The Government's Detailed Response to IICSA - Creating a More Protective Environment for Children, Grace Byrom

Continuing our series of blogs detailing the UK Government response to the recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) this blog considers steps to create a more protective environment for children.

Recommendations 7-11 of the IICSA were made with the intention of ensuring that organisations which come into contact with children take adequate steps to provide a protective environment for vulnerable children.

These recommendations are:

Recommendation 7: Registration of care staff in Children’s Homes
Recommendation 8: Registration of staff in young offender institutions and secure training centres
Recommendation 9: Extended use of the barred list of people unsuitable for work with children
Recommendation 10: Improved compliance with statutory duties to inform the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) about individuals who may pose a risk of harm to children
Recommendation 11: Extending the disclosure regime to those working with children overseas

It is evident from this list that there is a focus on ensuring that those working with children are subject to more robust vetting and on improving compliance with safeguarding policies and practices. It is also clear that this focus will need to be reflected in the recruitment processes of organisations, with specific recommendations regarding the DBS.

The Government has set out their plans for dealing with these recommendations, some of which are to take place with immediate effect.

Government response to Recommendation 7

With regards to recommendation 7, the Government recognises the vital role of staff working in children’s homes. It recognises, equally, that staff must be trained, have the right skills, and be able to be challenged when they are not providing a good quality of care. The Government outlines that one way of improving the quality and accountability for children’s home staff is by extending registration to cover all staff working in children’s homes.

The Department for Education has commissioned Social Work England to scope potential models of professional registration for staff in children’s homes. Based on the outcomes of this work, the Government has opted to improve qualifications, standards and access to training but has not yet come to a conclusion on whether registration of care staff is the correct and most effective approach.

The Government will work with the sector to agree the standards, skills and knowledge that those working in children’s homes should be expected to demonstrate, review the mandatory qualifications in residential childcare, understand barriers to staff training, and assess the risks and benefits of introducing a registration model for care staff.

Though these steps are set to be taken by 2028/29, the pace and sequencing of this work will depend on funding.

Government response to Recommendation 8

In an effort to bolster safeguarding efforts in young offender institutions and secure training centres, the Government intends to undertake, with immediate action, a programme of work which will involve reviewing the recruitment processes of staff employed to work with children with complex needs and the training and qualifications with which they are provided to ensure they are able to meet the needs of those children.

The Government will also commit to determining the most suitable registration framework for the youth custody estate. As part of this work, they will explore the merits of external registration. The decision made about the same is set to be announced by March 2026.

Government response to Recommendation 9

In response to the IICSA’s recommendations on the DBS, the Government has introduced primary legislation to remove the supervision exemption in the Crime and Policing Bill. This will remove the exemption which prevents schools and other employers from finding out whether somebody working or volunteering closely and frequently with children on a supervised basis is on the DBS’s children’s barred list. As a result, anyone in such a position will be eligible for the highest level of criminal record check carried out by the DBS, regardless of whether they are working under supervision.

Government response to Recommendation 10

Working with the DBS, the Government plans to drive a programme of work to improve compliance with the statutory duty to inform the DBS about individuals who may pose a risk of harm to children.

This will apply to schools where, through working with Ofsted, the Government will ensure that schools fully understand their duty to refer. Ofsted will also be made to ensure that compliance continues to be a part of their assessment of safeguarding procedures during inspections.

Government response to Recommendation 11

By 2026, the Government will enable those making decisions overseas to have access to DBS barred list data, by working with ACRO Criminal Record Office and DBS.

As a result of the Government’s response to IICSA recommendations 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, organisations whose work involves supervision of or working closely with children may expect to experience changes in recruitment processes, as well as increased stringency in the training of staff members.