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System-wide child sexual abuse (CSA) snapshot

About the snapshot

Helping local areas improve their CSA services for children and families

The System-wide CSA snapshot helps multi-agency teams and strategic partnerships understand the strength of their current local CSA service provision. Implementation experts from the NSPCC help teams to identify good practice and any opportunities to make improvements to the local offer.

The snapshot covers:

  • awareness
  • prevention
  • protection – initial response
  • protection – assessment
  • recovery support.

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How it works

The snapshot is designed to be used by multi-agency strategic safeguarding teams. It uses a structured reflective process.

We help agencies and partnerships carry out a system-wide review of their CSA service provision by facilitating briefings and helping them engage multi-agency partners. We hold a strategic session and send out an online survey to strategic and frontline professionals.

Following the review, we create a report outlining audit scores, strengths and weaknesses. This includes recommendations to improve local responses and support children, their families and the wider community.

Ready to get started? 

Contact our implementation experts to discuss how we can help in your area.

Email us at csaawareness@nspcc.org.uk

Background and evidence

Why is the snapshot needed? 

In 2022, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) published its final report.1 It found a need for a greater priority and focus, politically and across society, on protecting children from sexual abuse. IICSA’s findings demonstrate the urgent requirement for an integrated approach to tackle child sexual abuse across the UK. The System-wide CSA snapshot responds to this need and helps identify what the provision is in a local area.

The Home Office’s Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy (2021)2 also includes an objective to ensure that all victims and survivors of sexual abuse are able to access timely, consistent and high-quality support services appropriate to their needs.

There is increasing evidence about the scale, nature and complexity of the problem but CSA recovery service provision across the UK remains patchy and relatively uncoordinated. We also know from our work with regional agencies and external partners that the provision of high-quality support services alone is an increasingly inadequate response to local need.

The 2020 Joint Targeted Area Inspection report on intrafamilial child sexual abuse3 highlighted the need for increased levels of professional confidence and competence to recognise the signs of sexual abuse as well as strong and timely interventions to support survivors and their families.

How the snapshot was developed

The findings of the Joint Targeted Area Inspection report, the recent Home Office CSA strategy and learning from the NSPCC HSB framework audit have informed the development of the snapshot. Key partners, including the CSA Centre for Expertise and NSPCC expert practitioners, have also contributed their insight to ensure the snapshot is fit for purpose.

Email us to find out more

References

Home Office (2022) Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse [Accessed 23/05/2023].
Home Office (2021) Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy [Accessed 28/01/2021].
Ofsted, Care Quality Commission (CQC), HMI Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and HMI Probation (HMIP) (2020) The multi-agency response to child sexual abuse in the family environment (PDF). Manchester: Ofsted.

Ready to undertake your snapshot? 

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Listen to our IICSA podcast series

Learn more about the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in our Recommendations for Change podcast series.

Listen now

Train your team

Our training helps professionals recognise, respond, report and record CSA.

Designed for teams, it covers the impact of sexual abuse and the support children and families need. 

See the course