Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Victim and Survivor Advisory Panel: factsheet
Published 26 October 2026
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October 2026
Overview
The Home Office is providing funding to the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales to establish an advisory panel for adult victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
The panel will work with government to inform policy on child sexual abuse and exploitation. It will provide a safe and structured way for victims and survivors living in England and Wales to contribute their views and engage actively with government on relevant policy issues.
The panel will be established and operated independently by the Office of the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales. The Victims’ Commissioner plays an important role in championing the interests of victims across the criminal justice system.
Locating the panel within the Commissioner’s Office will help ensure that victims and survivors can contribute independently and that their views are communicated openly to government and its partners to support change and better outcomes for all victims and survivors.
Victims aged 18 or over who have experienced any form of child sexual abuse and exploitation will be able to apply to join the new panel.
About the panel
The role of the panel
This government is committed to ensuring victims and survivors have a meaningful role in shaping the response to child sexual abuse and exploitation. Engagement with victims and survivors is essential to understanding how systems work in practice, the barriers people face, and where changes are needed.
The panel will provide a safe, structured and independent way for victims and survivors to engage actively with government on a range of policy issues. It will help ensure that their views meaningfully inform policy development and implementation, supporting better decision-making and improved outcomes for all victims and survivors across the system.
How the panel will be structured
The panel has been shaped through engagement with an NSPCC-facilitated Victim and Survivor Committee, specialist third sector organisations and international partners, alongside learning from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). These insights have shaped key elements of the panel’s design, including its structure, support offer and the recruitment process.
The panel will comprise a core group of members, supported by broader routes for engagement so that a wider range of victims and survivors can contribute to its work. This model recognises that no single group can reflect every experience of child sexual abuse and exploitation and will help ensure that the panel’s advice draws on a breadth of voices, perspectives and experiences.
How long the panel will run
Panel members will be selected to participate for 2 years, from spring 2027 to spring 2029. Any decision to establish a further panel after spring 2029 will be subject to future government decisions.
Application process
Who will be eligible to apply
The panel will be open to victims and survivors aged 18 or over who have experienced any form of child sexual abuse or exploitation, and who live in England or Wales.
Individuals applying will not be required to provide details of the abuse they have experienced during the expression of interest process, and members will not be required to publicly disclose their experience.
Full eligibility criteria and information about the selection process will be published by the Victims’ Commissioner’s Office when applications open.
How to apply
The expression of interest process for the panel will be carried out independently by the Victims’ Commissioner’s Office. Further details will be published on the Victims’ Commissioner’s website when applications open.
We encourage victims and survivors of child sexual abuse or exploitation, aged 18 and over, who live in England and Wales to consider applying to join the new panel. We are keen to hear from individuals with a broad range of experiences, backgrounds and perspectives so that the panel is reflective of the wide range of individuals affected by these crimes.
Support and compensation for panel members
We recognise that drawing on lived experience can be difficult and that individuals may need different types and levels of support to participate safely and meaningfully. Members will have access to wraparound support through an experienced survivor participation manager, alongside a wider optional support offer to help manage the impact of taking part in the panel’s work.
Members will be remunerated for their time and expertise, in line with current practice across the specialist sector. Reasonable expenses associated with participation will also be covered.
Further information about the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
This panel is unrelated to the temporary group set up by the Home Office last year to advise on the process to establish the independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs.
It is also entirely separate from the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs. The inquiry has developed its arrangements for engaging with victims and survivors. Further information about the inquiry and its engagement processes is available on its website: The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs.
More help and support
If you are a victim or survivor of child sexual abuse and exploitation, or a concerned family member or friend, this page will help you to understand what support is available: Victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation and abuse: sources of support - GOV.UK.