New site helps child abuse survivors navigate case reviews

For people who were sexually abused as children, the moment an investigation closes does not always end their questions. Many are left unsure whether anything more could have been done, or where to turn next. A new website, IAmReady.org.uk, has been launched to help victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation understand what review options may be open to them, including when a case was previously closed following a decision by the Crown Prosecution Service or a local police force.

The site was designed in collaboration with victims and survivors themselves, and for the first time brings consistent, trauma-informed and accessible information together in one place. Users answer a small number of sensitively designed questions and are guided toward the information, support and review pathways that match their circumstances. They can move at their own pace, take natural breaks, save their progress and return whenever they feel ready.

Depending on what a person shares, the site can point them toward specialist support services, information about reporting abuse to police, the Victims’ Right to Review (VRR), the Child Sexual Abuse Review Panel (CSARP), or details about Operation Beaconport and whether a case may fall within its scope. Independent support is available throughout, including from specialist organisations, Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) and victim support services.

Operation Beaconport sits at the centre of this work. Set up in November 2025 following the publication of Baroness Casey’s audit of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation, the operation is reviewing hundreds of cases where a decision to take no further action was made between 1 January 2010 and 31 March 2025. If a victim or survivor wishes to submit information about a previously closed case involving group-based offending, specially trained officers from Operation Beaconport will receive and review the request. Anyone submitting information can opt to receive updates about it.

Chief Constable Becky Riggs, NPCC Lead for Child Protection and Abuse Investigation, said victims and survivors deserve access to clear information, compassionate support and the opportunity to make informed decisions about what feels right for them. For many, she noted, questions can remain long after an investigation has been closed, and finding information or understanding where to turn next can feel overwhelming.

“IAmReady has been developed to help people access information and support whenever they feel ready to do so,” she said. “Most importantly, it gives Victims and Survivors greater choice and control, allowing them to decide how and when they engage.”

Riggs added that both IAmReady and Operation Beaconport were developed with victims and survivors at their heart, and that survivors played an important role in shaping the website, helping to ensure it reflects the needs and priorities of the people it is designed to support. This, she said, reflects a commitment to treating every victim and survivor with dignity, compassion and respect.

The broader significance lies in access and fairness. People whose cases were closed years ago now have a single, clearly signposted route to ask whether their case can be looked at again, and to find support while doing so. The emphasis on pacing, choice and control is intended to reduce the overwhelm that many survivors describe when trying to navigate official systems alone.

To find out more about Operation Beaconport, review options and the support available, victims and survivors can visit IAmReady.org.uk. Whether the operation’s review of hundreds of closed cases will change past decisions remains to be seen.