The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has been exploring how to measure the prevalence of child abuse through a feasibility project. The results of this work have been to develop the Safety During Childhood Survey (SDCS), which is an online survey for 16- to 25-year-olds. Having secured funding for 2026 to 2027, we are currently finalising and testing the SDCS with the aim of rolling out the survey later this year and publishing results in the first half of 2027. For more information on how the survey was developed, please see our latest research update published in May 2026.
Throughout this project, the ONS has worked to ensure a child-centred and children's rights-based approach. To support our understanding of how best to proceed with such a survey, during the development we spoke with other government departments, academics, support organisations and independent experts in the field, including receiving advice and support from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
We continue to meet regularly with colleagues at the NSPCC to ask for their advice on the survey design and implementation. We also have a statement of support for the survey from the NSPCC, which we use on the SDCS website pages to highlight the importance of this study to encourage people to take part. As we move to the roll-out of the survey and following publications, we will consider any opportunities to work together to encourage response to the survey, and the profile and use of the resulting statistics.