Supporting Documentary Evidence for the Special Review and Special Review Findings
Updated: 11 October 2026

 

The Special Review forms part of that wider programme. It examines the available evidence relating to organised child sexual exploitation, safeguarding failures and institutional accountability through criminal proceedings, public inquiries, independent reviews and governance analysis. No single report provides a complete account of the issues examined within the Review.

 

Following publication of the Green Paper, Young Policy expanded this work through a series of thematic reviews examining safeguarding, transparency, democratic accountability, operational resilience and institutional performance. Together, these publications form part of a wider systems-based programme of research exploring how public policy is implemented across interconnected institutions and how cumulative decisions made by governments, departments, regulators, public bodies and local authorities influence public outcomes.

 

The issues examined within this Special Review were first identified in the GRACE Framework Green Paper, published in November 2025, where safeguarding, institutional accountability and public protection were recognised as governance issues requiring further examination.

 

The Young Policy Evidence Library provides access to the principal documentary sources supporting the Special Review (HSS) and the associated Special Review Findings.

 

Its purpose is straightforward: to allow the documentary basis of the Review to be examined independently.

 

The Library brings together official inquiries, independent investigations, parliamentary material, government publications, statutory and operational guidance, academic research and other primary or authoritative material relied upon within the Review.

 

It does not reproduce the analysis contained within individual Young Policy publications. The substantive findings and governance assessments remain within the Special Review and Special Review Findings.

The inclusion of a source within this Library does not mean that Young Policy adopts every conclusion contained within that source. Sources are retained because they provide evidence relevant to a particular element of the Review.

 

Where appropriate, entries identify the Young Policy publication or publications to which the evidence relates.

 

1. National Inquiries and Investigations

Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) — Final Report (2022)

The final report of the statutory inquiry into institutional responses to child sexual abuse in England and Wales. It provides evidence concerning safeguarding failures, institutional responsibility, accountability and recommendations for reform.

 

Official report: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/inquiry/final-report.html

 

Executive Summary: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/inquiry/final-report/executive-summary.html

 

Full report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/634febd6d3bf7f618eda953d/the-report-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse-october-2022.pdf

 

IICSA — Child Sexual Exploitation by Organised Networks (2022)

Investigation examining organised child sexual exploitation and the responses of local authorities, police forces and other institutions.

 

Source: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/investigation/cs-organised-networks

 

Casey National Audit — Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (2025)

National audit examining the available evidence concerning group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, the quality of available data, institutional responses and the effectiveness of existing safeguarding and criminal justice arrangements.

 

Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/685559d05225e4ed0bf3ce54/National_Audit_on_Group-based_Child_Sexual_Exploitation_and_Abuse.pdf

 

Independent Rape Gang Inquiry — Report (June 2026)

Independent investigation examining organised child sexual exploitation, survivor testimony, institutional responses and accountability.

 

Report: https://rapeganginquiry.co.uk/report

 

Supporting material: https://rapeganginquiry.co.uk

 

 

2. Local Inquiries and Institutional Reviews

The Jay Report — Rotherham (2014)

Independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013. The report provides primary evidence concerning the scale of exploitation, institutional recognition, safeguarding failures, information sharing and organisational response.

 

Source: https://www.rotherham.gov.uk/downloads/download/31/independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-exploitation-in-rotherham-1997-2013

 

Casey Inspection — Rotherham (2015)

Independent inspection examining governance, leadership, organisational culture and institutional accountability within Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council following the findings of the Jay inquiry.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-of-inspection-of-rotherham-metropolitan-borough-council

 

Full report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a8152f4ed915d74e33fd945/46966_Report_of_Inspection_of_Rotherham_WEB.pdf

 

Local Safeguarding Reviews

The Special Review also examines published investigations and safeguarding reviews concerning other locations in which organised or group-based child sexual exploitation has been identified. These include material concerning Rochdale, Oxford, Telford, Newcastle and Oldham. Individual documents are included within the Evidence Library where their relevance to a specific Special Review finding has been established.

 

 

3. Parliamentary and Government Evidence

House of Commons — Jay Report into Child Sexual Exploitation in Rotherham

Parliamentary scrutiny and associated publications concerning the findings of the Jay Report and subsequent institutional responses.

 

Source: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1954/jay-report-into-child-sexual-exploitation-in-rotherham/publications

 

UK Parliament — Hansard

The official parliamentary record provides primary evidence of ministerial statements, parliamentary debates and government responses relevant to matters examined within the Special Review.

 

Source: https://hansard.parliament.uk

 

UK Parliament — Early Day Motions

Parliamentary motions relevant to issues examined within the Special Review.

 

Source: https://edm.parliament.uk

 

Government — Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs

Official government material concerning the establishment and scope of the independent inquiry.

 

Source:

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/independent-inquiry-into-grooming-gangs

 

Crime and Policing Act 2026 — IICSA Recommendations

Government explanatory material concerning legislative measures associated with recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

 

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/crime-and-policing-act-2026-factsheets/crime-and-policing-act-2026-independent-inquiry-into-child-sexual-abuse-recommendations-factsheet

 

 

4. Policing, Leadership and Institutional Oversight

Police Leadership Commission — Professionalism and Performance: Police Leadership for the Future (2026)

Independent examination of police leadership, organisational culture, institutional capability, operational performance and public confidence. The report is not itself an investigation into organised child sexual exploitation. It is retained because it provides relevant governance evidence concerning police leadership, institutional responsibility and accountability. Consistent with Young Policy’s cumulative governance methodology, this report is assessed alongside criminal judgments, inquiries, inspections and other governance publications to determine whether it supports, qualifies or challenges the wider governance principles emerging from the Special Review.

 

Source: https://assets.college.police.uk/s3fs-public/2026-07/Police-Leadership-Commission-Report.pdf

 

 

5. Safeguarding Intervention and Child Protection

College of Policing — Child Abduction Warning Notices (2019)

Operational material concerning the use of Child Abduction Warning Notices as a safeguarding intervention.

 

Source: https://library.college.police.uk/docs/appref/CAWN_Procedures_final_v1.0_240919.pdf

 

Home Office — Child Exploitation Disruption Toolkit

Government guidance setting out disruption measures available to agencies responding to child exploitation.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-exploitation-disruption-toolkit

 

UK Parliament — Child Abduction Warning Notices, Written Question 22990

Parliamentary material concerning the operation and use of Child Abduction Warning Notices.

Source: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2016-01-19/22990

 

Crown Prosecution Service — Child Abuse: Prosecution Guidance

CPS material relevant to child protection and the operation of criminal justice safeguards.

Source: https://www.cps.gov.uk/prosecution-guidance/child-abuse-non-sexual

 

Home Office — Sexual Offences Act 2003: Part 2 Guidance

Official guidance concerning the statutory framework and associated protective arrangements.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-part-2-of-the-sexual-offences-act-2003/guidance-on-part-2-of-the-sexual-offences-act-2003-accessible-version

 

Related Special Review Finding: YP-173-26 — Recognition Without Protection: Institutional Recognition, Safeguarding Intervention and Unresolved Harm.

 

These sources also provide supporting evidence for the wider Special Review examination of institutional recognition, intervention, safeguarding and accountability.

 

 

6. Equality Before the Law and Sentencing Accountability

Sentencing Council — Equality and Diversity Research

Research commissioned by the Sentencing Council examining equality and diversity in sentencing and the operation of sentencing guidelines. The research forms part of the evidential background to the subsequent development of the revised sentencing guidance.

Source: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/publications/research-reports/equality-and-diversity-in-the-work-of-the-sentencing-council/

 

Sentencing Council — Imposition of Community and Custodial Sentences: Consultation (29 November 2023)

Consultation material concerning proposed revisions to the Imposition of Community and Custodial Sentences guideline, including the proposed approach to pre-sentence reports. This document provides evidence of the point at which the relevant policy formulation entered the public consultation process.

Source: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/html-publications/imposition-of-community-and-custodial-sentences-guideline-consultation/

 

Sentencing Council — Revised Imposition Guideline (March 2025)

Official Sentencing Council guideline history documenting the March 2025 revision and subsequent changes. The current operative guideline has since been amended; it should not be treated as an unaltered reproduction of the disputed March 2025 wording.

 

Source: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/resources/guideline-history/imposition-of-community-and-custodial-sentences/

 

Sentencing Council — Postponement of Revised Guideline (31 March 2025)

Official Sentencing Council statement confirming postponement of implementation of the revised guideline following the institutional dispute concerning pre-sentence reports.

 

Source: https://sentencingcouncil.org.uk/latest/statement-on-the-revised-imposition-of-community-and-custodial-sentences-guideline/

 

Sentencing Guidelines (Pre-sentence Reports) Act 2025

Primary legislative record of Parliament's subsequent intervention concerning sentencing guidance and pre-sentence reports.

 

Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/12/contents

 

Related Special Review Findings:

YP-181-26 — Equality Before the Law: Sentencing, Differential Treatment and Institutional Accountability

YP-181-1-26 — Who Made the Decision? The Sentencing Council, Differential Treatment and Institutional Accountability

YP-181-2-26 — From Evidence to Policy: The Unresolved Decision-Making Link

 

 

7. Legislation and Statutory Guidance

The Special Review draws upon legislation and statutory guidance where necessary to establish the legal and institutional framework within which safeguarding decisions were made.

Children Act 1989

Children Act 2004

Modern Slavery Act 2015

Domestic Abuse Act 2021

Working Together to Safeguard Children

Keeping Children Safe in Education

These materials provide statutory and policy context. Their inclusion does not itself constitute a finding of institutional failure. Where a particular statutory provision is material to a Special Review finding, the relevant legislation or guidance should be linked directly to that publication.

 

 

8. Additional Research and Evidence

The Special Review also draws upon relevant academic research, criminological studies, safeguarding research, victim and survivor research, public administration literature and institutional governance material.

 

Individual publications should be included within the Evidence Library where the source has been identified and its relevance to a Special Review publication established. The existence of a general body of literature should not be treated as a substitute for an identifiable source.

 

Criminal Proceedings and Judicial Material

The Review considers relevant criminal judgments, sentencing remarks and convictions where these assist in understanding safeguarding, institutional response, governance and accountability. The purpose is to examine institutional lessons, not to substitute Young Policy analysis for determinations of individual criminal liability.

 

Inspectorate and Oversight Material

Relevant oversight bodies identified in the existing Evidence Library include HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the National Crime Agency (NCA), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. These are categories for further source identification, not claims that particular reports have already been verified or relied upon.

 

Existing Website Source Retained — Rotherham Inspection Collection

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/inspection-into-the-governance-of-rotherham-council

 

Methodological Scope

The Special Review is not intended to re-investigate individual criminal cases or replace the findings of statutory or independent inquiries. Its purpose is to identify recurring governance signals across multiple independent sources, including safeguarding, institutional recognition, leadership, organisational learning, transparency and public protection.

 

Evidential Approach

The Evidence Library supports the Young Policy Special Review (HSS) and Special Review Findings.

 

Different sources perform different evidential functions. An official inquiry may establish institutional findings. A parliamentary record may establish what ministers or elected representatives said or knew at a particular time. Operational guidance may establish what powers or procedures were available. Academic research may provide empirical evidence or analysis. Legislation establishes the applicable statutory framework.

 

Young Policy distinguishes those underlying sources from its own subsequent analysis.

 

The inclusion of evidence within the Library therefore does not convert interpretation into fact, nor does it imply endorsement of every conclusion contained within the source.

 

Where the documentary evidence does not establish a proposition, that limitation should remain visible within the associated Special Review publication.

 

The Evidence Library will continue to develop as the Special Review and its Findings are updated and additional primary material is identified.

 

 

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