
