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Stakeholder update Sep 2022

The IICSA Final Report publication 

After 325 days of public hearings which saw over 725 witnesses give evidence, the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual abuse (IICSA) will publish its final report on Thursday 20 October. This report will build upon the 87 recommendations made as part of the 19 investigation reports published since 2014 when the Inquiry was established.  

All police forces have been briefed and the Hydrant Programme comms team will continue to coordinate information sharing over the next few weeks to ensure a consistent approach across policing.  

There will certainly be implications for national policing along with other institutions, and the Hydrant Programme will work with the NPCC lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigation, DCC Ian Critchley from Merseyside Police to ensure an initial response to the report on 20 October is shared with the media and you, our key partners, and stakeholders. This will be followed by a considered response to recommendations made.  

This publication of this report is a watershed moment for many who have contributed to the IICSA over the last eight years. We await the final recommendations which will build on those already made in previous reports.  

New criteria

Megaphone with coming soon text coming from it

Work is currently ongoing to develop a new set of Hydrant Programme Criteria. Our Analysis and Research team will be asking for regular data returns from forces against four criteria. This information will contribute to the national picture of offending in a very similar way to the data previously provided against the Operation Hydrant criteria, covering a wider spectrum of offences.  

We’ll be able to share much more detail around this ask in coming weeks.  

Here at the Hydrant Programme, we work hard to keep up to date with news from across the vulnerability sector, sharing news on what’s ahead. Below is an update on interesting initiatives for you to take back to your teams.  

The Children’s Society’s latest #Look Closer campaign week of action will run from October 3rd to the 9th 2022. #Look Closer is The Children’s Society’s national exploitation campaign run in partnership with the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre and the British Transport Police. It aims to raise awareness of child exploitation and abuse, with a particular focus on how this may be visible in public spaces. The campaign also seeks to challenge assumptions and stereotypes of victimhood and highlights that child exploitation can happen anywhere, and that any child from any community can be a victim of all types of exploitation.

This October, the campaign has a particular focus on gender and how our assumptions can impact the way we safeguard and support young victims of exploitation. A new resource for professionals has been developed, there is also a new session on the Programme of Learning focused on gender and exploitation. These include asking professionals to consider how they can be more inclusive of trans and non-binary young people, in order to better protect them from harm. 

The updated content includes: 

  • Guidance and advice for a wide range of audiences
  • Free resources
  • Free Programme of Learning events for all during the week of the 3rd of October
  • Suggestions on how you can engage with campaign

You will find all other campaign resources and materials on the #Look Closer website. To access these, you simply need to scroll to the bottom of the page and provide your Job Title, Organisation and Region. Once completed you will be provided with a link to access and download everything. 

You can also join a #Look Closer October 2022 Launch Briefing on Monday the 3rd of October. Join The Children’s Society to learn more about the latest #LookCloser campaign week’s focus, alongside information on the campaign’s overall aims and objectives, signposting to materials and ideas on how to use these to raise awareness of child exploitation and abuse in your area. 

Please use the following link to register and feel free to share these details with both internal colleagues and external partners. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lookcloser-kick-off-briefing-tickets-420633023697 

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

British Cycling commissions NSPCC helpline for reporting abuse within the sport. The NSPCC) has launched a new free and independent helpline to offer support and guidance to individuals with concerns about non-recent or current abuse within cycling.

Find out more via the British Cycling website

Image depicting text and contact number for support with abuse within cycling

FA - Safeguarding Strategy – Year 1

The FA has published the Year 1 report and review into Building an Ever-Safer Culture, football’s united three-year safeguarding strategy, led by The FA. 

The Year 1 review details how The FA is performing to meet and deliver their safeguarding measures, as well as the steps taken to meet the recommendations from Clive Sheldon QC’s March 2021 independent report into allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse in football.

Play Safe

Play Safe is football’s national campaign to focus attention on the vital importance of safeguarding in our national game. A weekend of awareness raising will take place on Saturday and Sunday 1 and 2 October 2022, helping drive greater awareness of the safeguarding practice and culture in your club or organisation. The FA has provided various assets (below) please do share them with your Corporate Communications team along with local partners and stakeholders.  

Non-pictorial assets: At the end of this link https://we.tl/t-xr6DJ7Im0Q is a pack containing editable artwork for organisations to add their own logos and guidance on how to do so. 

Pictorial assets – At the end of this link https://we.tl/t-Ug2MZQrsGg are various pictorial assets.

Films: The main campaign film, which is child-centred, can be downloaded here: https://we.tl/t-9CEJyNQf9l  

Film with three survivors: https://we.tl/t-2Ch9fy6ask . At the end of the link is the long-form version of the film and clips from it for social media. 

Image depicting a Tackling Organised Exploitation (TOEX) Programme document

The Tackling Organised Exploitation Programme has published their second e-magazine. This edition highlights work being done across law enforcement and by stakeholders to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls. 

The e-magazine will be published on a quarterly basis and provides key partners and stakeholders with an update on the programme as well as includes feature pieces on some of the fantastic national and regional collaborative work being undertaken in the fight against organised exploitation.   

There’s a lot packed into this update, we hope you find it informative and useful in your work.  

If you have any thoughts or feedback please do get in touch, it’s always great to hear from you. We’d also welcome ideas on what you’d like to see in future updates, all suggestions welcome.  

Please drop a line to [email protected] , it’s always great to hear from you. 

We have new contact email addresses! (The old ones still work too ?) please update your address books, we’ll always get back to you as soon as we can.  

General Hydrant Enquiries – [email protected]  

Keep in touch

Peer Review/Peer Support and CPD – [email protected]