Safeguarding professionals are protecting the lowest number of children at risk of sexual abuse in three decades despite an increase in child sexual abuse convictions, new data reveals.
Council children’s services in England placed just 2,160 children on child protection plans for sexual abuse in 2023/24, the lowest number in 30 years, according to the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre).
However, police forces in England and Wales recorded more charges brought against suspects of child sexual abuse in 2023/24 (13,098) than ever before.
Ian Dean, director of the CSA Centre, commented: ‘We continue to estimate that at least half a million children will experience sexual abuse each year, and the gap between this estimate and those actually identified and supported by safeguarding professionals remains far too wide.’
Cllr Arooj Shah, chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said that it was vital that all professionals working with children receive ‘high quality training’ and that they should work with the wider community to tackle abuse.
