Four years after the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) published its final report and 20 concluding recommendations, survivors are still asking a straightforward question: what has actually changed, and what remains to be done?

In this new update, Chris Tuck — survivor, Founder and CEO of Survivors Of aBuse, and former member of IICSA’s Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel — checks each recommendation against the latest Government, parliamentary and sector information available up to 19 October 2026.

The distinction matters. A proposal, a consultation, a Bill, a law in force and a proven change in practice are all different stages. Progress should be recognised, but commitments must not be presented as completion before children and survivors can see and feel the difference.

What has changed?

It would now be inaccurate to say that none of IICSA’s recommendations has been implemented.

• Recommendation 15 is in force: the three-year limitation period has been removed for qualifying child sexual abuse personal injury claims in England and Wales.
• Recommendation 9 has seen a core legal change: the supervision exemption was removed from 1 September 2026, allowing more people in qualifying supervised roles with children to be checked against the children’s barred list.
• Recommendation 20 has seen significant legal development: age-assurance duties now apply to certain online services, although the scope and effectiveness of the measures still need to be demonstrated.

There has also been movement on DBS referrals, overseas child-protection certificates, mandatory reporting, the proposed Child Protection Authority and the planned expansion of the Child House model. These developments matter, but several are partial, not yet operational or narrower than IICSA recommended.

What remains unfinished?

The full update finds that many recommendations remain incomplete, in development or have not been taken forward. These include a complete national core data set, cabinet-level accountability for children, a sustained public-awareness campaign, prohibition of pain-compliance techniques, statutory changes and professional registration in residential settings, a code of practice for accessing records, reform of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme and a separate redress scheme.

Mandatory reporting has been enacted, but is not yet in force and does not reproduce IICSA’s recommendation in full. The proposed Child Protection Authority is also not yet an operating body. Its independence, powers, resources, measures of effectiveness and public reporting will determine whether it can deliver the change survivors were promised.

Adult survivors need specialist support too

IICSA’s recommendations rightly focus on preventing abuse and responding to children at risk today. But the Inquiry also heard from adults living with the lifelong impact of abuse experienced in childhood. In IICSA’s Support Services Research Project, 43% of adult survivors who took part said they had an unmet need for support.

Funding announcements and the planned Child House expansion are welcome, but support for children cannot substitute for an accessible national pathway for adults who were never identified or supported when they were young. Short-term grants can keep services open for now; they cannot build the stable, specialist provision IICSA said was needed.

Chris is calling for a properly funded, multi-year plan for adult survivor support: one that identifies need and gaps, measures waiting times, clarifies the roles of the NHS, local commissioners and specialist voluntary organisations, and funds accredited specialist services for three to five years wherever possible.

Transparency and accountability

Four years on, the Government should:

• publish a current timetable for every recommendation;
• name the department and minister accountable for each outstanding action;
• report publicly on progress at least once a year; and
• involve survivors and specialist survivor-led organisations in implementation and scrutiny.

This is not an attack on individual civil servants. It is a reasonable request for a clear public record of commitments made in the public’s name.

“Survivors shared their experiences because we believed those experiences could help protect children. The recommendations are there. The test now is whether Government will finish the work and show the public, openly, what has changed.”

Watch the video

Read the full update

The full report assesses all 20 recommendations individually and includes 41 sources and further-reading links.

Read or download Four Years On: Where Are the 20 IICSA Recommendations? (PDF)

Published 20 October 2026. The status of the recommendations was checked against public information available up to 19 October 2026.