Knowing how to respond to a disclosure of sexual abuse is vital for any professional working with children and their families. Disclosures may not look, sound or feel how we expect them to, but we must be able to recognise what children are trying to tell us and be able to act on this in a way that does no further harm. Today, we joined forces with CareKnowledge to discuss this important issue to help develop professional curiosity, to see disclosures as a journey rather than a standalone moment, and build confidence in responding to keep children safe.
Vicki Green, CEO kicked the webinar off by addressing the elephant in the room – what we actually mean by the term ‘disclosure’. Acknowledging the case law and resulting move away from using this word by professionals, Vicki spoke of how language can be an additional barrier for the child in speaking out about what has been done to them, and that by using words like “alleged” or “allegation” we can easily disempower children. She urged professionals to avoid both, and to simply refer to what the child said, did or indicated. Vicki went on to speak about disclosure as a journey, with what a child saying or doing as only the starting point of that journey, which we need to listen to and observe, fully understand the picture being presented to us, and ask the next questions. She highlighted that the biggest reason children don’t tell us is because they are worried about our reactions, and that it is a privilege when a child has overcome all the barriers to tell us what has happened.
Rhiannon-Faye McDonald, Head of Advocacy, followed by speaking of her own experience of disclosure and how the non-linear nature means she too considers it to be a journey which will look different for every victim and survivor. She spoke of the importance of professional curiosity as a disclosure may not always be easily recognisable and many victims and survivors feel they did disclose but this was missed by those around them. Children may not have the words to describe their experience and when they do, they often don’t use the same language that professionals might, and actions or behaviours may also be an indicator or part of a disclosure. Rhiannon told us that the response a victim receives at this stage will have a significant impact on their recovery journey, and a poor response may mean that a victim never again tries to disclose. Her advice to attendees focused on showing the child that you believe them by taking them seriously, listening carefully, and framing any questions in a way that does not imply blame, judgement or doubt.
Lawrence Jordan, Director of Services, then spoke about his experiences as a practitioner and examples of best practice that attendees could implement in their roles. Lawrence highlighted that often we realise something isn’t right for the child, whether that’s a result of something they said or did, and then it’s for us to have that conversation to find out what it is. It’s also important to be aware of what information might already be available which could add up to a disclosure, to be open to all areas of the child’s life and to keep providing opportunities to talk. Lawrence spoke about retracted disclosures, and how this does not mean that the initial disclosure was not true: often this is a protective mechanism for the child because the process that sets into motion once there is a disclosure or discovery can be very frightening. It is also quite common for child victims of image-based abuse to deny that anything happened, or that it is them in the images. We should recognise that this is the child feeling concerned about what is happening and the loss of control, and we need to reassure them, explain the processes and work at their pace. Lawrence highlighted the personal qualities that are key to responding in the right way: showing a genuine interest, having an empathic viewpoint, avoiding victim-blaming language, and truly getting alongside the child throughout the process.
Anna Glinski, Deputy Director (Knowledge and Practice Development), Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, ended the presentations with valuable insights from her professional experience and research. She noted that the data shows us that most people do not disclose child sexual abuse, and yet our whole system is set up to respond to disclosures and we have a workforce which is scared to ask children about it. Anna urged attendees to flip this on its head and instead of “what if I get it wrong” ask: “what if I’m right and, if I am, what can I do to make this child safer?”. She highlighted that the silence around this issue is what enables it to continue, and that by not being brave enough to talk about it and ask the question, we are colluding with the person who is abusing the child. It is not hopeless; we can tackle this issue, but we need to talk about it and work with it explicitly. Anna explained the CSA Centre’s Signs and Indicators template and how to use this in practice to help identify when a child may be being abused. She very powerfully stated that children cannot, and should not, be the only witnesses to the harm they are experiencing – it is our job to recognise the signs and respond.
If you are a CareKnowledge member you can watch or listen to the webinar here.