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by Jess Gibson

Anyone working in a regulated activity relating to children in England – including early education and teaching professionals – will now have a legal duty to report crimes of child sexual abuse, the Home Office has announced. 

Under plans being brought forward by Home Secretary James Cleverly, anyone failing to report crimes of child sexual abuse will be barred from working with children again, while anyone who actively protects child sexual abusers – intentionally covering up or blocking someone from reporting the crime – face a seven-year prison sentence. 

The full details of the duty are expected to be published in the coming weeks, along with the joint call for evidence and consultation response. The new duty will be incorporated as an amendment at the report stage of the Criminal Justice Bill. 

A spokesperson for the government stressed to the �������� that the criminal penalty will only apply where someone deliberately tries to cover up child sexual abuse by preventing reports being made. 

Commenting, Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “There is no excuse for turning a blind eye to a child’s pain. 

“Having listened to the voices of victims and survivors, and reviewed the work of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, we are working at pace to get a mandatory reporting duty for child sexual abuse onto the statute book. 

“We’re also going further, equipping the police with more powers to prevent those who have committed abhorrent sexual crimes in the past from evading the police by changing their name. 

“We will continue use all levers at our disposal to tackle this horrific crime and keep women and children safe.”