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West Yorkshire response to Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Learn more about West Yorkshire's response to Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

Non-recent child sexual exploitation and abuse 

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse.

It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity.

in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or
for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator.

The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child Sexual Exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.

A non-recent child sexual exploitation and abuse offence is one which has occurred more than 12 months prior to being reported.
Complex cases are classed as complex due to sheer volume of victims or suspects and would include group-based child sexual offending.
Group-based child sexual offending is defined as an organised network characterised by two or more individuals (whether identified or not) who are known to (or associated with) one another and are known to be involved in or to facilitate the sexual exploitation of children.

Not all non-recent sexual abuse is group-based, other types include familial abuse, child on child abuse, institutional abuse and ritualistic abuse.

 

Recent Government announcements on child sexual exploitation and abuse inquiries

At the start of 2025, the subject of ‘group-led’ child sexual exploitation was raised in Parliament, with the Home Secretary committing to a further report on this issue.

This follows Professor Alexis Jay’s ‘Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’ in 2022.

The Government has said it will support local authorities who wish to explore local inquiries on this issue, using Tom Crowther KC’s Telford abuse inquiry as a template.  This inquiry was praised for its victim focus.

There is yet to be an announcement on the four local authorities (plus Oldham) which will be involved. Each will be part of a pilot programme to devise a model for other local inquiries.

Baroness Louise Casey has carried out a rapid audit of data held on group-based abuse, its scale and the characteristics of offending across the country, to explore the cultural drivers behind this offending and identify any further actions.

The Government has since announced plans for a new national inquiry. 

Read Baroness Casey's report in full: National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

 

West Yorkshire Police’s response to non-recent child sexual exploitation and abuse

Since 2010, West Yorkshire Police has worked on its response to and management of all aspects of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

In 2015, dedicated investigation teams were put in place as part of the overarching operation to investigate non-recent group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse.

This has continued in a variety of different phases across West Yorkshire since that time.

These investigations have principally focused on offending in Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime are clear they want our local police service to continue to commit to this important work.   

  • Since 2016, 219 defendants have been convicted in relation to non-recent and complex CSEA and sentenced to more than 2,422 years, as a result of 25 operations.
  • There are currently 58 non-recent CSEA investigations ongoing in West Yorkshire
  • Sixty defendants are currently charged and standing trial or listed to stand trial, relating to 15 operations.
  • This relates to 15 investigations across Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield

(Data as of April 2025)

West Yorkshire Police continue to treat child sexual exploitation and abuse as a priority and devote resources to non-recent operations so that victims can see justice for the abuse they have suffered.

It is hoped that successful convictions at court will also help to increase the confidence of victims so they can come forward to report past abuse. 

Linked to Baroness Louise Casey’s national review of group-based child sexual exploitation (CSE), West Yorkshire Police is engaged with Operation Beaconport, a national policing operation which seeks to identify and review previously closed investigations into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE).

Timeline of non-recent child sexual exploitation and abuse investigations in West Yorkshire

  • In late 2014 following the revelations in Rotherham, West Yorkshire Police with the support of local safeguarding partners, proactively launched an operation to explore the extent of any previously unreported non-recent child sexual exploitation and abuse. The force also reviewed previous disclosures which had not been brought to a successful conclusion.

  • In 2015, dedicated investigation teams were put in place, ultimately leading to the development of non-recent complex child sexual exploitation and abuse investigation teams covering each of West Yorkshire’s five local authority districts. The focus of these investigations are victims who are now over 18 years old but were children at the time of the offending.

  • In 2016 when the issue of non-recent child sexual exploitation and abuse was in the national spotlight, Alison Lowe (as then Chair of the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel), requested a briefing to the Panel from Police & Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, and West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable, Dee Collins.

  • The Panel was told about the process West Yorkshire Police had undertaken to understand its own approach to historical crimes reported by girls and young women over the previous decade, and how they had set up a dedicated unit to oversee those crimes and improve investigations.

  • This dedicated approach enabled West Yorkshire Police to effectively engage with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (‘Jay Report’) through the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s non-recent child sexual exploitation and abuse taskforce, the ‘Hydrant Programme’. West Yorkshire Police were actively engaged with the Jay Report between October 2016 up to the conclusion of the inquiry and have shared all their data with the review team.

  • In 2019, the Kirklees Safeguarding Children’s Board commissioned an independent review into current child sexual exploitation in their locality. This was followed by an independent review into historic cases, which was commissioned by Kirklees Council in the same year.

  • In 2020 the Calderdale Safeguarding Children Partnership commissioned a holistic report to examine the effectiveness of child exploitation interventions in Calderdale. This was independently scrutinised by the National Working Group and shared with the Children’s Society for further review. Areas of strength were highlighted, as were areas for improvement which have been addressed.

  • In 2021, Bradford commissioned an independent review into child sexual exploitation which looked at child sexual exploitation and abuse cases between 2001 and 2019. The report offered recommendations for agencies across the district who work with children to help implement the learning from past cases and adopt national best practice to better protect children.

  • Bradford also referred themselves to the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, as well as hosting the inquiry’s Truth Project, which invited victims to come forward in confidence to tell their story.

 

West Yorkshire Police’s work to reduce vulnerability and pursue perpetrators

The active response to child sexual exploitation and abuse in West Yorkshire includes:

  • District Child Vulnerability and Exploitation Teams, who work to identify children vulnerable to exploitation and collaborate with partners to assess risk and safeguarding requirements. These teams also identify and target those who seek to exploit children.
  • The well-established district Online Child Abuse Investigation Teams, who investigate cases involving the making and distribution of indecent images of children.

  • West Yorkshire Police use the services of the National Police Chiefs’ Council Undercover Online Network, which was formed to identify online predators using the internet to target vulnerable young people. The specialist investigators collaborate closely with partners including the National Crime Agency to gather intelligence and pursue offenders.

  • In January 2024, West Yorkshire Police began working with Family Matters, who provide support and guidance to families who are impacted when a family member is arrested/investigated for online offences against children.

  • In August 2023, the Force introduced Child Safeguarding Risk Assessments for use with suspects on bail or released under investigation for offences involving children. This assesses the risk posed by and to the suspect.

 

How the Mayor and West Yorkshire Combined Authority influence child safeguarding 

The Chief Constable’s designation as a ‘lead safeguarding partner’ (alongside Local Authority Chief Executives and local health services) gives the Mayor an opportunity to review and influence the multi-agency safeguarding arrangements developed by key public services in West Yorkshire.

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority supports the victims of sexual violence and abuse through the commissioning of victims’ services. This includes child victims of sexual abuse or exploitation, and the families of those impacted by child sexual exploitation.

The Mayor, Tracy Brabin, has an important role in providing services for victims and survivors through the West Yorkshire’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre. 

She also set up the country’s first women’s safety unit to tackle violence and exploitation against women and girls.

Funding is provided to specialist children and young people independent sexual violence advisors, as well as investment into a specialist county wide parent liaison service to support parents and carers of children at risk of exploitation.

Finally, through the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund, countless grassroots-level projects across our districts have received grants to support child safeguarding initiatives within and produced by our local communities.

Everyone has their part to play in safeguarding children and we would urge anyone who has concerns for a child being exploited, or concern that a person is exploiting children, to report this to the police by telephoning 101, 999 in an emergency. Alternatively reports can be made via Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.

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