Today, The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs has announced new ways for victims and survivors to share their experiences and shape the Inquiry’s work, with the launch of the first stage of its National Listening Project and an expanded Victims & Survivors Hub.
Victims and survivors are at the heart of the Inquiry’s work. Their experiences, perspectives and insights are informing the Inquiry’s investigations, findings and recommendations from its beginning to end.
National Listening Project
The Inquiry’s National Listening Project provides an opportunity for people affected by grooming gangs to share their experiences, perspectives, and views with the Inquiry.
It is open to:
- Victims and survivors of grooming gangs.
- Family members and friends.
- Survivor groups.
- Others affected by the abuse and its consequences.
Experiences and views can be shared through an online submission form.
The information and experiences shared with the Inquiry plays a crucial part in its work. This information is not treated as a formal witness statement and submitting information does not make someone a witness to the Inquiry. However, it will help the Inquiry understand the impact of abuse, identify issues that require further examination, shape its lines of inquiry and inform future recommendations.
The Inquiry will publish summaries of themes and experiences shared through the National Listening Project, ensuring that no individual can be identified from those summaries.
This is the first stage of the National Listening Project. Later this year, the Inquiry will introduce additional ways for people to share their experiences, including one-to-one conversations with trained facilitators and further opportunities to contribute to the Inquiry’s work.
Victims & Survivors Hub
The Inquiry has also updated its Victims & Survivors Hub with information about:
- How victims and survivors can stay informed throughout the Inquiry.
- Opportunities to help shape the Inquiry’s work.
- Support available to those engaging with the Inquiry.
- Future opportunities to share experiences and views.
The Hub now includes information about planned newsletters, webinars, feedback reports, workshops and surveys that will help ensure victims’ and survivors’ experiences remain at the heart of the Inquiry’s work.
Core Participant applications
Applications are now open for Core Participant status as part of the Inquiry’s National Accountability Hearings. A Core Participant is an individual or organisation with a significant interest in the Inquiry’s work. Core Participants have specific rights within the Inquiry process, including receiving relevant disclosure and making opening or closing statements at hearings. For the national accountability hearings, Core Participant status is more likely to be granted to groups or organisations representing victims, rather than to individuals. However, Core Participant status is not required to share experiences with the Inquiry or contribute to its work.
The Inquiry’s National Accountability Hearings will examine how institutions and services responded to grooming gangs and why recommendations from previous reviews and inquiries were not consistently implemented or did not lead to meaningful change.
Applications for Core Participant status in relation to the National Accountability Hearings are open from 13 July 2026 and will close at 5pm on 14 August 2026. This application period is for the National Accountability Hearings. Separate application periods for the Local Area Investigations into Oldham, Bradford and Keighley, and London will be announced soon.
Applications should be sent by email to: Solicitor@grooming-gangs.independent-inquiry.uk and should not exceed five pages of typed text.
Further information about Core Participant applications is available in the Core Participant Protocol.
