Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will update the Victim's Code so that children who have experienced sexual exploitation are able to access immediate professional psychological help.

The Victims’ Code sets out the services and support that victims and survivors of crime are entitled to receive from the criminal justice system in England and Wales.

Currently, under the Code, all victims and survivors, including children, are entitled to be given information and be referred to support services by the police to help them cope and recover from the impact of a crime. This is regardless of whether anyone has been charged or convicted of a criminal offence or when the crime itself occurred. If they choose not to report the crime, they can also access support services directly.

We will be carefully considering the implementation of measures under the Victims and Prisoners Act, including the measure to publicly consult on and issue a new Victims’ Code, and the requirement to consider whether different provision for child victims and survivors is needed in the Code to meet their distinct needs.

We recognise the importance of supporting child victims and survivors through access to various forms of support, including psychological help. The Department provides Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) with annual grant funding to commission local practical, emotional and therapeutic support services to victims and survivors of all crime, including children and young people. PCCs commission local providers at their discretion based on their assessment of local need in relation to and not exclusively for child sexual exploitation. We also provide direct grant funding to over 60 specialist organisations through the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Fund. These services offer tailored support programmes to victims and survivors of all ages, including children, to help them cope with their experiences and move forward.