Written question WQ96215

Data regarding child sexual abuse is collected and reported by several agencies including the police, probation, NHS and local authorities.

Data is currently collected by local authorities on the number of strategy meetings held where the presenting concern is sexual exploitation, going missing from home or care and modern slavery. Additionally, local authorities collect this data broken down by alleged perpetrator and setting.

Data collection in relation to alleged perpetrators and settings have been introduced into the adult's safeguarding section of the Welsh Government’s Performance and Improvement Framework activity and performance data collection this financial year. The data will be published in 2026-27. We work with local authorities to refine and mature this data on a continual basis.

Our 10-year strategy for Preventing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse includes a priority action to develop a core data set that will provide a fuller understanding of the scale, prevalence and nature, including information about perpetrators and settings.

A key stakeholder for the development of the strategy has been the Centre of Expertise for Child Sexual Abuse which has done a tremendous amount of work in this area.

The proposed delivery structure for the strategy includes the establishment of a victim-survivor advisory group that will be asked to contribute across the breadth of the work that will take place under the strategy including the development of a core data set.

Regional Safeguarding Boards have developed their own multi-agency data sets in relation to safeguarding children and adults. This includes information about child sexual abuse including exploitation.

The National Independent Safeguarding Board has a role in supporting Regional Boards and ensuring the effectiveness of the Board’s work. In 2023, the National Board commissioned Manchester Metropolitan University to work with the Regional Boards to develop a national performance management framework for safeguarding children and adults. This will incorporate measures of all forms of abuse, neglect and harm. This work continues and the National Board’s annual review 2022-2023 indicates that the children’s data set will be piloted in 2026-2027.

In the meantime, Manchester Metropolitan University and members of the National Board will be providing tailored support for Regional Boards who are in different places in terms of the maturity of their collection and reporting systems.