Trends in official data
Analysis of the latest data across local authorities, policing, criminal justice and sexual assault referral centres to explore how child sexual abuse is being identified and responded to in England and Wales.
Our Trends in official data series of reports help build a picture of how child sexual abuse in England and Wales is being identified and responded to by professionals, and how this changes over time.
In our 2023/24 report, analysis showed us that the number of people charged and convicted following child sexual abuse offences both increased, yet the number of children with a protection plan for sexual abuse in England fell to it’s lowest level in thirty years – making up just 3.5% of all new plans.
Local authority children’s services in England recorded the lowest number of child needs assessments concerning any form of sexual abuse in nine years. This decreased by 8% since the previous year, despite there being no drop in the total number of child assessments recording concerns that were carried out.
We estimate that 500,000 children will experience some form of sexual abuse every year in England and Wales, so the number of children being identified by local authorities is only just the tip of the iceberg. Read the report to see all the trends from 2023/24. For the latest trends from the year 2024/25, please read our new report: Scale and nature of child sexual abuse: Review of evidence (2026).
Child sexual abuse in 2023/24: Trends in official data
By Stephanie Kewley and Kairka Karsna
This report brings together data from children’s social care, policing, criminal justice, health and, for the first time, pathways after someone is convicted of child sexual abuse offences, to build a picture of how agencies identify and respond to child sexual abuse and provide a unique insight into the changing trends in practice.
You can find previous editions of the Trends in official data report in our publications list. For 2024/25 data, please read our latest Scale and nature report.
