Child sexual abuse inquiry launches investigation into child protection leadership

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse has launched an investigation into effective leadership of child protection.

The probe will be the last of 15 investigations carried out by the inquiry and will focus on a number of issues including how organisations respond to whistleblowers and recommendations from serious case reviews, and on embedding a ‘learning’, not a ‘blaming’ culture.

Other elements covered by the inquiry are:

• Ensuring organisations are safe, and effective at being safe.
• Achieving openness, transparency and good communication.
• Ensuring good communication, escalation of issues and concerns with clear lines of accountability, and good leadership in scenarios where there is no direct line management structure.
• Using management and audit information to understand the institution, its systems and its performance, so that systemic warning signs can be identified early.
• Responding appropriately to internal and external pressure, for example from politicians, community leaders, parents, funders and other key stakeholders so that child welfare and protection is prioritised.

The inquiry will hold a preliminary hearing for the inquiry on 25 February. Prior to that, it is inviting applications for ‘core participant’ status for the investigation, which grants individuals or organisations defined rights to participate in the process, including making legal submissions, being legally represented and having disclosure of documents.

The deadline for submitting an application to be a core participant is 4pm on 13 December.