How do we identify that a child is being sexually abused?
Picture the scene... it is the second afternoon of our training course for Designated Lead Persons for Safeguarding; a comfortable, central London venue. An experienced Head Teacher for a Primary School in West London thinks aloud,
"I've been wondering... statistically, there are probably children in my school who are being sexually harmed at home and in their community. We've not made this kind of referral to MASH before.
... We're hot on Domestic Abuse, over the top discipline and we've even picked up clues to a child we thought might have been trafficked across the country as domestic help, but we're not picking up clues to sexual abuse. What are they?
... I must have survivors of sexual abuse within my staff team ... who are they? Is it the staff member my Deputy and I are always supporting, apparently stuck in a pattern of bad luck, limping from one family crisis to another? Or is it our new NQT, who barely seems to speak with other staff and is getting exceptional results with the quieter children in Year 4?
... Why don't I, as the Senior Designated Lead in my school, have no clue about this"
I have an idea that many Designated Leads may be quietly having these thoughts, but perhaps are reluctant to open a whole can of worms.
Indeed we are surrounded by a sea of information at the moment, urging us to take a look inside this can:
- The revised version of Keeping Children Safe in Education, currently in Consultation phase, is accompanied by a Guidance on Children who exhibit sexually harmful behaviour.
- The Children's Commissioner's Report, published last year, exposed some concerning patterns about us missing possible clues to sexual abuse and posited that perhaps we were calling these behaviours something else. Children are often in their late teens or even 20's before they make a disclosure.
- The magnitude of the Historical Child Abuse Inquiry means that our press carries news items daily; Faith Organisations, Sports Coaches, Community and prestigious independent schools, TV personalities, MP's and much more have been named.
- In October 2017, the first of many women broke a silence about sexual assault by Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo Campaign has taken hold in a big way.
Noticing and responding to sexually harmful behaviours in children
Learn how to identify sexually harmful behaviours in children and then how to handle these situations.
Learn more
The same Head Teacher continued towards the end of the training day,
"Our focus for the Spring Term, across the Senior Leadership Team, Pastoral Team, SEN Team is to look at how we can sharpen our practice and that of our wider school team.
... We'll need to 'wonder' more, consider that the behaviour in this child might be telling us something else.
... We need to think beyond our comfort and expand in quite a big way."
Where are you with this, in your school or setting?
Might you need to wonder too?
And then expand the insight, sensitivity and understanding, knowledge and skills of your team?
You might want to consider joining us for a two-day course we've put together. You'll learn just how to identify sexually harmful behaviours in children and then how to handle these situations.
Noticing and responding to sexually harmful behaviours in children
Learn how to identify sexually harmful behaviours in children and then how to handle these situations.
Learn more