Devon and Cornwall Police share I Am Ready site for abuse survivors

For 25 years, Jamie could not find the right time, place or person to tell. When he did come forward, his investigation was closed with no further action. He has now helped build a website for people left in the same position.

A new website called I Am Ready has been launched for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation. It brings information and support together in one place, and it gives people a way to ask for a previously closed case to be looked at again. A video explaining how it works has been published on the Devon & Cornwall Police YouTube channel.

What the website does

I Am Ready was designed with victims and survivors. It offers tailored routes to specialist advice depending on each person’s circumstances, and users can move through it at their own pace. There are natural breaks, and progress can be saved and picked up again later.

It also carries information about reporting abuse to the police or to specialist support services.

Independent support from specialist organisations, Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) and victim support services is available throughout. People can leave contact details if they want to be kept updated on a request.

Asking for a closed case to be reviewed

Anyone whose case was closed following a Crown Prosecution Service or local police force decision can request a review through the site. A series of questions routes each person to the process that fits their circumstances. That may be one of three.

Operation Beaconport

Set up after the publication of Baroness Casey’s audit of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation last year, Operation Beaconport is reviewing investigations between 1 January 2010 and 31 March 2025 where police or the Crown Prosecution Service decided to take no further action.

The cases in scope are those where two or more suspects were involved, there was at least one victim or survivor, and the case involved contact offences. Cases involving both contact and online abuse may be included.

The Child Sexual Abuse Review Panel

The panel is run jointly by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Crown Prosecution Service. It covers allegations of child sexual offences reported before 5 June 2013 where police or the CPS decided no further action should be taken. People who are not satisfied the original allegations were dealt with appropriately can ask the panel to reconsider.

The Victims’ Right to Review Scheme

The Victims’ Right to Review Scheme gives victims the right to ask for a review of a police decision not to charge a suspect. It applies where a suspect has been identified and interviewed under caution.

What happens to the information you submit

The Operation Beaconport portal sits within the I Am Ready website. Users are asked to give as much or as little as they are able to, including dates and locations of possible offences and any details about possible perpetrators.

Specially trained Operation Beaconport officers receive and review what is sent. They cross-check it against cases already submitted by police forces, to work out whether there are viable lines of enquiry that could allow a case to be reinvestigated.

From there the process has three further stages:

• Review: the Operation Beaconport National Review Panel assesses whether the decision to close the case was right, and whether there are lines of enquiry that could be pursued now.
• Reopening: the case is reclassified as open and sent back to the local police force, which looks again at the evidence and what a reinvestigation would need.
• Reinvestigation: local forces carry out a fresh investigation with Operation Beaconport’s oversight. Some cases may be kept by Operation Beaconport itself.

A reinvestigation only goes ahead in liaison with the victim and survivor, and only where they have said that is what they want.

In some cases the original decision to take no further action will be upheld. If that happens, and the person has asked for an update, they will be told and given advice and support on the other options open to them.

“Nowhere obvious to take them”

Jamie, a victim and survivor who was involved in developing the portal, said: “From my experience, speaking about what happened to you as a survivor is extremely hard. For 25 years I was unable to find the right time, place or person, and throughout those years I tried various digital platforms while hiding my identity in an attempt to reach out to someone.

“When I did eventually come forward, my investigation was closed with a decision to take no further action, so I understand what it is to be left with questions and nowhere obvious to take them.

“Knowing that I Am Ready now exists is reassuring. Others like me can now visit, seek information, understand what support and review options are available to them and decide what feels right for them.”

What police and ministers have said

Chief Constable Becky Riggs, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for child protection and abuse investigation, said: “For many victims and survivors, questions can remain long after an investigation has been closed. Finding information or understanding where to turn next can feel overwhelming.

“I Am Ready has been developed to help people access information and support whenever they feel ready to do so. Most importantly, it gives victims and survivors greater choice and control, allowing them to decide how and when they engage.”

Nigel Leary, National Crime Agency deputy director and Operation Beaconport lead, said: “It takes tremendous courage for victims and survivors to revisit their experiences of child sexual abuse and exploitation, and we want to be as supportive as we can as people go through this journey.”

Nigel added: “We recognise that this process may be distressing for victims and survivors, and could result in having to manage deeply difficult emotions. Victims and survivors who visit I Am Ready to share information with Operation Beaconport can change their mind by leaving the website at any time, and still continue from the exact same point at a later date, if they wish.”

Satvir Kaur, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, said: “This new website brings trusted guidance together in one place. I encourage anyone thinking ‘what next?’ to use this tool to better understand their options, make informed decisions and stay in control.”

The review options and support services are set out at IAmReady.org.uk.