Birmingham and Wales Added to Growing List of Local Probes in Grooming Gangs Inquiry

The statutory inquiry examining child sexual abuse carried out by grooming gangs has confirmed that Birmingham and Wales will be the next areas subjected to in-depth local investigation, expanding a process that has already reached several other regions of England and Wales.

Baroness Anne Longfield, the former children's commissioner who chairs the inquiry, announced that both locations will come under scrutiny as part of a series of targeted studies designed to establish the nature and scale of abuse in specific communities and to assess how effectively authorities responded to it.

The inquiry holds statutory powers, meaning it can force individuals and institutions to account for what they did — or failed to do — to safeguard children from sexual exploitation. That authority is central to its stated purpose of uncovering not only the extent of the abuse but also the institutional failures that allowed it to continue.

According to the inquiry, the decision to focus on Birmingham arose from a combination of factors, including the experiences reported by victims and survivors, signs of how widespread the problem may be, evidence of harm and ongoing risk, and concern expressed by the public. The panel emphasised that these criteria, rather than any single trigger, informed the choice of the city as a priority location.

Panel member Zoë Billingham outlined the approach investigators will take. She said the panel would scrutinise what organisations knew at the relevant times, how decisions were reached, the manner in which different agencies cooperated with one another, and the reasons why chances to safeguard children were not taken.

In announcing the Welsh investigation, Baroness Longfield said victims and survivors in Wales had already waited an unacceptable length of time for answers. She indicated that the inquiry would help the panel develop a clearer understanding of why children were left unprotected and would identify what must change going forward.

The national inquiry was established in June 2025 by then Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. It describes itself as a statutory independent inquiry into grooming gangs in England and Wales, with a mandate to carry out targeted investigations in different parts of both nations.

The process has not been without controversy. Survivors of abuse publicly called for former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips to step down, creating a period of turbulence for the inquiry. Despite those pressures, the inquiry formally began its work in April of this year, operating with a budget of £65 million.

Before the latest announcement, the inquiry had already identified several areas for local investigation. These include Oldham in Greater Manchester, Bradford and Keighley in West Yorkshire, and London. Each location is being examined separately, allowing the panel to consider the distinct local dynamics, institutional arrangements, and patterns of abuse present in each place.

The criteria used to select areas for investigation have been explained by the inquiry. They include how victims and survivors were treated when they first came forward to report abuse, as well as whether opportunities to prevent harm were missed. The panel has stressed that these factors, rather than geography alone, guide its decisions about where to concentrate resources.

The addition of Birmingham reflects the inquiry's acknowledgement that grooming gang abuse has affected communities across the country, not merely in the towns and cities that have already received widespread attention. Birmingham's size and diverse population mean that any findings there could have significant implications for how child protection services, police forces, and local authorities operate across urban areas more broadly.

Wales presents a different set of considerations, including the devolved nature of some public services and the distinct administrative structures that oversee safeguarding. The inquiry's decision to examine Wales as a whole, rather than a single locality, suggests the panel believes there are systemic issues that extend beyond any one community.

For victims and survivors, the inquiry represents an opportunity to have their experiences formally recognised and to see accountability placed on institutions that may have failed them. The panel's language has repeatedly emphasised the importance of understanding not just what happened, but why systems designed to protect children did not function as intended.

The inquiry's statutory footing gives it a level of leverage that non-statutory reviews often lack. Institutions and individuals who are called to give evidence cannot simply decline to participate, and the panel can require the production of documents and testimony. This is intended to prevent the kind of information gaps that have undermined previous investigations.

The £65 million budget underscores the scale of the undertaking. Carrying out multiple local investigations, each involving evidence gathering, witness testimony, and analysis of institutional conduct, requires substantial resources and time. The inquiry is expected to produce findings that will inform future policy and practice in child protection.

As the inquiry moves into Birmingham and Wales, attention will focus on how quickly evidence can be gathered and whether the panel's findings lead to concrete changes in how authorities identify and respond to grooming gang abuse. For now, the announcement signals that the inquiry intends to cast its net widely, examining failures wherever they are found and giving voice to those who have waited years for answers.