1.1 Far more children are being sexually abused than are coming to the attention of professionals. In fact, conservative estimates suggest one in ten children will experience some form of child sexual abuse before the age of 16. Surveys indicate that sexual abuse is as common as other forms of childhood abuse, such as emotional abuse or neglect, but it is much less likely to be identified by professionals. A lot is now known about child sexual abuse and what good responses look like, and those working with children need a clear understanding of the specific actions and steps they can take when they are concerned a child may be, or has been, sexually abused, to ensure the safety and well-being of every child.
2.1 The Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre) is a multi-disciplinary team, funded by the Home Office, hosted by Barnardo’s, who work closely with key partners from academic institutions, local authorities, health, education, police, and the voluntary sector. The CSA Centre wants children to be able to live free from the threat and harm of sexual abuse. Their aim is to reduce the impact of child sexual abuse through improved prevention and a better-informed response.
2.2 The CSA Centre has created the Response Pathway, an interactive online resource to guide professionals through how they can protect and support children and their families when there are concerns of sexual abuse. Underpinning this is a suite of practice resources and guides to support more effective, confident professional practice in response to child sexual abuse.
2.3 Local Safeguarding Children Partnerships in Bristol are encouraged to implement the Response Pathway and best practice resources and guidance into practice in a way that supports frontline practitioners across the partnership. What follows in the subsequent pages of this resource is the product of that collaboration between the Bristol Safeguarding Children Partnership and the CSA Centre.
3.1 The Response Pathway provides clarity on professional responsibilities and opportunities to support children, clearly outlining the steps to take and the actions required at key stages in the safeguarding and protection process. It seeks to do this not just by telling professionals what to do, but in helping them to understand how to do it. Advice is provided about all forms of child sexual abuse, including intrafamilial child sexual abuse, sibling sexual abuse, harmful sexual behaviour, abuse in online contexts and extra-familial sexual harm. Importantly, this advice is centred meeting children’s needs, how they are feeling and what they hope will happen.
3.2 Both the Response Pathway and the supporting resources are designed for all professionals working with children. They are particularly helpful for social workers, teachers, police officers, health professionals and those in the voluntary sector who work with children and families.
3.3 Professionals can use the Response Pathway to help inform and guide the steps they take to protect and support children if they are concerned they are being, or may have been sexually abused. The Response Pathway sets out what you can and should do at different points along the response and will help professionals understand the roles of other professional colleagues.
3.4 As an interactive online resource, the Response Pathway builds on current legislation and statutory guidance and national policies and procedures, providing specific advice on responding to child sexual abuse.
3.5 The Response Pathway combines research evidence with input from cross-agency practice leaders and in-depth consultation with victims and survivors, including young people. The CSA Centre piloted the introduction and rollout of the Response Pathway in three local authority areas: Barking and Dagenham, Bristol and Lincolnshire, building in their feedback and also learning about what helps and what hinders implementation of the Response Pathway throughout an organisation. The CSA Centre has drawn on this learning to provide a guide for local partnerships, Starting out on the Child Sexual Abuse Response Pathway, to help them prepare and implement the Response Pathway to improve the response to families of children who are sexually abused.
4.1 Alongside the Response Pathway, the CSA Centre has developed additional resources and guides to support professionals in identifying and responding to child sexual abuse:
Signs and Indicators: A template for identifying and recording concerns of child sexual abuse
This template aims to help professionals gather and record the wider signs and indicators of sexual abuse and build a picture of their concerns. In London we would advocate this tool being used in case formulation, reflective supervisions and by designated safeguarding leads or safeguarding teams to facilitate a structured conversation;
This guide aims to help professionals understand how to talk with children about concerns of sexual abuse in a variety of contexts. Using research, practice guidance, and expert input, it explains what may be going on for children when they are being sexually abused; what prevents them from talking about the abuse; and what professionals can do to help children feel able to speak about what is happening;
This guide is designed to help professionals understand more about how child sexual abuse affects parents and their children, so that they can support them effectively. It explores the impact of child sexual abuse carried out in different contexts, and how such abuse can affect families differently. It explains why parents need to receive a supportive response from professionals, and what this involves, and it provides lists of resources and sources of support for professionals to support their work and share with the parents they are working with;
Research suggests sexually abusive behaviour by siblings is a common form of intra-familial abuse, yet many professionals report a lack of knowledge or experience to feel confident in responding effectively. To help, the first part of this guide provides advice on the identification and understanding of sibling sexual behaviour, while Part B covers the professional response;
Managing risk and trauma after online sexual offending: A whole-family safeguarding guide
Designed to help drive a confident social work response in cases where a parent or carer has accessed child sexual abuse material, this guide aims to help safeguarding of the whole family at a time of great emotional distress. It is split into four sections, describing the impacts on the whole family in the home, what is known about the risks posed by those who access, possess, or share child sexual abuse material for considerations in assessment, advice on providing effective support and how social workers can look after their own wellbeing and contains a list of useful resources;
This guide provides practical support for those in education settings to respond to children’s needs and safety when incidents of harmful sexual behaviour occur. It is split into two: Part A looks at the key actions for a school when an incident of harmful sexual behaviour has occurred, including a safety plan template for recording and reviewing arrangements, and Part B focusses on broader practical advice such as how to communicate with children, and their parents, and an appendix with useful links and resources;
This series of short papers provide succinct, relevant information for frontline practitioners and commissioners. They bring together the most up-to-date research into an accessible overview, supporting confident provision of the best possible responses to child sexual abuse;
Using supervision and team meetings to improve responses to child sexual abuse
This guide helps professionals start discussions about child sexual abuse within their teams in a supportive space, reflect on the experiences of children and families they are working with, explore their team’s and their own welfare, and consider how the evidence might inform and develop their practice.
The Data Insights Hub uses interactive maps and charts to allow users to easily view local data on child sexual abuse, and to compare this to other areas with similar characteristics. It makes the data that is currently available more easily accessible by enabling users to compare local child sexual abuse data to that within a national context, helping them understand how an area is performing in terms of identification rates and in support.
The CSA Centre website contains the details of over 350 support services, and brings services together into one easy to navigate list, reducing the need to search from website to website. Users can search using a postcode, or by clicking on their region on the map. Each support service listed has the necessary details so that users can get in touch quickly, whether that be through website, helpline number and email address. For many of the support services listed, the directory also shows the sort of support they offer including in-person one-to-one therapy and counselling, helplines and online chats.
