Research and analysis

Crime and Policing Bill - mandatory reporting duty of child sexual abuse: impact assessment - RPC opinion (red-rated)

Regulatory Policy Committee opinion on the Home Office's impact assessment (IA) for the mandatory reporting duty of child sexual abuse proposals in the Crime and Policing Bill

• From: Regulatory Policy Committee
• Published: 9 April 2025

Documents

RPC Opinion: Crime and Policing Bill - mandatory reporting duty of child sexual abuse

PDF, 143 KB, 10 pages

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Details

This proposal introduces a mandatory reporting duty to report suspected child sexual abuse in England, and a criminal offence for anyone found obstructing a reporter from fulfilling this duty.

The IA provides a reasonable rationale for intervention to address the under-reporting of child sexual abuse, drawing on a recommendation from the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse. The assessment focuses on the preferred mandatory reporting option against do nothing. However, it must incorporate more evidence, such as from the inquiry, including specific international evidence. Key elements of the evidence base must be in the assessment itself, to bring together the evidence and analysis in one place, to justify the assessment.

This assessment is not fit for purpose; red-rated.

Published 9 April 2025