[With apologies for the broken link on the previous News post.]  A national review about the lives of 193 children who were sexually abused by a family member has been published by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.  This review evidences significant and long-standing systemic issues in the response to child sexual abuse in the family environment.

A key finding from the review is that there are enormous barriers for children to talk about sexual abuse within their family and that those working with children may not recognise what is happening to them, even when their behaviour may be indicative of abuse. Practitioners working with children and families need to be equipped with the knowledge, skills and practical guidance so that they can identify and respond sensitively and confidently when there are concerns that a child may be being sexually abused. Problems with identification and response are of particular concern for children with disabilities and children from Black and other minoritised communities.

The review identified too that practitioners need to understand when and how they should talk sensitively to children about concerns about sexual abuse. There needs to be better join-up too between the child safeguarding and criminal justice responses.  Drift and delay in criminal proceedings can leave children feeling stranded as they wait to know what is happening. It highlights the very critical need for the police, social workers, health, and others (including schools and probation) to work better together, keeping children’s best interests at the heart of all enquiries and investigations.