Child Protection Authority

{{Short description|Proposed government agency of the United Kingdom}}

The Child Protection Authority is a proposed government agency of the United Kingdom.

The creation of a Child Protection Authority was one of the recommendations of the report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), published in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Johnson` |first=Malcolm |date=2025-05-28 |title=Government response to IICSA: 3 impacts for safeguarding practice |url=https://www.cypnow.co.uk/content/analysis/government-response-to-iicsa-3-impacts-for-safeguarding-practice/ |access-date=2025-06-19 |website=CYP Now |language=en}}

A proposal that the creation of the agency be made a statutory requirement as part of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill was voted down in a vote in the House of Commons in February 2025.{{Cite web |title=New Clause 39 - Establishment of Child Protection Authority |url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/pbc/2024-25/Children%E2%80%99s_Wellbeing_and_Schools_Bill/14-0_2025-02-11a.545.2 |access-date=2025-06-19 |website=TheyWorkForYou |language=en}}

In April 2025, Jess Philips, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, announced that work would start on creating the agency.{{Cite web |last=Hossein-Pour |first=Anahita |date=8 April 2025 |title=Child protection authority to be set up after child sex abuse inquiry |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/government-jess-phillips-home-office-inquiry-elon-musk-b2729520.html |access-date=19 June 2025 |website=The Independent}}{{Cite web |date=2025-04-08 |title=Tackling child sexual abuse and exploitation: update |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/tackling-child-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation-update |access-date=2025-06-19 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} Opposition politicians criticised the government for not having acted on the IICSA's recommendations sooner.

As part of the recommendations made by Louise Casey in the report of the National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, published in June 2025, the Child Protection Agency is planned to be one of the organizations responsible for ensuring inter-agency collaboration against child abuse.{{Cite web |last=Casey |first=Louise |date=16 June 2025 |title=National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-audit-on-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}} The government has stated that it intends to implement all of the recommendations of the audit report.{{Cite web |date=16 June 2025 |title=Government response to the National Audit on Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse report |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-audit-on-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse/government-response-to-the-national-audit-on-group-based-child-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-report |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=GOV.UK |language=en}}