Mandatory Reporting
IICSA · The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse · Issued 20 October 2022 · Addressed to: UK Government
Government responseUK Government: Accepted in part (May 2023)
DeliveryUK Government says in progress (May 2026)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, K.5
The Inquiry recommends that the UK government and Welsh Government introduce legislation which places certain individuals - 'mandated reporters' - under a statutory duty to report child sexual abuse where they: receive a disclosure of child sexual abuse from a child or perpetrator; or witness a child being sexually abused; or observe recognised indicators of child sexual abuse. The following persons should be designated 'mandated reporters': any person working in regulated activity in relation to children (under the Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, as amended); any person working in a position of trust (as defined by the Sexual Offences Act 2003, as amended); and police officers. For the purposes of mandatory reporting, 'child sexual abuse' should be interpreted as any act that would be an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 where the alleged victim is a child under the age of 18. Where the child is aged between 13 and under 16 years old, a report need not be made where the mandated reporter reasonably believes that: the relationship between the parties is consensual and not intimidatory, exploitative or coercive; and the child has not been harmed and is not at risk of being harmed; and there is no material difference in capacity or maturity between the parties engaged in the sexual activity concerned, and there is a difference in age of no more than three years. These exceptions should not, however, apply where the alleged perpetrator is in a position of trust within the meaning of the 2003 Act. Where the child is under the age of 13, a report must always be made. Reports should be made to either local authority children's social care or the police as soon as is practicable. It should be a criminal offence for mandated reporters to fail to report child sexual abuse where they: are in receipt of a disclosure of child sexual abuse from a child or perpetrator; or witness a child being sexually abused.
IICSA, The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse · 20 Oct 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
In May 2026, the Home Office and Ministry of Justice reported that the Crime and Policing Act 2026 established a legal requirement for anyone in regulated activity relating to children in England to report child sexual abuse to the police or local authority, though guidance and work with regulators remain outstanding ahead of implementation (Home Office and Ministry of Justice, May 2026). HM Government had stated in May 2023 that it accepted the need for mandatory reporting in principle and agreed to implement a regime following a public consultation (Home Office response, May 2023).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.
Government response
●UK Government · Accepted in part · 22 May 2023
We accept the need for mandatory reporting; the Government has agreed to implement a mandatory reporting regime for child sexual abuse which will be informed by a full public consultation, beginning with the publication of a Call for Evidence alongside this response.
Extract from: Government response to the final report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Delivery
●UK Government says in progress · 11 May 2026
The Act establishes a clear legal requirement for anyone in regulated activity relating to children in England to report to the police or local authority if they are made aware a child is being sexually abused; either by being told about it by a child or perpetrator or witnessing the abuse themselves. A report must be made as soon as reasonably practicable to prevent the risk of further harm, but in circumstances which involve risk to the life of child this may be delayed for a maximum of seven days in order to manage that risk.
Only one report must be made for each disclosed incident – a reporter will not have to make a notification under the duty if they have confirmed that a report has already been made, or will be made in the near future. This means, for example, that a newly qualified professional can refer the incident to their designated safeguarding lead for an onward notification to be made to the local authority or the police.
Those who fail to report child sexual abuse which they are made aware of may be referred to the Disclosure and Barring Service, and face being barred from working with young people in the future. They could also be referred to their professional regulator to consider their fitness to practice (where relevant). The Government will set out clear guidance on the operation of the duty. We will work with regulators and professional standards-setting bodies to ensure the new duty is clearly communicated ahead of implementation.
From: Crime and Policing Act 2026: Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recommendations factsheet
Earlier statements on delivery (0)
●UK Government · 9 Apr 2025
The Government has already introduced clauses through the Crime and Policing Bill (February 2025) to put a mandatory reporting duty into law. We have moved quickly to deliver this crucial reform, described by Professor Alexis Jay as one of the most important recommendations she delivered to Government.
From: Tackling child sexual abuse: progress update (accessible version)
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