•There are nearly 13 million children in England and Wales, each of whom needs and deserves to be protected from harm.

•In March 2020, the Office for National Statistics estimated that 3.1 million adults in England and Wales had experienced sexual abuse before the age of 16.

•Historically, inadequate measures were in place to protect children from the risk of being sexually abused – sometimes there were none at all.

•The devastation and harm caused by sexual abuse cannot be overstated – the impact of child sexual abuse, often lifelong, is such that everyone should do all they can to protect children.

The protection of personal and institutional reputations above the protection of children was a frequent institutional reaction.

Statutory agencies were not informed, perpetrators were ‘moved on’ and there were failures by those in authority to thoroughly investigate allegations.

Records about child sexual abuse allegations were not kept.

Some institutions had no child protection policies and procedures. Where policies and procedures were in existence, they were often inadequate or not complied with.