The Home Office will commit up to £1 million to a panel giving adults in England and Wales affected by child sexual abuse or exploitation a formal route to shape government policy.
The independent Office of the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales will operate the panel. It will have a core membership and other ways for survivors to contribute. The office says the aim is to bring survivors’ experience into policy and decisions about support services.
Funding is ring-fenced for 2026 through 2029. The Victims’ Commissioner’s office says it will pay for staffing, training and specialist assistance, as well as members’ time and expertise. Home Office guidance also provides for a survivor participation manager and reimbursement of reasonable expenses related to taking part.
Adults 18 or older who live in England or Wales and have experienced child sexual abuse or exploitation may apply. The expression-of-interest process will not ask them to recount what happened. Those who join the panel will not be expected to discuss their experiences publicly; full application details and selection criteria have not been released.
The panel’s remit covers all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation, including experiences involving grooming gangs. It will be separate from the temporary survivor group that advised on the process for establishing the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs.
Victims’ Commissioner Claire Waxman said survivors wanted a direct role in decisions. She said they wanted to be “listened to, not spoken for.” A written ministerial statement to Parliament said survivor input could show how systems work in practice and where changes may be needed.
The panel’s development drew on the NSPCC-facilitated interim Victim and Survivor Committee, while the parliamentary statement cited participation models established by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. The parliamentary statement said the panel follows through on a commitment made by the former Home Secretary in 2025.
Recruitment is the next step. The Victims’ Commissioner’s office expects it to open shortly, while the parliamentary statement places it later this year. The opening date and panel size have not been announced.
