Working with Children and Young People Who Have Displayed Harmful Sexual Behaviour

by Stuart Allardyce, Peter Yates

Overview

Approximately one third of child sexual abuse is carried out by children and young people themselves. There is growing public awareness of this issue as well as recognition among professionals that this is a key concern in the safeguarding of children. Working with children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour raises challenging dilemmas around balancing risk management with the need to provide opportunities for social and emotional development. Strong feelings of anxiety may be present among professionals and considerable levels of shame and stigmatisation are often experienced by these children and their families.Allardyce and Yates focus on the importance of recognising that young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour are children first and foremost. They outline an individualised, trauma informed and systemic approach to working with these children and their families. In particular they suggest an approach that moves away from an exclusive focus on the psychology of the individual child towards a wider contextual understanding of the child and the meanings of their behaviour within their family and environment. The authors thus provide an overview of up-to-date empirical and theoretical knowledge about children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour to produce a practical text that is suitable for students and professionals working in child care settings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780460680
Publisher:	Liverpool University Press
Publication date:	06/01/2018
Series:	Protecting Children and Young People
Edition description:	First Edition, New ed.
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Stuart Allardyce is a qualified social worker and National Manager of Stop It Now! Scotland who has specialised in working with children affected by sexual abuse and children who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour for over fifteen years. His is chair of the National Organisation for the Treatment of Abusers (NOTA) in Scotland. Dr Peter Yates is also a qualified social worker with experience of working with children who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour. He lectures in Child and Public Protection at Edinburgh Napier University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

The authors ix

Foreword xi

Introduction xiii

1 Attitudes and values 1

2 Childhood sexualities 13

3 Prevalence, characteristics and backgrounds 33

4 Aetiology 47

5 Assessment 61

6 Interventions 77

7 Special populations 95

8 Harmful sexual behaviour online 117

9 Prevention 133

References 145

Index 185

Editorial Reviews

'This book should be essential reading for all professionals who have responsibility for the welfare of children, such as the prevalence of this abuse and the practicality of the knowledge provided. The authors have a great deal of experience and expertise within this field which radiates throughout the book. Throughout this extensive ‘deep dive’ into sexually harmful behaviours the authors place the child and/or young person at the heart of their work, and this is evident within each chapter… This book is easily accessible, critically informed and offers child-centred, sensitive ways of thinking and working with children and young people who have sexually harmed others or who have the potential to do so.' British Journal of Social Work (2020)

‘At a time when a better-informed picture about the realities of child sexual abuse is urgently needed, this book provides a vital part of this complex jigsaw’ from the Foreword by Professor Simon Hackett.'Had I been observed whilst reading this very welcome book by Allardyce and Yates, the following behaviours would have been noted:*Enthusiastic nodding of head*furious underlining of text*enthusiastic nodding of head*folding down of pages for future reference*enthusiastic nodding of head…Ad infinitum…This response speaks volumes about the accessibility and usefulness of this text for anyone working in the field of children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour. Having worked in the field as a Senior Social Worker for 8 years, my knowledge base has been informed by a variety of reading materials, training opportunities, practice experience and expert supervision. What makes this such an essential text is the fact that the authors have successfully provided a coherent narrative of my learning over this time as well as introducing me to newer ideas and concepts. This includes broadly plotting the evolving nature of this area of work from the 90’s to the present day, complimented by the exploration of many contemporary themes including sociological explanations of the behaviour; work with special populations, including girls; and harmful sexual behaviour online. The authors describe their intention that this book serve as a “map” to aid navigation of this field. This aim has been triumphantly achieved.' NOTA News Summer 2018

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From the Publisher