Victims’ Commissioner welcomes Grooming Gangs Inquiry Terms of Reference
The Victims’ Commissioner has welcomed the publication of the Terms of Reference for the Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, describing it as "an important step towards confronting the profound institutional failures” that left children exposed to widespread abuse."
The Inquiry, chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield CBE, will investigate how grooming gangs operated across England and Wales and examine the systemic failings that meant victims were too often “unprotected, unheard and subjected to horrific abuse”. It will also explore whether factors such as ethnicity, culture or religion influenced patterns of offending or shaped institutional responses.
A key requirement of the Terms of Reference is the development of a Survivor Charter, designed to ensure that victims and survivors are placed at the centre of the Inquiry’s work and engaged in a meaningful, trauma‑informed way.
Responding to today’s announcement, Claire Waxman OBE said:
“Today marks an important step towards confronting the profound institutional failures that left children unprotected, unheard and subjected to horrific abuse by grooming gangs. I welcome the Terms of Reference and the commitment to develop a Survivor Charter, ensuring victims and survivors are placed firmly at the centre of this Inquiry.
“The Inquiry must now move at pace, taking a trauma‑informed approach and ensuring survivors are meaningfully engaged and properly supported throughout. It is right that it follows the evidence wherever it leads. Transparency – including publishing findings as the work progresses – will be vital to rebuilding trust, but so too will delivering real accountability.
“Having met Baroness Longfield and her panel, I am reassured by their clear focus, independence and determination to deliver the answers survivors have been denied for so long. My office will work closely with survivors and partners to ensure their experiences drive the Inquiry’s direction and its outcomes.”
The Inquiry is due to begin its full investigative work once the Terms of Reference have been laid before Parliament on 13 April. It will publish findings as it progresses and aims to conclude no later than March 2029.