Long running national inquiry into child sexual abuse sees members call for wide-ranging reforms to child protection services

Councils should not wait for ministers’ response to the national child abuse inquiry, and instead begin major child protection reforms, a senior panel member has told The MJ.

John O’Brien, secretary to the Independent Investigation into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), said local authorities and their partners should lay the groundwork for improvements to children’s services – including potential mandatory reporting of CSA, improved data sharing, enhanced scrutiny of care homes and schools, and compensation schemes for abuse survivors.