Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation: What Are We Missing in Recording, Recognition and Response?
The Safeguarding and Domestic Abuse Sector PodcastShow Notes
What are we missing in how we record, recognise, and respond to child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE)? In this episode, we explore key insights from two important pieces of research: the Department for Education (March 2026) report on recording practices and serious incident notifications, and findings from the Child Sexual Exploitation Centre. Together, they highlight a critical issue: recording is not a neutral process. It actively shapes what becomes visible, what is understood as harm, and ultimately, how systems respond to children's experiences. In this week's episode we discuss: How recording practices vary across agencies—and why this matters Why CSAE often presents through patterns, not clear evidence The impact of thresholds and uncertainty on professional judgement How serious incident reporting can create unequal learning and scrutiny Key questions for reviewers to better centre children's lived experiences
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About Donna:
Donna has 16 years public sector experience, including her last role as Head of Law for a leading metropolitan authority. Now a safeguarding adviser & trainer, Donna is involved in serious case reviews in both children's and adults' safeguarding, domestic homicide and is a SILP Reviewer and Mentor. Donna offers 'SILP School' her university accredited training course, Momentum her space for reviewers & a free online network for leaders in review practice.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-ohdedar-review-consulting-ltd/
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