Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms exist to ensure public safeguarding of victims when police investigations into child sexual exploitation are paused due to the mental health needs of those victims.

It is crucial police and law enforcement have the capabilities and skills to effectively tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation and take robust action to better safeguard children, ensuring victims and survivors receive appropriate care and support throughout the process.

The Government is investing in a range of significant measures to ensure that the police can respond to victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation with empathy, compassion and professionalism, investigating thoroughly and working with other services to reach the best possible outcome in every case. This includes investing in the Child Sexual Exploitation Police Taskforce which is working with forces to improve how they investigate child sexual abuse and exploitation, providing practical, expert, on the ground support, including on how to embed trauma-informed approaches to their investigations and engagement with victims and survivors.

We are also investing in the National Centre for Violence Against Women and Girls and Public Protection (NCVPP) which launched in April 2025 to improve the policing response to VAWG and child sexual abuse and exploitation. Centralising policing expertise to tackle these crimes will drive national coordination, with the development of strengthened specialist training for officers ensuring they offer consistent protection for victims and survivors.