With debates in parliament this week, Mandatory Reporting has been in the news lately. Since we at Mandate Now have been campaigning for MR since 2005, we thought it might be an idea to provide a summary of what it’s about. Even a summary is going to be a long thread… Most people fondly believe they would of course instantly report concerns about a child being sexually abused. It’s a horrible crime. Unfortunately that certainty often evaporates at the moment they are faced with actually having to do it.

Along with the non-mandatory "mandatory reporting" measure the government introduced today, it also introduced an offence of "preventing or deterring a person from complying with duty to report child sex offences".

A 🧵 This is completely backwards. It's not an offence to fail to report child sex abuse but it is an offence to discourage someone else from reporting. I mean, how mad is this?

We now have the government's legislative proposal in response to the IICSA public inquiry's recommendation on mandatory reporting of child sex abuse.

It is utterly useless, and it is clearly intended to be that way. The following 🧵 explains why. You can read the legislative text here

Screenshots of relevant bits will be included in the thread below.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill…

(📢) Our post embargo thread on the recommendations made in the #IICSAfinalreport, including the expected #IICSAbigticket recommendation for the introduction of well-designed #MandatoryReporting of child sexual abuse by those working in #RegulatedActivities starts shortly. 1/ #MR of #CSA exists in most jurisdictions in the rest of the world. Empirical evidence and data demonstrate it's a vital component of significantly improved safeguarding in complex institutional settings. So why do Eng + Wal not have it?

Good morning.

Now, more than eight years later.
. Following the resignation of Fiona Woolf, the second Chair of #CSAinquiry, this statement to the House by then Home Sec Theresa May

@bbcr4 PM programme 1.11.14 Theresa May statement. #CSAinquiry to remain a panel inquiry despite calls from victim groups audioboom.com/posts/2613292-…

@GympalGB @uk_sport @Sport_England @DCMS @CommonsDCMS @InquiryCSA The Whyte Review is commissioned and funded by (i) @Sport_England, a non-departmental public body under @DCMS and (ii) @uk_sport, an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by @DCMS. The 'review' has acquired the adjective 'independent' despite being commissioned by /1 @GympalGB @uk_sport @Sport_England @DCMS @CommonsDCMS @InquiryCSA the very organisations under whose umbrellas the alleged and discovered abuses were committed. The last sports review on which we recently tweeted is here and note who RT'd it. This was also commissioned by @DCMS which hoofed it into the long-grass /2

https://twitter.com/mandatenow/status/1304829722984153088

The evidence of @jimgamble to #religiousorganisationsandsettings hearing @InquiryCSA was compelling. School registration is crucial for the welfare of children and good staff. Well-designed #MandatoryReporting reporting is also a vital *component* of functioning safeguarding /1

https://twitter.com/YehudisFletcher/status/1294305264196296704

Fiona Scolding QC asked about paragraph 31 of Baumgarten's statement. Can you spot an answer her question?
"People in positions where disclosure is mandatory ..." - could you tell me what you mean by that? Clearly Baumgarten is oceanically unfamiliar with the subject /2