BBK Manifesto: Expand ‘position of trust’ roles to protect more children

I specialise in representing survivors of sexual abuse and unfortunately have seen the often severe repercussions of adults breaching their positions of authority, power and trust. It is for this reason I have spent years successfully campaigning to change the law.

At BBK we believe more still needs to be done, which is why, as part of our Manifesto for Injured People, we call for the definition of ‘position of trust’ to be extended to include driving instructors and those running community activities for children.

‘Position of trust’ is a legal term defined in the Sexual Offences Act 2003. It is against the law for someone in a position of trust to engage in sexual activity with a child (under the age of 18) in their care, even if that child is over the age of consent. Those in a position of trust include teachers, care workers, youth justice workers, social workers and doctors.

In 2022 the Government changed the law and extended the definition to faith group leaders and sports coaches. Whilst this is a welcomed extension there are still loopholes in this law.

It took nearly 20 years for the Government to listen to those campaigners who called for an extension in the law to include faith group leaders and sports coaches. It was an honour to campaign alongside so many including Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Sarah Champion MP, Tracey Crouch MP, Ieuan Watkins, the NSPCC and others.

Whilst the announcement in 2022 was welcomed, there are still roles that we feel should be included. The two most prominent roles omitted are driving instructors and those running community activities for children. We believe people in these roles also have unique access to children so should be included in the term.

It should not have taken 20 years to extend the roles and I do hope whoever wins the next general election will prioritise expanding the legislation to include driving instructors and those running community activities for children.

This blog is part of our #ChampioningChange Campaign, specifically, Bolt Burdon Kemp LLP’s 2024 Manifesto for Injured People. In this campaign we call for politicians and candidates to prioritise injured people as they go into the 2024 General Election. This work is informed by our clients’ experiences and our partnerships with charities which support our clients and others like them. If you would like to read more about our full manifesto you can do so here.