Child Sexual Abuse Response

The Child Sexual Abuse Response Resources

We know from the evidence that far more children are being sexually abused than are coming to the attention of professionals. This means that we must seek to further understand cause, scope, scale and impact. We know a lot about child sexual abuse and have made progress in addressing the needs of children, their families, whilst considering the risks posed by adults and children who sexually harm, but there are still many gaps in knowledge and understanding which limit how effectively we are tackling the issue.

The Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre) are a multi-disciplinary team, funded by the Home Office, hosted by Barnardo’s and who work closely with key partners from academic institutions, local authorities, health, education, police, and the voluntary sector The 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.

The CSA Centre developed a suite of resources to support more effective professional practice in response to child sexual abuse. The response resources are for all professionals whose roles brings them into contact with children and their families when there may be concerns or reports that a child is being or has been sexually abused. It is therefore particularly relevant to social workers, teachers, police officers, health professionals and those in the voluntary sector who work with children and families.

The response resources highlight good practice when there are concerns that a child is being or has been sexually abused. It aims to bring clarity to professionals’ responsibilities and actions at key points, in order to meet children’s needs for safety and support and address their wider wellbeing. Advice is provided about intrafamilial child sexual abuse, sibling sexual abuse, harmful sexual behaviours and extra-familial sexual harm. These are all forms of child sexual abuse.

Information and guidance has been developed with people with lived experience, professionals and sector specialists; it explains how the needs of the child or young person can be met throughout their contact with Services. It has three main aims:

• Make the needs and perspectives of children central in professionals’ responses to child sexual abuse.
• Bring clarity to key response points so that professionals’ responses to child sexual abuse meet the needs of children who are being or have been sexually abused, and the needs of their families.
• Improve professionals’ responses to child sexual abuse by providing a pathway that is grounded in evidence and good practice.

In 2021 the Lincolnshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) embarked on a mutual venture with the CSA Centre to implement the resources and best practice 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.

The full suite of practice guides can be found here: pathway (csapathway.uk)

Alongside the practice guides, the CSA Centre have developed additional resources 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 Lincolnshire 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.
• Communicating with Children: A Guide for Those Working with Children Who Have or May Have Been Sexually Abused.
  This guide aims to help professionals understand how to talk with children about concerns of sexual abuse in a variety of contexts.
• Supporting Parents and Carers: A Guide for Those Working with Families
  This guide aims to help professionals provide a confident, supportive response to parents and carers when concerns about the sexual abuse of their child have been raised or identified.
• Looking After Your Own Wellbeing.
  This short guide aims to help professionals manage the ongoing impact of their work and recognise when they need additional support or time out.

To learn more about the local offer and services for children and families, please see Preventing and responding well to Child Sexual Abuse in Lincolnshire (office.com).

Training on Child Sexual Abuse is also being developed and will be available here, LSCP Training Offer keep an eye on our newsletter for more update (subscribe here: LSCP Training Newsletter).

As we continue to work with the CSA Centre, these resources and guides will continue to be developed. If you have any comments or observations, please share them via the LSCP@lincolnshire.gov.uk inbox.

In Lincolnshire, The Castle Service is available as an Independent Support Service, working with children and young people who have been victims of Sexual Abuse. For more information, please see:

• Castle Leaflet for Professionals;
• Castle Service Referral Form Guidance;
• Castle Service Referral Form;
• Support for Victims and Survivors of Sexual Violence.