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R13

Criteria for police notification

Bichard Inquiry · The Bichard Inquiry Report · Issued 22 June 2004 · Addressed to: DfES

Government responseHome Office: Accepted (Dec 2004)

DeliveryHome Office says completed (May 2007)

Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry

●Inquiry recommendation

National guidance should be produced to inform the decision as to whether or not to notify the police. This guidance could usefully draw upon the criteria included in a local protocol being developed by Sheffield Social Services and brought to the attention of the Inquiry. The decision would therefore take account of: age or power imbalances; overt aggression; coercion or bribery; the misuse of substances as a disinhibitor; whether the child's own behaviour, because of the misuse of substances, places him/her at risk so that he/she is unable to make an informed choice about any activity; whether any attempts to secure secrecy have been made by the sexual partner, beyond what would be considered usual in a teenage relationship; whether the sexual partner is known by one of the agencies (which presupposes that checks will be made with the police); whether the child denies, minimises or accepts concerns; and whether the methods used are consistent with grooming.

Bichard Inquiry, The Bichard Inquiry Report · 22 Jun 2004 Source PDF →

Published evidence summary

AI-generated evidence summary

In May 2007, the Home Office reported that the Department for Education and Skills considered Recommendation 13 to have been implemented (Home Office, May 2007). It had previously recorded in May 2006 that the measure was complete (Home Office, May 2006). In December 2004, the department had accepted the recommendation, noting that new guidance would be developed following the implementation of the Children Act 2004 as part of wider guidance on Local Safeguarding Children Boards (Home Office response, Dec 2004).

Sources

Home Office, May 2007
Home Office, May 2006

AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.

Report-level response context

The Government accepted all 31 recommendations collectively: the Home Secretary's written statement of 11 January 2005 records that "All 31 recommendations were accepted by the Government when the Inquiry reported in June 2004". No document states an acceptance decision for any single recommendation. The response shown against each recommendation is the Home Office's answer to it in the first progress report, sent to Sir Michael Bichard on 22 December 2004 and placed in the Library of the House on 11 January 2005. The Government then reported against the recommendations three more times, in November 2005, May 2006 and May 2007; the updates shown are taken from those reports.

Government response

●Home Office · Accepted · 22 Dec 2004

Words of: Home Office, Bichard Inquiry Recommendations: Progress Report, 22 December 2004

Recommendation 13: New guidance will be developed once the Children Act 2004 has been implemented, in consultation with ACPO, the ADSS and ADECS, as part of the wider guidance on Local Safeguarding Children Boards.

Response document: Bichard Inquiry Recommendations: Progress Report

Delivery

●Home Office says completed · 22 May 2007

DfES, which has the policy lead for this work, reports that Recommendations 12 and 13 have been implemented, with Recommendations 14 and 15 substantially delivered in terms of DfES policy addressing ICS functional requirements and with local implementation of both recommendations progressing.

From: Bichard Inquiry Recommendations: Fourth Progress Report

Earlier statements on delivery (0)

●Home Office · 25 May 2006

Recommendations 12–15 are complete.

From: Bichard Inquiry Recommendations: Third Progress Report

How this page is built

The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.