MP backs mandatory reporting of child abuse

Simon Danczuk MP welcomed Retail Ready People to Rochdale

Simon Danczuk MP has backed a call by the former director of prosecutions, Keir Starmer, for a change in the law to make it a crime not to report child abuse.

Mr Danczuk said that mandatory reporting of child abuse was “not a silver bullet to stop all child abuse”, but he said it would help challenge the litany of excuses that prevented agencies passing on child abuse allegations to the police.

Mr Starmer has called for Britain to adopt a similar law to the U.S, Canada and Australia where it is a crime for care professionals not to report child abuse allegations to the authorities.

Mr Danczuk said this could have helped save children from grooming gangs in Rochdale and also should have alerted people to abuse carried out by the former MP, Cyril Smith.
“I have spoken extensively to Keir Starmer about child abuse in Rochdale and he was very clear that mistakes had been made by the CPS,” he said. “I’m pleased he’s advocating a law change because I don’t think we can carry on as we are. As a nation I think we can do a lot more to protect children and standards need to be a lot higher.”

He added that as well as introducing mandatory reporting for child abuse, there needed to be greater child protection training and regular testing of frontline workers, such as the police, on recognizing child abuse indicators.

“In some cases even though child abuse is staring people in the face there are times when the authorities just don’t see it,” he said.