UNITED KINGDOM
Community Care
The public inquiry has been announced, but what does it all really mean? We take you through step by step
by Rachel Schraer on July 9, 2014
* Home secretary Theresa May announced the inquiry into historic allegations of child sex abuse in parliament this week.
* Last February, Home Office permanent secretary Mark Sedwill commissioned an investigation into documents relating to child abuse. The investigation covered information passed to the Home Office between 1979-1999.
* In carrying out this investigation, Sedwill found that 114 potentially relevant files were missing, presumed lost or destroyed.
* This included files that were part of a dossier MP Geoffrey Dickens brought to the Home Office alleging child sex abuse perpetrated from within Westminster.
* NSPCC head Peter Wanless has been tasked by Theresa May to review the Sedwill investigation, and look into how various public bodies handled abuse allegations.
* In addition to Wanless’s review, there will be a broad panel inquiry into public bodies with a duty of care to children, which is not expected to report until after the election in 2015.
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