Senior Associate Solicitor & Team Leader, Abuse Claims
In December 2025, the Home Secretary announced a statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield CBE, the former Children's Commissioner for England. The Inquiry has been set up to look honestly at how institutions across England and Wales responded to reports of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and why so many victims and survivors were not protected or believed.
The Inquiry follows Baroness Louise Casey's National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published in June 2025, which called for a full statutory inquiry with the power to compel witnesses and evidence. Baroness Longfield is supported by two panellists, Zoë Billingham CBE and Eleanor Kelly CBE.
The Inquiry formally began its work on 31 March 2026 and is expected to last no more than three years. Its first local investigations include Oldham, Bradford and Keighley, Birmigham and London. An investigation in Wales has also been announced. It will also look at whether the changes recommended by earlier reviews, including those in Rotherham, Rochdale, Telford and Newcastle, have actually made a difference. More areas are expected to be added as the Inquiry's plans develop.
The work will take place in three parts:
The Inquiry is a statutory inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005, meaning it has powers to require organisations to provide documents and compel witnesses to give evidence. It is also independent of the Government and the institutions it is investigating.
This is a significant and long-term undertaking, and we know that for many people who have waited years to be heard, the pace of an inquiry like this can feel slow. The National Accountability Hearings are expected to begin towards the end of 2026, whilst local investigations are also getting underway. We will keep this article updated as more information becomes available.
We're rated‘Excellent’When deciding whether to grant Core Participant status, the Chair will consider whether the person played, or may have played, a direct and significant role in the matters the Inquiry is looking at, whether they have a significant interest in an important part of those matters, or whether they are likely to face criticism during the Inquiry or in its report.
If you are a victim or survivor, your application is likely to focus on your own experience and how the local authority and other organisations such as the police responded. Depending on your circumstances, it may be helpful to explain whether there is an ongoing police investigation linked to what happened to you, and whether any related criminal trial has concluded, although neither of these is a requirement. The Inquiry also has procedures in place to help protect the identities of victims and survivors, including arrangements that allow individuals to be referred to without revealing their names.
Meeting these criteria does not automatically mean you will be granted Core Participant status. The Chair has discretion and will look at every application carefully and fairly. Applications can only be made once a window opens for a particular set of hearings or a local investigation, so it is worth getting advice early so you are ready when that time comes.
The BBC have recently completed an investigation into two children’s homes in Doncaster after reports of physical and emotional abuse by staff. The homes, owned by the Hesley group, upheld a “Good” rating by Ofsted, despite over 100 complaints being logged. This was highlighted by leaked documents and interviews with former staff who tried to speak out.
Operation Marksman was originally launched in Spring 2019 to investigate several allegations made by 2 teenage girls in the city. Despite 34 arrests, 200 digital devices ceased, and 100,000 text messages reviewed, no charges or convictions were made.
Headlines from the IOPC’s report on authorities’ failure to protect children from sexual abuse are troubling - even for experienced Abuse Solicitors. The question is, what can be learned from the IOPC’s report?
4.5 out of 5 based off 3176 reviewsIndependent-inquiry.uk. (2025). The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs. [online] Available at: https://www.grooming-gangs.independent-inquiry.uk/.
NAPAC (2016). NAPAC | Supporting Recovery From Childhood Abuse. [online] Napac.org.uk. Available at: https://napac.org.uk/.
Independent-inquiry.uk. (2026). Core Participant Protocol – The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs. [online] Available at: https://www.grooming-gangs.independent-inquiry.uk/documents/core-participant-protocol/
Nathalie is deeply committed to helping survivors both in and out of the courtroom. She fought for justice, representing survivors as part of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). During this inquiry, she collaborated closely with Counsel to explore the much needed changes to the law on limitation, the potential for a national redress scheme, and suggested changes to the current Criminal Injuries Scheme.
She's also very experienced with redness schemes. Nathalie has helped survivors through the Lambeth Redress Scheme and another scheme started by the Estate of Michael Studdert. Additionally, she played a key role in group actions against Manchester City Council, representing survivors who suffered abuse in children’s home in Manchester.
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