CSA experience for Chief Officer progression

38. The Home Office has carefully considered this recommendation with the College of Policing. The Home Office agrees that there is a need within the police to raise the profile and status of work to tackle child sexual abuse and that a leadership cadre with this experience is crucial to ensuring that the challenges facing modern policing can be met.

39. However, the Home Office is concerned that the Inquiry’s recommendation is not practical and would not achieve the desired aim. There are two principal concerns. First, a legal change making this experience an absolute requirement for all officers seeking to progress to senior ranks could limit the progression of talented individuals with other valuable skills and experience including those coming through direct entry programmes. Second, it would prioritise experience of child sexual abuse over other kinds of experience needed in policing, such as cyber crime and broader public protection, including domestic violence as well as wider business skills required to effectively lead a force.

40. The Home Office and the College of Policing have therefore drawn up a programme of non- legislative changes which seek to ensure that there is a broader understanding of safeguarding and vulnerability across all levels of leadership in policing.

41. The College of Policing is improving its offer in respect of safeguarding and vulnerability training to ensure that leaders at all levels prioritise, recognise and respond to safeguarding and vulnerability effectively. To date, this includes the following:

a) Enhanced coverage of vulnerability in the curriculum for the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship which was rolled out from September 2018. The vulnerability curriculum is now a formal part of all new recruit entry programmes, including direct entry at inspector and superintendent level.

b) Courses aimed at equipping undercover officers to undertake covert policing activity to tackle online child sexual exploitation.

c) The development of a licence to practise in high-harm and risk areas, with Public Protection and Safeguarding Leaders currently being considered as the first area for testing. The learning programme for this cohort is in development now, with the first courses expected in the first quarter of 2019.

42. The College of Policing has also committed to a range of wider activities specifically focused at chief officer development, including:

a) Designing a professional development support tool by January 2019, to help senior officers and staff who do not have experience of child sexual abuse investigations to attain the necessary knowledge and skills. Updated Continuous Professional Development material is now available to all ranks, including for superintendent and chief officer ranks.

b) Developing an enhanced national Strategic Command Course (SCC). A revised chief officer learning standard has been developed and the College is in the process of designing updated content for the 2019 course, taking into account the responses to the recommendations. Both the new learning outcome and operational leadership vulnerability scenario will be written by the end of December and a redesigned vulnerability assessment for the next SCC cohort will be ready for January 2019.

c) Building on the published guiding principles for organisational leadership and the Chief Officer Appointments Guidance . By spring 2019 it will issue advice to chief constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to help to ensure that they are more actively considering the balance of skills (including safeguarding experience) across senior leadership teams.

43. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services has agreed that it will continue to inspect against forces’ awareness of and response to child sexual abuse as part of its national child protection inspections.

44. The need for legislative changes will be kept under review by the Home Office as this work develops.

The College of Policing has made progress in delivering this programme of non-legislative changes.

On 22 July 2019, the UK Government stated that the Home Office and College of Policing had drawn up a programme of non-legislative changes to ensure there is an understanding of safeguarding and vulnerability across all levels of leadership in policing. The UK Government response also stated that the Home Office had not yet identified any need for legislative change but would keep this under review.