Child abuse index
- 1 Key definitions
- 2 Police response to investigating child abuse
- 2.1 Risk and associated investigations
- 2.2 Staffing and the child abuse investigation unit
- 2.3 Information management
- 2.4 Critical incidents and community impact assessments
- 2.5 Multi-agency arrangements for safeguarding
- 2.6 Police officers suspected of child abuse
- 2.7 Monitoring, evaluating and learning lessons
- 3 Police response to concern for a child
- 4 Further investigation
- 5 Managing complex child abuse investigations
- 6 Linked reference material
Key definitions
1 Child
6.1 Neglect
Police response to investigating child abuse
Risk and associated investigations
1 Risk
1.1 Circumstances of the child
1.2 Behaviour and circumstances of the suspect
1.3 Assessing and managing risk
1.4 Common Law Police Disclosure
2.1 Abandoned babies or children
2.2 Allegations against people who work with children
2.3 Animal abuse
2.5 Child abduction (including parental abduction)
2.6 Child homicides
2.9 Delayed reporting of child abuse allegations
2.10 Domestic abuse
2.11 Fabricated or induced illness
2.12 Female genital mutilation
2.13 Forced marriage
2.14 Grooming
2.15 Honour-based violence and other illegitimate justifications for abuse
2.16 Indecent images of children
2.16.1 Interpretation of indecency
2.16.2 Sentencing Advisory Panel Guidelines
2.16.3 Victim identification
2.16.4 Handling images
2.17 Managing sexual offenders and violent offenders
2.18 Missing children or families
2.20 Rape, sexual activity and pregnancy of a child
2.21 Sexual activity
2.22 Sexual activity with consent
2.23 Sexual exploitation of children
2.25 Travelling sexual offenders
2.26 Unexpected death of a child
Staffing and the child abuse investigation unit
1 Response and neighbourhood policing teams
2 Specialist investigations and departments
3 Child abuse investigation units
3.1 Definition
3.2 Investigation of crimes relating to child abuse
3.3 Other specialist investigations
3.4 Advisory role
3.5 Leadership
3.5.1 Multi-agency roles
4.1 Staff selection and vetting
4.3 Supervisors
4.4 Welfare services
5.1 Training for supervisors and senior investigators
Information management
3 Report
4 Assessment of external and internal referrals, reports and intelligence
4.1 Risk assessment
5.1 Information and intelligence checks
5.2 Use of the National Intelligence Model
5.3 Analysis
6 Feedback to agencies and individuals who report or refer concerns about children
Critical incidents and community impact assessments
2 Community impact assessments
Multi-agency arrangements for safeguarding
1 Local safeguarding children boards
2 Other relevant multi-agency arrangements
4 Multi-agency prevention and education initiatives
Police officers suspected of child abuse
2 Local authority designated officers
Monitoring, evaluating and learning lessons
2 Joint performance indicators
Police response to concern for a child
1 Information for an initial report
1.1 Questioning
1.1.1 Information gathering checklist
2 Preservation of the crime scene
4 Indicators of concern for a child
6 Establishing the welfare of the child
6.1 Seeing and speaking to the child
6.2 Adult refusal to allow access to a child
6.3 Communication
6.4 Interpreters and registered intermediaries
6.5 Observing and recording the child’s condition
6.5.1 Recording the child’s condition checklist
6.6 Safeguarding the child’s welfare
6.6.1 Actions on arrival at the scene checklist
6.8 Arrest strategy
6.9 Planning
7.1 Exercising police protection
7.2 Rationale
7.7 Releasing the child from police protection
8 Investigative considerations
8.2 Seized images
8.3 Handling advice
8.4 Initial response if drug or salt-induced poisoning is suspected
8.5 Initial response to honour-based violence
8.6 Initial response to suspected parental abduction
8.6.1 Immediate actions in cases of suspected parental abduction checklist
9.1 Action in urgent or serious cases
9.1.1 Information for an internal referral to the child abuse investigation unit checklist
11 Cross-border and international investigations
Further investigation
1 Managing a child abuse investigation
1.1 Media management
1.1.1 Responding to the press
2 Lines of enquiry in child abuse investigations
2.1 Potential lines of enquiry in child abuse investigations checklist
2.2.1 Potential lines of enquiry in cases of neglect checklist
2.3 Lines of enquiry in cases involving indecent images of child abuse
2.4 Risk assessment
3 Forensic medical examinations
3.2 Consent
3.3 Emergency protection orders
3.5 Court order
3.6 Role of the examining doctor
3.8 Location
3.9 Timing
3.10 Victim interview
4.2 Photographic and visually recorded evidence
4.2.1 Use of photographic evidence checklist
4.2.2 Visually recorded evidence gathering checklist
4.3 Search strategies for indecent images of child abuse
4.4 Use of X-ray and similar techniques
4.5 Using recordings of calls to the police
5.1 Achieving best evidence in criminal proceedings interviews with children and special measures
5.2 Consent to an ABE interview with a child
5.3 Identification procedures and facial composition with child victims
5.4 Victim account
5.5 Victim personal statements
5.6 Withdrawal and retraction statements
6.1 Pre-trial therapy and counselling
6.3 Preparing for a child to give evidence at court
6.3.1 Vulnerable and intimidated victim/witness services
6.3.2 Victim Support and the Witness Service
6.5 Linking or separating cases
6.6 Sustained victim/witness contact
6.7 Victim/witness contact records
7 Additional sources of evidence
7.1 Debriefing the first officer at the scene
7.2 House-to-house enquiries and enquiries with other potential witnesses
7.3 Covert methods
8 Information and services from other agencies
8.1 Agency enquiries
9.1 Planning lines of questioning
9.2 Indecent images of child abuse and related offences
10 Pre-charge advice, charging and the CPS
10.1 Early liaison
10.2 Orders
10.2.1 File preparation checklist
11 Remand, police bail and release of suspects
11.1 Risk posed by the suspect
11.2 Remand
11.3 Bail
11.4 Bail conditions
11.5 Keeping the victim and parent or carer informed
11.6 Victim contact with the offender
11.7 Informing the suspect of no further action
11.8 Review panels
11.9 Multi-agency public protection arrangements and managing potentially dangerous persons
Managing complex child abuse investigations
2.1 Scoping the size and complexity of an investigation
2.3 Police forces and partner agencies
2.4 Peer support
2.5 Engaging with children’s social care
2.6 Cases of institutional abuse
3 Staffing
3.1 Selection
3.2 Welfare
3.3 Training
3.4 Gold group
4.1 Suspect’s current access to children
4.2 Continued risk to victims and witnesses
4.5 File examination and retention by partner agencies
4.5.1 Option 1: police retention of files
4.5.2 Option 2: partner agency retention of files
4.5.3 Option 3: partner agency ‘embassy system’ co-located in police premises
4.6 Obtaining material relating to family court proceedings
4.7 Obtaining material relating to civil proceedings
4.8 Information protocol between police forces and local authorities
5 Victim and witness identification
5.1 Strategy
5.2 Victim/witness approach and protocol
5.3 Telling victims about other allegations
6.1 Discussing the investigation
6.3 Impact on those associated with victims, witnesses or suspects
6.4 Support groups
6.5 Other interested parties and groups
7 Suspects
7.1 Suspect strategy
7.2 Search of a suspect’s premises
7.3 Disciplinary proceedings relating to the suspect
7.4 Suspects living or working overseas
8 Arrest, charging and prosecution
8.1 Arrest
8.2 Pre-trial witness interviews
8.3 Charging
8.5 Victim’s Right to Review Scheme
8.6 Possible allegations of false complaints
9.1 Exit strategy
9.2 Measuring success of an investigation
9.3 Disclosure of material to family or civil proceedings
9.4 Reviews
