Child Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse response pathway – interactive tool
Managing risk and trauma after online sexual offending: A whole family safeguarding guide – This resource supports social workers and other professionals to consider and respond to risk and trauma across the whole family when arrests have been made following online sexual offending by a family member.
Guide for responding to children telling you they have experienced sexual abuse, sexual violence and sexual harassment – Children sharing experience of sexual abuse, sexual violence and sexual harassment need to be responded to sensitively. This guide provides advice to practitioners around how to respond to a child telling them about their experience of sexual abuse.
The CSA Centre’s Signs and Indicators Template helps professionals to gather the wider signs and indicators of sexual abuse and build a picture of their concerns. Professionals are able to note what they have observed directly into the template, using practical evidence-based guidance. The template is designed to provide a common language amongst professionals to discuss, record and share concerns that a child is being, or has been sexually abused
The Communicating with children: A guide for those working with children who have or may have been sexually abused aims to give all people working with children guidance in talking about child sexual abuse, explaining what may be going on for children when they are being sexually abused; what prevents them from talking about their abuse; and what professionals can do to help children speak about what is happening. It brings together research, practice guidance, and expert input – including from survivors of abuse – to help give professionals the knowledge and confidence to act.
Children will speak to the adults that they know and trust the most, not necessarily those in specific safeguarding roles, and it’s therefore vital that all professionals are able to have that initial conversation. Child sexual abuse can feel difficult and complex, but with support and guidance all professionals working with children do have the skills to do this.
The Supporting Parents and Carers: A guide for those working with families affected by sexual abuse helps professionals provide a confident, supportive response when concerns about the sexual abuse of a parent or carer’s child have been raised or identified.
Sibling sexual abuse: A guide to responding to inappropriate, problematic and abusive behaviour helps professionals navigate key decisions at the various stages of a case where there are concerns about sexual behaviour involving siblings.
Further information and guidance on using the tool is available on the CSA Centre website.
Helping education settings identify and respond to child sexual abuse – a suite of free education resources, designed specifically for education settings to support identification and response to concerns of child sexual abuse is available on the CSA Centre website. Designed by education professionals, for education professionals, it includes tailored Communicating with children guide and Communicating with parents and carers guide for education settings.
Video – Understanding medical examinations – All professionals need to understand the role and purpose of a medical examination in situations where child sexual abuse has been disclosed or is suspected. They play an important role in assessing a child’s wellbeing and broad health needs as well as an opportunity to identify forensic and evidential findings. This video explains what happens at a medical examination, to help all professionals be better informed to help children and families.