Key takeaways from grooming gangs report

A review into abuse carried out by grooming gangs in England and Wales has been published.

The government asked Baroness Casey to carry out the audit, examining existing data and evidence on the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse, in January.

Here are some of its key findings and recommendations.

The report highlights flaws in data collection, which it says means it is not possible to assess the scale of the issue.

It cites the Complex and Organised Child Abuse Dataset which identified around 700 recorded offences of group-based child sexual exploitation in 2023, saying this is the only figure on group-based child sexual exploitation.

The report says this is highly unlikely to reflect the true scale of the issue, given this crime is under-reported and suffers from confusing and inconsistently applied definitions.

One key data gap highlighted by the report is on ethnicity, which is described as "appalling" and a "major failing".

It says the ethnicity of perpetrators is "shied away from" and still not recorded in two-thirds of cases, meaning it is not possible to draw conclusions at a national level.

However, the report says there is enough evidence from police data in three areas - Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire - to show "disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds amongst suspects for group-based child sexual exploitation".

It adds that the significant number of perpetrators of Asian ethnicity identified in local reviews and high-profile prosecutions across the country also warrants further examination.

The report says more effort is needed to explore why it appears perpetrators of Asian and Pakistani ethnicity are disproportionately represented in some areas.

In response, the government has said it will make it a formal requirement to collect both ethnicity and nationality data for all cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as commission new research into the cultural and social drivers of the issue.

The review also notes a significant proportion of live cases appear to involve suspects who are non-UK nationals or claiming asylum in the UK.

The government said it was bringing forward changes so anyone convicted of sexual offences would have their asylum claim rejected and be denied refugee status.

Over the weekend, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accepted the report's recommendation that there should be a full national inquiry into child sexual exploitation in England and Wales.

The PM had previously dismissed calls for a national inquiry, arguing the issues had already been examined in a seven-year investigation by Prof Alexis Jay, which concluded in 2022.

Instead the government commissioned Baroness Casey's review and unveiled plans for five local inquiries - to be held in Oldham and four other areas yet to be named.

However, Baroness Casey said she changed her mind on the need for a national inquiry, after being "duly unimpressed" that more local councils did not volunteer to set up their own inquiries and some organisations were reluctant to talk to her own investigators.

Her report recommends both a national police operation to review cases of child exploitation not acted on, as well as a national inquiry.

It says this would be overseen by an Independent Commission, with full powers to compel witnesses to provide evidence, and should be time-limited and targeted.

The inquiry would review cases of failures by local services to identify areas where investigations should be instigated and coordinate a series of targeted local investigations.

The report also recommends tightening the law in England and Wales so adults who have sex with a child under 16 are always charged with rape, calling on society to "see children as children".

Despite the age of consent being 16, it says there are too many examples of child sexual exploitation cases being dropped or downgraded from rape to lesser charges where a teenager has been "in love with" or "consented to" sex with the perpetrator.

In response, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has pledged to change the law as the report recommends, as well as work with the Crown Prosecution Service and police to ensure there are safeguards for consensual teenage relationships.

She also accepted a recommendation to review criminal convictions of victims of child sexual exploitation, "so that those convicted for child prostitution offences while their rapists got of scot-free will have their convictions disregarded and their criminal records expunged".

Taxis have previously been identified as a way children can be at risk of sexual exploitation, both as a potential way for perpetrators to meet their victims, as well as traffic them to different locations.

Taxi licenses are issued by local authorities but the report points out that some areas are much more stringent in their processes to protect children.

For example, in Rotherham the council has introduced taxi cameras and a 100% pass mark requirement for safeguarding tests for drivers.

However, the report says these efforts have been hindered by more lax approaches in other areas and legal loopholes which mean drivers can apply for a license anywhere in the country but then operate in another area.

It calls for this loophole to be closed immediately - something Cooper said the transport secretary is working on - and for more rigorous licensing standards to be introduced.

Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to keep up with the inner workings of Westminster and beyond.