Distinguish CSE risk from actual exploitation
IICSA · Child Sexual Exploitation by Organised Networks Investigation Report · Issued 1 February 2022 · Addressed to: Department for Education
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, E
The Department for Education and the Welsh Government must ensure that their updated national guidance makes clear that signs that a child is being sexually exploited must never be treated as indications that a child is only 'at risk' of experiencing this harm. In line with this, local authorities in England and in Wales should ensure that their assessment of risk and harm enables them to accurately distinguish between: children who are at risk of experiencing sexual exploitation; children who are experiencing or have already experienced sexual exploitation; and children who have experienced sexual exploitation and are at risk of experiencing further abuse.
IICSA, Child Sexual Exploitation by Organised Networks Investigation Report · 1 Feb 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- The Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance was updated in December 2023, but no published specific directive addressing signs of CSE and consent as specified in this recommendation has been identified to March 2026.
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
On 30 June 2022, the UK government provided the Inquiry with its provisional response to this recommendation. The UK government stated its final response to this recommendation would be provided within six months of the report's publication date, by 1 August 2022, and it will then be available on the Inquiry's website. On 30 June 2022, the Welsh Government stated that the term 'child at risk' has a legal basis in Wales and is defined in the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 as a child who 'is experiencing or is at risk of abuse'. Therefore, it stated that references to a child as 'at risk' in legislation and statutory guidance which inform practice are not intended to suggest that a child 'at risk' is not already experiencing abuse.
UK Government · 22 May 2023 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 9 Apr 2025 April 2025 government progress update: the Home Secretary announced updating the guidance on child sexual exploitation to ensure advice for those working with children remains relevant and informed by the latest available evidence. Source →
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.
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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.