Cabinet-Level Minister for Children
IICSA · The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse · Issued 20 October 2022 · Addressed to: UK Government
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, K.2
The Inquiry recommends that the UK government creates a cabinet-level ministerial position for children. The Inquiry recommends that the Welsh Government ensures that there is cabinet-level ministerial responsibility for children.
IICSA, The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse · 20 Oct 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- No published dedicated cabinet-level Minister for Children post distinct from the Secretary of State for Education has been created to March 2026.
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
We accept the importance of placing the best interests of the child front and centre in policy and decision making at the highest level of Government. This role is already fulfilled through the work of the Secretary of State for Education.
UK Government · 22 May 2023 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 8 Apr 2025 Secretary of State for Education designated as Cabinet minister for children. New Keeping Children Safe ministerial board established to coordinate cross-government action on child protection. Source →
- 21 Jan 2025 · Home Affairs Select Committee Professor Alexis Jay told Home Affairs Committee that £187m was spent on IICSA and "to date none of its final recommendations had been implemented." Called for "full implementation" saying "get it done." View source → No Meaningful Progress
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.