Recognising and Responding to Children's Disclosures of Sexual Abuse

This resource is designed to help practitioners become better equipped to recognise disclosures of sexual abuse and respond to a child who discloses – meaning they can be prepared to identify, respond and support.

Description

The government is now making good on its promise to implement some of the recommendations that were made in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) report published in 2022. These will have wide-ranging implications for professionals working with children and will extend the legal requirement to report instances of child sexual abuse to a wider range of people working with children. The workforce is already facing significant challenges and barriers in this area, and this added complexity has surfaced anxieties around how well-equipped professionals are when recognising and responding to disclosures of sexual abuse. There is a lot at stake personally and professionally.

Verbal disclosures of child sexual abuse from children and young people are rare and not always obvious. This webinar will expand our understanding of what a disclosure might sound, look and/or feel like. It will enable us to be better equipped to recognise a potential disclosure, to determine whether a child is telling us something of concern, and, importantly, build our confidence so we can respond in a way that prioritises the safety and wellbeing of the child. It is understandable that there are fears and anxieties around the potential for disclosure. We need to consider how well-equipped we are to recognise and respond to a child if they disclose. It is incumbent on all of us all to be prepared to identify, respond and support.

This webinar will also challenge us to see disclosure as part of a journey and will help us to understand that we can all play an important role in centring the needs of the child or young person.

By being willing to confront our own feelings through engaging with the thinking in this webinar, we can develop greater confidence that we would recognise a disclosure from a child or young person and that we would know how to respond. If you are working with children and/or young people and you want to develop confidence in your ability to recognise and positively respond to possible disclosures of child sexual abuse, this webinar is for you.

These resources will help you:

• Develop a deeper understanding of the vital role of professional curiosity
• Expand your understanding of what a disclosure of child sexual abuse could sound, look or feel like
• Develop awareness of potential early signs of sexual abuse
• Understand the importance of staying present with the child or young person making a disclosure – how can you juggle the pressures of your own responses, risk, safeguarding and reporting in the moment?
• Acknowledge your anxieties, fears, biases and assumptions around child sexual abuse and recognise how they can influence your response
• Understand the importance of thinking about how disclosure is part of a journey as opposed to a 'moment'
• Understand what is at stake when responding to an initial disclosure of child sexual abuse
• Consider the importance of carefully choosing language when you formally record your understanding of what a child has communicated to you, both to counter potential legal pitfalls but also to preserve the child's truth and their right to be heard and believed
• Build confidence in your ability to respond to disclosures of child sexual abuse to keep the child safe and protect them from further harm

Further reading