New panel to give child sexual abuse and exploitation survivors a voice
New Victims' Commissioner panel, backed by £1 million in Home Office funding, will give adult survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation more say in decisions.
Adult victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) will have a stronger voice in shaping decisions that affect them, as the government sets up a new advisory panel of people with lived experience of these horrific crimes.
Operated by the independent Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, the new CSAE Victim and Survivor Advisory Panel will provide a safe, supportive forum for victims and survivors to share their experiences, insights and recommendations directly with government – helping to bring better outcomes for all victims and survivors of these terrible crimes.
The government is investing up to £1 million over the next 3 years to fund the panel.
Satvir Kaur MP, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, said:
Victims and survivors know better than anyone what changes we need. Yet too many decisions are still being made for them, instead of with them.
This panel will ensure survivor’s voices are where they need to be: right at the heart of decision-making for tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation and supporting victims.
The panel delivers on a government commitment to ensure people’s real, lived experiences shape how it tackles CSAE. It was developed in partnership with victims and survivors and draws on evidence and expertise from the child sexual abuse sector and successful international examples.
The Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, Claire Waxman OBE said:
Victims and survivors have been clear that they want to be listened to, not spoken for. This independent panel is an opportunity to do things differently, moving beyond tokenistic engagement to give survivors a meaningful role in shaping the policies, practices and services that affect them.
I am proud that my office will host this panel. It will be built on independence, trust, transparency, and proper support, so that members can contribute with confidence, knowing their voices will influence change. Real reform means not just listening but acting.
If you are an adult survivor of child sexual abuse and exploitation and feel able to do so, I encourage you to consider applying. Your experiences, insights and expertise are vital to helping deliver a better response for victims and survivors.
The Victims’ Commissioner will open the recruitment process to the public shortly, so the panel can begin its work in spring 2027.
Victims and survivors have long asked for a more active role in influencing decision-making. By establishing this new panel, this government is going further than ever before in including their voices in a meaningful way.
Minister for Victims, Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls and International, Justice Alex Davies-Jones said:
No child should ever have to go through the horrors of sexual abuse and exploitation. But when they do, as adult survivors they deserve a seat at the table in shaping the decisions made to support them and tackle these abominable crimes.
We will always do everything we can to support survivors, and that’s why we’re investing an unprecedented £550 million in support services over the next 3 years, which includes holistic, trauma-informed support to victims of sexual abuse – helping deliver the justice they deserve.
Ciara Bergman, CEO of Rape Crisis England and Wales said:
We welcome the formation of this expert panel as an important opportunity for survivors to shape government policy and drive meaningful change. Survivors of child rape, sexual abuse and exploitation – in all their diversity – bring vital and much-needed knowledge and lived expertise, and we’re hopeful that their involvement can help make practical improvements as well as holding government to account. We look forward to seeing how their contributions shape and inform the work of government.
Chief Executive of NAPAC (the National Association for People Abused in Childhood), Gabrielle Shaw said:
This panel presents a powerful opportunity to ensure that national policy is directly shaped by survivors. NAPAC commends the work undertaken to prioritise ethical engagement and survivor wellbeing. Proper integration of lived experience is essential to building systems that work for those affected by childhood sexual abuse – and we hope this panel will lay the foundations for safe, long-term collaboration at a national level.
Anna Edmundson, Director of Policy and Social Change at NSPCC, said:
Every child deserves a safe childhood, free from abuse and harm.
To prevent child sexual abuse and exploitation and improve support for those affected, we must listen to victims and survivors whose bravery in speaking up and sharing their experiences provide invaluable insight into what works and what needs to change.
We welcome this panel and its commitment to putting lived experience at the heart of how we all – across society, our public services and government – respond to these devastating crimes.
Today’s announcement further demonstrates the government’s commitment to cracking down on the unacceptable levels of child sexual abuse and exploitation in this country. The government is providing a record £100 million this year to tackle CSAE in all its forms, support victims and survivors, enhance the police response, and pursue vile predators and abusers wherever they hide.
Additional quotes:
Dr Daniel Taggart, Reader in clinical psychology, University of Essex said:
Building on the pioneering work of the victims and survivors consultative panel at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, this panel can make a real difference to how policy and practice are developed in the sector. Our research into the value of lived experience panels shows that survivor knowledge can bring something unique, offering moral guidance and emotional sensitivity that is much needed in this work. Its establishment signals that the government is serious about changing the way we approach survivors of child sexual abuse and that partnership is at the heart of the new paradigm.
Lucy Hughes, CEO of Mankind UK, said:
Mankind UK’s Lived Experience Network is proud to have helped shape the development of this panel. We’re grateful to the Commissioner for ensuring that male survivors’ voices can continue to influence how government improves equity of access to quality support services.
Lawrence Jordan, CEO of Marie Collins Foundation said:
We welcome the establishment of this panel and the recognition that victims and survivors have a vital role in shaping government policy. At the Marie Collins Foundation, we have seen first-hand how the courage and expertise of members of our Lived Experience Group have helped shape policy, professional practice and recovery support. We see this as an important opportunity to bring more voices and perspectives into decisions that directly affect victims and survivors.
Kathy Wieczorek, Project and Social Media Lead, Behind Our Screen said:
At Behind Our Screen, we know that tackling online harm effectively requires direct input from people with lived experience. Establishing this panel ensures that survivor voices directly guide government decision-making. We welcome this step toward bringing survivor expertise to the centre of policy to help build safer digital spaces for young people.
Ian Dean, Director, Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse said:
The creation of the Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Victim and Survivor Panel is an important step towards ensuring that policy and practice on child sexual abuse is informed by the experiences and expertise of victims and survivors. We know from our work that those who have experienced sexual abuse have a unique understanding of where multi-agency systems and professionals work well, and where they may fall short. A dedicated panel provides an important forum for those insights to inform decision-making and help strengthen responses to child sexual abuse.
Cath Pickles, CEO of Restitute said:
At Restitute, we know the value of lived experience to shape, scrutinise and develop services for survivors and their families. We were pleased to contribute to the development of this project. We are hopeful that the voices, not only of those who have made a significant recovery are part of this panel but those who continue to struggle and whose voices are less often heard will be able to make their contribution too.
Duncan Craig OBE, Chief Executive Officer of We Are Survivors and member of the Victims’ Commissioner’s Victim Sector Advisory Board (VSAB) said:
Lived experience has always been at the heart of the Office of the Victims’ Commissioner and I have been proud to play my part in utilising my own lived experience as a victim of CSAE combined with my experience as a leader of a victims’ organisation. For as long as I have known Claire, she has not only led from the front with regards to lived experience but has consistently tried to find spaces to elevate victims voices
So I am delighted that the new CSAE Victim and Survivor Advisory Panel will be housed within the Office of the Victims’ Commissioner. It is absolutely the right place for the panel, with a Victims’ Commissioner that continues to put lived experience at the heart of creating change.