Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that survivors of sexual exploitation are supported during the grooming gangs inquiry process.

Victims and survivors are central to the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, and it is essential that their voices are heard in a safe and trauma‑informed way. The Independent Inquiry is responsible for leading its own engagement and support arrangements throughout the course of its work.

As set out in the draft Terms of Reference, the Inquiry will develop and publish a charter for victims and survivors, that outlines how victims and survivors can participate, and how their views, experiences and testimony will be used to inform and shape the nature of the Inquiry’s work.

This year the Home Office has doubled funding for adult victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, to a total investment of £2.59 million in the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (SVSCSA) Fund. This includes funding for support helplines, in-person and remote counselling, group support, and training for professionals working with victims.