Kelly Anne Lees

Today was the third and final day of our judicial review hearing at the High Court. We've now made our case and await the judge's decision. Given the significance of the issues, we may have a little while to wait, but we'll share news as soon as we have it. As we shared in our updates over the first two days, we have been shocked by some of the arguments put forward by the Government. At times dismissive and, at others, deeply callous, they have reinforced exactly why this challenge matters. Unfortunately, today was no different. The Government's legal team argued that these decisions are matters of political judgement, that "policymaking is complicated" and that Governments face a "myriad of pressures". None of that is in dispute. But it cannot be an excuse for failing to act. Some of the recommendations at the heart of this challenge have been around since IICSA's interim report in 2018, including the professional registration of staff working in children's homes. Yet here we are, in 2026, still arguing about whether the Government is obliged to implement them. All the while, the Government acknowledged in court that 500,000 children are sexually abused every year. How many more years must pass? How many more children must be failed before protecting them becomes the priority? We are a small charity, funding this challenge through the generosity of people who believe, as we do, that children must be protected and that promises made to survivors must mean something. The Government is using taxpayers' money to defend its position that it does not have to act on recommendations intended to protect them. We owe an enormous thank you to the survivors and family members whose courage in sharing their experiences has helped bring us to this point. To @MaggieOliverUK , our founder and chair, whose relentless campaigning over almost two decades has refused to let these issues be ignored. And to every single person who has stood alongside us, supported this challenge, donated, shared our campaign or sent words of encouragement. We could not have done this without you. The courtroom was packed with survivors, families and supporters. A powerful reminder of the human cost of broken promises and years of inaction. Yet the Government argued that its failure to act on promises to implement the recommendations had caused no detriment! The people filling that courtroom told a very different story. We are proud of what has been achieved. But this is not the end. We haven't come this far to stop now. Our fight for accountability, change and better protection for children continues. #JudicialReview #ChildProtection #Accountability #IICSA

We are not here to judge you; we are here to help. If you ever need to speak to anyone, please get in touch on: themaggieoliverfoundation.co… @maggieoliveruk⁠ #CSAE #childabuse #exploitation

Through relentless campaigning and activism, Maggie and TMOF have highlighted the national problem of CSAE and the failure of senior police officers and criminal justice agencies to fulfil their legal obligation to protect children from abuse and prosecute perpetrators.

“I was groomed for the first time around 13 when a young adult became my ‘boyfriend' Carry on reading at: themaggieoliverfoundation.co… @maggieoliveruk⁠ #CSAE #childabuse #exploitation

On Saturday 11th February, GB News aired a documentary investigating the continuing operation of “grooming”, sexual abuse and exploitation of children by organized criminal “gangs” across the UK. Watch on: themaggieoliverfoundation.co… #CSAE #childabuse @maggieoliveruk⁠