Tim Loughton – 2020 Speech on Child Protection

Below is the text of the speech made by Tim Loughton, the Conservative MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, in the House of Commons on 27 February 2020.

I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I welcome these inspections, but the results are alarming. According to the NSPCC, a child is abused in this country every seven minutes. The report includes comments such as

“The police do not recognise or evaluate risk to children well enough… the police often carry out more complex investigations badly… Too often, the focus is on the incident, missing the bigger picture.”

This is not about better police investigation; this is about a change of mindset. The situation is particularly disappointing given the first comprehensive child sexual exploitation action plan was launched back in 2011. ​What the Minister is proposing is not the first plan, and we also had the recent Operation Augusta review into the failings of Greater Manchester Police.

When the report refers to the

“opportunity to use new statutory local safeguarding arrangements”

as a successor to local safeguarding children’s boards, what opportunities does she think the police will take?

Finally, the primary recommendation of the report is that the Home Office should consider

“the development of a new national early help and prevention strategy”

but that was key a recommendation of the Munro review, which I commissioned in 2011. Why is that still just a recommendation?