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Covering up child abuse should be a criminal offence, NSPCC says

Legislation
The charity is calling for a duty on institutions, such as hospitals and children’s homes, to report abuse.

The charity’s chief executive Peter Wanless, who is leading a review into how the Home Office handled historical allegations of child abuse, wants covering up of abuse to made a criminal offence.

Currently there are no specific mandatory regulations in the UK requiring professionals to report suspicions about child abuse to the authorities.

Previously the NSPCC had opposed all forms of mandatory reporting of abuse.

Peter Wanless said, ‘Recently we have witnessed a disturbing number of cases of abuse in institutions. We have concluded that the balance between the support for staff to do the right thing and the challenge if they do not, must be out of kilter.

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