This national review explores the specific challenges which feature in the identification, assessment, and response to child sexual abuse within the family environment. It analysed 136 serious child safeguarding incidents, and 41 related serious case reviews (SCRs) and local child safeguarding practice reviews (LCSPRs), and sets out recommendations and findings for national government and local safeguarding partners to protect children at risk.
It reveals that children who are sexually abused by someone in their family are frequently not being identified by practitioners, nor are they receiving the response needed for their ongoing safety and recovery. It aims to break this silence and drive whole-system change that empowers practitioners to identify and respond to concerns of child sexual abuse, putting the needs of children first, confident in the support of senior leaders at local and national level.