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

Abstract

AcknowledgementsThe authors are grateful to the Office of the Children's Commissioner for England, who funded the Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) on which this paper is based. The authors would also like to thank colleagues Julie Grove-Hills and Clare Choak for their hard work on the REA, and Antonia Bilfulco and Julie Grove-Hills for their work on previous research on police practice with victims of child sexual abuse, which this work draws on. 2 AbstractPurpose: This paper reports on the findings from a study commissioned by the Office of the Children's Commissioner (OCC) in England, concerning intrafamilial child sexual abuse (IFCSA)/incest. Specifically, it aims to explore the evidence about child protection and criminal justice responses to victims of IFCSA in the UK and where the gaps in these approaches lie.Design: A Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) was used, the function of which is to: search the literature as comprehensively as possible within given time constraints; collate descriptive outlines of the available evidence on a topic and critically appraise it; sift out studies of poor quality; and provide an overview of the evidence. Over 57,000 documents were scanned, and 296 ultimately systematically analysed. Findings:It was found that children may be re-victimised by various aspects of 'the system' and professionals within it, including social workers, police officers, and lawyers.Limitations: An REA is not a full systematic review, differing in the scope and depth of the searches and depending almost exclusively on electronic databases, not accompanied by searching journals by hand. Value:The findings of this research provide the evidence-base for a new two-year inquiry into the subject of IFCSA by the OCC. Implications for practice:Victims of IFCSA may benefit from the following changes:• the prioritising of children's needs over bureaucratic demands;• better multi-agency working;• the consistent use of ABE interviews in child-friendly environments;• the increased use of special measures in court; and• the piloting of specialist sexual offence courts.3

The prevalence, nature, and impact of intrafamilial child sexual abuse: findings from a rapid evidence assessment

“…In addition to such questions, the OCC inquiry will also investigate issues surrounding child protection and criminal justice responses to (IF)CSA and how these might be improved. The evidence base for this section of the inquiry is reported in Gekoski et al (2016). Originality/value -The findings of this research provide the evidence base for a new two-year inquiry into the subject of IFCSA by the OCC.…”

“…In addition to such questions, the OCC inquiry will also investigate issues surrounding child protection and criminal justice responses to (IF)CSA and how these might be improved. The evidence-base for this section of the inquiry is reported in Gekoski et al (2016).…”

“…Where do the gaps in knowledge lie? Additional questions concerning the impact and effectiveness of the criminal justice system in cases of IFCSA are presented elsewhere (Gekoski et al, 2016).…”

Participatory Action Research: Confidentiality and Attitudes of Victimized Young People Unknown to Child Protection Agencies

“…Even worse, survivors, already traumatized by abuse, are often re-traumatized by the systems created to investigate crime and punish abusers (Plotnikoff and Woolfson 2009;Weinstein 2014). Numerous studies indicate that this negative experience can cause long-term harm affecting health, education and family and inhibit young people from engaging with CJS processes in the future (Zajac et al 2012;Gekoski et al 2016;Munro 2010Munro , 2011a. The result is vulnerability to further abuse.…”

“…When these rights are not applied within child protection investigations, trust is further eroded. Indeed, such difficulties can lead vulnerable young people to be further entrapped within an abusive relationship (Gekoski et al 2016;Hallett 2013). When there is an over-focus on safeguarding, there is a danger of losing sight of young people's rights and agency to the overall detriment of young people's health and well-being (Lefevre et al 2017).…”