2014 Gathering Leicester – Thursday 1215 – Arianne Geuze
Sexual Abuse in Care: Creating Openness and Safety Arianne Geuze, The Netherlands
SEXUAL ABUSE IN CARE
CREATING OPENNESS AND SAFETY Arianne Geuze
FEBRUARY 2013
SAMSON COMMITTEE • very serious cases of sexual abuse of children in institutions and foster care • children reported being sexual abused twice as much as children living at home, perpetrators being grown-ups as well as peers • confirms findings from around the world: 2-6 times more! • the risk of sexual abuse is inherent to the residential and foster care
COMPLICATING FACTORS • sexual abuse; syndrome of secrecy (Furniss, 1991) • vulnerable children are being placed together and encounter a lot of grownups in positions of authority • placement can result in physical and emotional distance from helpful people • insufficient contact moments to build a band of trust in which a child can talk about abuse • personnel changes within organizations • openness about sexual abuse in care puts pressure on our dependency on care institutions do we really want to hear or think much about the possibility that vulnerable children could be abused in our care systems set up to protect them?
WORST FEARS
or, hit the target but miss the point:
we told the child who to talk to if being abused
BEST HOPES KEEPING THEIR WORK IN MIND •
create openness about the risk of sexual abuse of children in care
•
talk about it in a way even young children could understand
•
support children, families and professionals to talk to each other about ‘private parts and not okay secrets’ and doing so on a regular basis
•
(re)connect children with other helpful grownups, thereby
•
reducing the chance that children become isolated and more vulnerable and enhancing a child’s possibility to disclose
•
by doing all of the above most and foremost create more safety for children in care
JOURNEY • adapting the Words and Pictures method to the context of all children in care living up to goals mentioned • draft version commented upon by Susie and Andrew, leading to the Kiddocom booklet • Susie and Andrew advised to write a manual, offering feedback and advised to safeguard the ideas by training and trademarking
CONTENT MANUAL reason and purpose of the booklet underlying ideas and sources of inspiration implementing or adapting the tool to your context steps in using the booklet: detailed practitioners guidelines and examples • what to do if a child discloses being abused • and a sample letter the child could send to circle people asking for their support • • • •
USE IN DAILY PRACTICE how to use: • main issues in manual; further refinement in practice when to use: •
before placement; might help to look at other solutions like placement within own kinship
•
every child in care within first 2 weeks longer than 2 weeks in care as soon as possible
•
who could use it: •
every motivated practitioner or motivated parent
•
every motivated organization placing or taking kids in care after being trained
love to hear your ideas and users feedback: [email protected]
special thanks to:
and to all of you for listening!
Sexual Abuse in Care: Creating Openness and Safety Arianne Geuze, The Netherlands
SEXUAL ABUSE IN CARE
CREATING OPENNESS AND SAFETY Arianne Geuze
FEBRUARY 2013
SAMSON COMMITTEE • very serious cases of sexual abuse of children in institutions and foster care • children reported being sexual abused twice as much as children living at home, perpetrators being grown-ups as well as peers • confirms findings from around the world: 2-6 times more! • the risk of sexual abuse is inherent to the residential and foster care
COMPLICATING FACTORS • sexual abuse; syndrome of secrecy (Furniss, 1991) • vulnerable children are being placed together and encounter a lot of grownups in positions of authority • placement can result in physical and emotional distance from helpful people • insufficient contact moments to build a band of trust in which a child can talk about abuse • personnel changes within organizations • openness about sexual abuse in care puts pressure on our dependency on care institutions do we really want to hear or think much about the possibility that vulnerable children could be abused in our care systems set up to protect them?
WORST FEARS
or, hit the target but miss the point:
we told the child who to talk to if being abused
BEST HOPES KEEPING THEIR WORK IN MIND •
create openness about the risk of sexual abuse of children in care
•
talk about it in a way even young children could understand
•
support children, families and professionals to talk to each other about ‘private parts and not okay secrets’ and doing so on a regular basis
•
(re)connect children with other helpful grownups, thereby
•
reducing the chance that children become isolated and more vulnerable and enhancing a child’s possibility to disclose
•
by doing all of the above most and foremost create more safety for children in care
JOURNEY • adapting the Words and Pictures method to the context of all children in care living up to goals mentioned • draft version commented upon by Susie and Andrew, leading to the Kiddocom booklet • Susie and Andrew advised to write a manual, offering feedback and advised to safeguard the ideas by training and trademarking
CONTENT MANUAL reason and purpose of the booklet underlying ideas and sources of inspiration implementing or adapting the tool to your context steps in using the booklet: detailed practitioners guidelines and examples • what to do if a child discloses being abused • and a sample letter the child could send to circle people asking for their support • • • •
USE IN DAILY PRACTICE how to use: • main issues in manual; further refinement in practice when to use: •
before placement; might help to look at other solutions like placement within own kinship
•
every child in care within first 2 weeks longer than 2 weeks in care as soon as possible
•
who could use it: •
every motivated practitioner or motivated parent
•
every motivated organization placing or taking kids in care after being trained
love to hear your ideas and users feedback: [email protected]
special thanks to:
and to all of you for listening!
Sexual Abuse in Care: Creating Openness and Safety Arianne Geuze, The Netherlands
