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Following the statement made today, Tuesday 8 April, by Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips MP regarding child sexual abuse and exploitation, the CSE Taskforce welcomes the Government's continued focus and investment in this area, particularly, the additional funding for therapeutic treatment for victims and survivors, as well as the progress on recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).

The beginning of 2025 has been a pivotal time for the Child Protection and Abuse Investigation (CPAI) portfolio, as it experienced  a phenomenal surge in media attention which as always increases demands on our teams and partner agencies. 

Whilst the impact and subsequent waves were large we did receive promising news which included a series of measures including an increase in funding allowing us to expand our efforts further.

Behind the scenes, a great deal of work has been taking place, and the effects of these efforts will be seen over the coming months and years. While some of the work will take time to fully implement, we are already seeing the beginnings of progress, and so I want to share this progress with you.

From Tuesday 1 April the Hydrant Programme and Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Taskforce will join the National Police Chiefs’ Council Strategic Hub.

Saturday 8 March 2025 marks International Women’s Day, and the theme outlined by the United Nations is “For all women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.”

The theme calls for action that can unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all, and a future where no woman is left behind. Central to this vision is empowering the next generation- particularly young women- as catalysts for lasting change. Because of this, we wanted to share with you more about our all-female Communications Team, and how Head of Communications, Claire Stanley is inspiring the next generation of female leaders.

This week, we celebrate and recognise Police Staff Week. This article features some reflections from our director, Richard Fewkes and news that the communications team were shortlisted for Police Staff Team of the Year Award.

The New year certainly began in a way that was unexpected for many who work across child protection.  Now we’ve had a moment to take a breath and process an eventful few weeks, here’s an update on what the team has been busy progressing behind the scenes.

Towards the end of last week and throughout the weekend, there has been considerable media focus on the issue of child sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly group-based child sexual exploitation, and the steps being taken to combat this deeply disturbing criminal activity.

During 2024 there were many achievements across the Child Protection and Abuse Investigation (CPAI) portfolio and for the Hydrant Programme and CSE Taskforce more specifically. As you know, in policing we must never stand still.  In this blog the NPCC lead for CPAI  ACC Becky Riggs, shares her aspirations for 2025.

Today (Friday 6 December) the Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Taskforce and partners from across the hospitality industry are uniting in the fight against child exploitation and abuse, with the aim of stamping out some of the worst criminality our society sees.

Operation Makesafe provides a significant opportunity to prevent child sexual exploitation, specifically incidents which take place in hotels and other forms of accommodation within the hospitality industry.

Child Sexual Exploitation Taskforce shines light on Group-Based Offending 

Today (Thursday 21 November) the Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Taskforce have published a new report which sets out publicly a clear, detailed picture of police recorded group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation crimes across England and Wales in 2023. 

The CSE Taskforce has launched a new national campaign, ‘When You Are Ready’, that focuses on encouraging victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation to reach out for support.

This morning (Wednesday 25 October) Greater Manchester Police (GMP) carried out a series of warrants in connection with Operation Greenjacket – which was established in May 2019 to investigate allegations of child sexual exploitation in south Manchester.