Cleveland 20 years on: what have we learned about intervening in child sexual abuse?

Abstract

This is the first of two linked papers. It examines the main changes in approach to child sexual abuse that have occurred since the events in Cleveland 20 years ago. Comparison between estimated prevalence rates and registrations for sexual abuse suggests that we are aware of only the tip of the iceberg. It is argued that in many cases uncertainty may have to be accepted, and that protection may be better achieved through a protective parent than through the child protection system. Clinical examples of cases presenting to a specialist child and adolescent mental health service are given. It is argued that, although society is now more willing to recognise the existence of child sexual abuse and professionals are better at dealing with families, outcomes for this group of children are not much improved. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Circles South East’s programme for non-offending partners of child sex offenders

“…However, the needs of the non-offending parents are often seen as secondary to those of both the child and the perpetrator (Pretorius et al, 2011). This might be due to oversight or it may be partly attributed to Bacon's (2008) proposition that the parents are erroneously conceived of as a unit and thus the non-abusing parent is seen as complicit in the abuse, and not naturally as a resource for protection.…”

The effectiveness and impact of the child protection and criminal justice systems in cases of intrafamilial child sexual abuse

“…Care proceedings for alleged sexual abuse are often unsuccessful in comparison to physical abuse or neglect (Bacon, 2008), with only around 5% of all children on child protection registers 2 or the subject of a child protection plan in the UK being in a category that includes sexual abuse (NSPCC, 2014). However, being subject to a child protection plan brings problems in itself (Oliver, 2010).…”

“…They may, for example, experience negative societal reactions -such as accusations of subjectivity, encouraging false allegations, and creating secrecy -which may lead to a reluctance to work on such cases (Bacon, 2008). Social workers also report excessive expectations by managers and unrealistic government targets, concerns about how to focus on the child while managing relationships with parents, lack of necessary resources, pressurised decision-making, and insufficient information (Platt, 2006).…”

Untitled

“…Twenty years after Butler-Sloss's (1988) Inquiry into Child Abuse in Cleveland, it is timely that in this issue of Child Abuse Review, Heather Bacon (2008) and Sue Richardson (2008), both of whom were practitioners involved in the events in Cleveland, provide some personal and professional reflections on what they have learned about intervening in child sexual abuse cases since that time. The first paper considers the main changes in approach to child sexual abuse since the events in Cleveland.…”

“…The first paper considers the main changes in approach to child sexual abuse since the events in Cleveland. Heather Bacon (2008) argues that while society as a whole is more willing to acknowledge child sexual abuse, considerable complexities and uncertainties face professionals working in this field and she is doubtful about whether outcomes for these children have improved. The paper draws attention to the number of child protection registrations in England for child sexual abuse, which has fallen annually since 2003, while there has been an increase in the registration rate for 'all' abuse and neglect categories.…”