National review of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation and child criminal exploitation

Issued on behalf of the Care Inspectorate, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS), Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (HMIE) 

A review into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation and child criminal exploitation has highlighted challenges with the way key organisations deal with the scale, prevalence, characteristics, and threat of group-based harm.

The review, led by the Care Inspectorate and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) with Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education in Scotland (HMIE), looked at the issues of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation and child criminal exploitation in Scotland.

The authors of the study, carried out at the direction of the Scottish Government, said there was a lack of accurate national data relating to group-based harms.

The report acknowledges that there is no nationally agreed definition of group-based harms meaning existing reporting arrangements were primarily focused on individual incidents of harm.

The absence of a national definition, consistent data collection and specific reporting requirements means neither partnerships nor national bodies can accurately determine the scale, prevalence, characteristics or threat posed by group-based child sexual abuse, exploitation or criminal exploitation. 

The report found: “As a result, there is no reliable picture across Scotland of these types of harms.”

The work has highlighted the key challenges facing efforts to tackle these harms. However, partnerships involved in the work have already begun identifying areas for improvement at a local level to strengthen their understanding of exploitation risks and support more effective strategic oversight and decision-making.

The report makes a series of recommendations. It says the Scottish Government, in partnership with stakeholders across the sector, should:  

• Develop a national definition of what constitutes group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation and child criminal exploitation.

• Update National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland to include the new national definition of what constitutes group-based harms, supported by enhanced child protection guidance and nationally agreed key indicators of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation and child criminal exploitation.

• Implement standardised data collection on group-based harms with consistent reporting requirements in order to strengthen approaches. This includes identification, categorisation, prevalence, scale, and trend analysis to support strategic scrutiny at both local and national levels.

• Evaluate existing training to ensure that it consistently covers group-based harms as part of public protection arrangements.

• Develop and embed robust national arrangements to support the consistent and comprehensive collection and sharing of information and data on the prevalence of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation and child criminal exploitation.

Jackie Irvine, Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate, said:

“Child sexual abuse and exploitation and child criminal exploitation are significant harms that have a devastating impact on survivors, their families and carers, and on wider Scottish society.

“This national review assessed multi-agency Chief Officers’ Groups’ (COGs) understanding and oversight of group-based child sexual abuse, exploitation, and group-based child criminal exploitation.

“Our report makes a series of recommendations to strengthen national understanding of the harmful nature of group-based sexual abuse and exploitation of children and young people.  

“Addressing these complex and often hidden harms requires strong and sustained collaboration across all sectors, including social work services, justice, health and education. These recommendations can support the collective efforts being made across Scotland to prevent harm, improve protection and ensure learning leads to meaningful change.”

HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Craig Naylor, said:  

“Whilst there was a clear commitment across partnerships to strengthen intelligence gathering and prevention activity around group-based harms, we found structural gaps that impeded strategic governance and oversight of group-based harm – including the limited sharing by all agencies with Police Scotland of intelligence concerning child sexual abuse and exploitation and child criminal exploitation using the Partners Intelligence Portal.

“Less than half of partnerships gathered data relating to characteristics, such as ethnicity, disability, and care experience.

“This report should act as a catalyst for change.”

1. The report from this review is available here

2. In December 2025, the Scottish Government formally directed the Care Inspectorate and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland working with Healthcare Improvement Scotland and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education to lead a national review of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation under section 115 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.  

3. In the absence of a national definition, the review has considered group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation and child criminal exploitation to be significant harms that involve two or more individuals who take advantage of a power imbalance to coerce, manipulate, or deceive children and young people into sexual and/or criminal activity.