The Police and Crime Panel was scheduled to receive an update on the findings of the HMICFRS National Child Protection Inspection of Durham Constabulary and the force's progress in addressing identified areas for improvement. The panel was also set to discuss how the Police and Crime Commissioner is holding the Chief Constable to account for these improvements.

HMICFRS National Child Protection Inspection: PCC Oversight, Accountability and Force Improvement Update

The meeting was scheduled to focus on the findings of the HMICFRS National Child Protection Inspection, which was published in May 2026. The inspection identified strengths in safeguarding vulnerable children and partnership working within Durham Constabulary, but also highlighted four areas for improvement: risk management, exploitation recording, perpetrator management, and workforce capability.

Durham Constabulary had reportedly accepted these findings and implemented an improvement programme. The report pack indicated that the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) monitors this progress through regular performance, governance, and accountability arrangements. The panel was recommended to note the inspection findings and the progress made by Durham Constabulary. They were also to receive a presentation from the PCC and question them on the governance, scrutiny, and assurance arrangements in place to hold the Chief Constable accountable for delivering sustained improvements in child protection and safeguarding outcomes.

The report pack detailed the accountability structure between the Chief Constable, the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the Police and Crime Panel, outlining their respective roles in operational policing, holding to account, scrutiny, and public assurance. It also emphasised the importance of child protection as a central element of the Police, Crime & Justice Plan 2025-29, with objectives to protect vulnerable young people, improve outcomes, focus on prevention and early intervention, foster strong partnership working, and ensure effective and accountable policing.

The HMICFRS graded judgements for Durham Constabulary were: Good for Responding to Children at Risk of Harm and Working with Safeguarding Partners, Adequate for Leadership of Child Protection Arrangements and Risk Assessment and Referrals, and Requires Improvement for Investigating Child Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation. A national overview of these graded judgements was also provided for comparison with other police forces.

The report highlighted strengths such as a strong response to children at risk, effective partnership working, and a clear commitment to child protection. The areas for improvement were reiterated as risk and resource management, identification of exploitation risks, disruption of perpetrators, and workforce capability and skills. The report indicated that progress had been made since the IICSA (Inspection of Child Sexual Abuse) in areas including stronger governance, improved risk identification, enhanced multi-agency working, a greater offender focus, and investment in specialist safeguarding capacity.

Durham Constabulary's improvement plan was structured around four strategic priorities: better data and insight, stronger operational practice, workforce capability, and child-centred practice. The report indicated significant progress in managing risk and resources, exploitation recording, and skills and capability, with good progress and ongoing work in managing perpetrators.

The PCC's methods for holding the Chief Constable to account were outlined, including weekly and monthly executive board meetings, independent scrutiny by HMICFRS, quarterly performance updates, public accountability meetings, attendance at strategic and operational force meetings, and independent scrutiny panels. The PCC's role in reviewing progress, monitoring the delivery of HMICFRS improvements, seeking assurance on quality and risk, challenging performance, and overseeing the improvement plan was detailed. This included supporting the implementation of the NICHE intelligence and investigations system, monitoring recommendations from various reviews, promoting national learning, and supporting multi-agency safeguarding partnerships.

Assurance on force improvement was to be gained through increased safeguarding capacity, strengthened exploitation identification, dedicated vulnerability and exploitation resources, enhanced intelligence and analytical capability, improved perpetrator management, and a workforce training and continuing professional development (CPD) programme. Partnership governance and safeguarding assurance were to be achieved through close partnership working, oversight of safeguarding partnerships, monitoring multi-agency arrangements, supporting MASH[^1] development, ensuring child-centred approaches, and promoting learning and continuous improvement. Public assurance and transparency were to be maintained through the publication of the Section 55 response, public reporting of findings, reporting progress to the Police and Crime Panel, monitoring improvement activity, and ongoing independent scrutiny.

Additionally, the report included a call for collective action regarding unregistered and unregulated children's homes, supporting calls for stronger local and national oversight and regulation to reduce their impact on vulnerable children, communities, and public services across County Durham and Darlington.