Recognising and addressing intrafamilial child sexual abuse: what are the challenges and what are the solutions?

The work of the Children’s Commissioner, alongside others, has found that children and young people rarely tell anyone when they are being sexually abused. This workshop will explore our understanding of the challenges faced by professionals in recognising and addressing intrafamilial child sexual abuse and the implications for effective practice. It will cover,

• Identification of abuse and managing allegations
• Working with alleged perpetrators of abuse and non-abusing parents/family members
• Messages from research, serious case reviews, the Ofsted joint targeted area inspection (JTAI) into this area and practitioner’s knowledge. The session will draw on work being undertaken by the Centre for expertise in Child Sexual Abuse to outline some solutions.

Jane Wiffin, practice improvement advisor, Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse