Committee publication · Correspondence · 18 June 2026
Letter from the Home Secretary relating to Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse - One Year On 16.06.2026
From: Home Affairs Committee
Summary
The Home Secretary updates Parliament on government progress implementing Baroness Casey's 12 recommendations from her National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, one year after publication. The government reports significant strides including new criminal offences via the Crime and Policing Act 2026, launch of Operation BEACONPORT (£37.7m), establishment of an Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, and legislative commitments via the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 to mandate information-sharing and introduce unique child identifiers.
Key findings
- New criminal offences created through Crime and Policing Act 2026 mandating rape charges for adults intentionally penetrating children under 16; post-implementation review and close-in-age consultation committed.
- Operation BEACONPORT launched as national police operation into group-based CSE, embedding serious organised crime approach, running until March 2029 with £37.7m backing this financial year.
- Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs commenced 13 April under Inquiries Act 2005 with £65m budget, concluding by end March 2029.
- Crime and Policing Act introduced disregard scheme for under-18s convicted for on-street prostitution; Criminal Cases Review Commission empowered to review broader victim convictions.
- Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 enables mandatory information-sharing duty (commencing September 2026) and Single Unique Identifier for children to improve inter-agency information sharing; Police Reform Bill will mandate national data standards for ethnicity/nationality collection.
Tone
FactualTopics
Key actors
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Baroness Casey, Dame Karen Bradley, National Crime Agency, Criminal Cases Review Commission, Department for Education, Department for Transport
Notable line
“Baroness Casey's landmark Audit laid bare decades of profound institutional failure and inaction, and it is right that these findings continue to command the highest level of attention.”
Key Quotes
“Baroness Casey's landmark Audit laid bare decades of profound institutional failure and inaction, and it is right that these findings continue to command the highest level of attention.”
“Since then, we have made significant strides in delivery, but there is more to do.”
“I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Committee to maintain momentum and deliver the justice and protection that victims and survivors have long been denied.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗