The Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA Centre) has published a report on the scale and nature of child sexual abuse in England and Wales. The report includes an analysis of official data for 2024/25, data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, and an overview of international developments. The report highlights the need to improve the identification of and response to child sexual abuse to help close the gap between the estimated scale of child sexual abuse, and the number of victims and survivors who receive help and support from professionals. Recommendations call for: improvements in the knowledge, skills and confidence of professionals including the need for high-quality supervision to support reflective practice and to challenge assumptions; and a dedicated survey of older children and young adults to better understand the scale and nature of child sexual abuse.
Read the report: Scale & nature of child sexual abuse: review of evidence
Source: CSA Centre
Date published: 16 July 2026
