The Guardian view on the grooming gangs inquiry: a chance to look at the big picture | Editorial

Anne Longfield has a vast, fraught task ahead of her. Victims must know from the outset what they can expect Terms of reference for the independent inquiry into grooming gangs in England and Wales have been agreed. The formal process starts in less than two weeks. For victims and survivors, this is a huge moment. Many have battled for years for a statutory inquiry of this sort. In response to their feedback, the timeframe now stretches back to 1996. Examining crimes, and the response to them, in many locations over such a long period is a daunting task. But by commissioning this inquiry, after initially rejecting the idea, the government has accepted that a nationwide overview of the phenomenon of group-based child sexual exploitation is needed. Anne Longfield, the former children’s commissioner for England, was a Labour peer before being chosen to lead the inquiry. Some victims and survivors wanted a judge. She and her panel will have to earn their trust. Public inquiries are by definition challenging and sensitive, since their purpose is to make amends when multiple agencies have failed. This one is particularly difficult for several reasons. One is the sheer scale of the crimina