Child Interviews

Research report

Contents Page

Executive Summary Page 2 paragraph 1

Research Question Page 2 Paragraph 2

Research (Including Methology) Page 2 Paragraph 3

Literature Review Page 3

Findings Page 4 and Page 5

Discussion Page 6 and Page 7

Conclusion Page 8

Reference list Page 9
Executive Summary
There are a number of crimes that happen in communities worldwide that require community prevention some of these include however not limited to youth gang problems, reducing offending and reoffending behaviours and last but not least the topic that this report discusses the need for Child Protection Workers in the Queensland Child Protection system to increase their knowledge and skills in recognising sexual grooming.

Research Question
What are the Leading Practices in the field of Community crime prevention? With this report Focussing on Child Protection and the sexual grooming of children in communities.

Research Methology
The research contained in this paper was compiled from several recourses that look at how child sexual grooming occurs and what steps can be undertaken by professional workers and then in turn spread to the wider community for strategies to keep children safe. Google Scholar was widely used in the research paper and it was found that the university library were not as helpful as being able to access research engines in the child safety sector. As the Author Farkes and Jones state in their Article Community Partners: “Doing Doors” as the community crime prevention Strategy, Page 4, “Cities in the States namely Milwaukee launched a program in 1998 titled the Safe and Sound Initiative. This was implemented based on the successful implementation of its “Weed and Seed” program. This program was sponsored by the Department of Justice. The Seeding part of the program was aims to develop Services and Recourses to reduce risk factors , This is the main point of this research report and the reason it is based on the topic Child Se Grooming and what can be done so that Child Safety Workers can be better trained to reduce risk factors in the child safety sector and eventually into the wider communities.

Literature Review
The literature reviewed that helped compile this research report consisted of information gathered from such articles titled Home. P, 2009, Improving crime prevention knowledge practices, Australian Institute of Criminology, and Farkes. M,Jones. R, 2007, Community Partners: “Doing Doors” as a community crime prevention strategy, Criminal Justice Studies: a Critical Journal of Crime, Law and Society, Vol 20, Issue 3, 2007, Bravehearts (2012). ‘Supporting Hands: Introduction to Child Sexual Assault. Participant Manual’. Brisbane. Craven, Brown, S., & Gilchrist, E. (2006). ‘Sexual grooming of children: review of literature and theoretical considerations’. Journal of Sexual Aggression. 12(3), Pg. 287-299, Douglas, H., Walsh, T., & Blore, K. (2009). ‘Mothers and the child protection system’. University of Queensland.
Drake, B., & Johnson-Reid, M. (2000). ‘Substantiation and early decision points in public child welfare: A conceptual reconsideration’. Child Maltreatment. 5(3), Pg. 223-227.
Hurst, D.
(2012). ‘Campaign strike threat over child safety belt-tightening’. Brisbane Times. Accessed 20 June 2012. Available at http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/state-election-2012/campaign-strike-threat-over-child-safety-belttightening-20120229-1u38m.html
James, M. (2000). ‘Child Abuse and Neglect: Redefining the Issues’. Trends and Issues Series. No. 146. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology. Levenson, J. & Morin, J. (2006). ‘Risk Assessment in Child Sexual Abuse Cases’. Child Welfare, Vol. 135. Pg. 59-82 Reed, L. D. (1996). ‘Findings from research on children 's suggestibility and implications for conducting child interviews’. Child Maltreatment 1(2), Pg. 105-120.Sorenson, T, & Snow, B. (1991). ‘How children tell: The process of disclosure in child sexual abuse’. Child Welfare 70(1), Pg. 31
All of these sources build the same argument that without better training in all fields and then this being passed on to the wider community the chances of being able to effectively implement strategies to prevent crime would be almost impossible. Thus leaving us with a worse state of higher crime rates than we currently have that is set at an unacceptable rate in the current
times.

Findings
During the past 20 years, child sexual abuse has increasingly been recognised as a significant social problem with complex and far reaching consequences for victims, families and society (Levenson & Morin 2006). It is estimated that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys are victims of sexual abuse (James 2000), and the negative effects of this abuse can impact the victim for many years and into adulthood. These effects include, but are not limited to, psychological problems, behavioural difficulties, developmental regression, inappropriate sexual behaviour and psychosomatic responses (Bravehearts 2012).

Unlike physical abuse and neglect cases, in which injuries and parental characteristics are fairly evident, sexual abuse cases present with unique and ambiguous indicators to the investigating professional, making the offence difficult to substantiate (Levenson & Morin 2006). Sexual abuse occurs and thrives in secrecy, and studies show that about half of the victims of child sexual abuse never report the abuse to another person, and many do not disclose until they reach adulthood (Queensland Crime Commission & Queensland Police Service 2000).

Children that are sexually abused, are usually abused by family members or friends of the family, and are less likely to disclose the abuse because of fear, loyalty to the abuser, or a belief that they contributed to the abuse (Summit, 1983). The complex nature of the tactics used by child sex offenders in their efforts to sexually abuse children is increasingly evident in the accounts of the people affected by this predatory behaviour, and assists offenders in preventing disclosures (Craven, Brown & Gilchrist 2006). These tactics can be defined as ‘sexual grooming’.

Sexual grooming refers to the process by which a person prepares a child, significant adults and the environment for the abuse of that child (Craven, Brown & Gilchrist 2006). Specific goals include gaining access to the child, gaining the child’s compliance, and maintaining the child’s secrecy to avoid a disclosure. This process serves to strengthen the offender’s abusive pattern, as it may be used as a means of justifying or denying their action (Craven, Brown & Gilchrist 2006). Sex offenders utilize a number of strategies for grooming a child and their family. These include;
Building the child’s trust: Using presents, special attention, treats, spending time together, and playing games with non-sexual physical contact.
Favouritism: The offender treats the child as an adult; treating them differently and making them feel like a unique friend.
Gaining the trust of the child’s carer/s: Careful to be ‘seen’ as a close, caring and reliable relative or friend of the family.
Isolation (from family, friends): To ensure secrecy and lessen chances of disclosure or belief.
Boundary violation: ‘Innocent’ touching, gradually developing into ‘accidental’ sexual contact.
Intimidation and secrecy: The offender may use coercion e.g. threatening looks and body language, glares, etc.
Shaping the child’s perceptions: The child is often confused as to what is acceptable and can take on self-blame, as his/her viewpoint can become distorted.
(Bravehearts 2012).

Discussion
Generally, child protection agencies are the entry point through which sexual abuse cases are reported, investigated, and referred for intervention. In their role of protecting children from future harm, child protection workers are centrally involved in the process of determining whether reports of abuse can be substantiated and what is required to protect the child from further abuse and harm (Drake & Johnson-Reid, 2000). Due to the complex nature of child sexual abuse, it is imperative that child protection workers are well equipped with the knowledge and training in being able to identify and analyze sexual grooming behaviours. Having an understanding of the grooming process and an ability to identify sexual grooming behaviour is crucial in order to prevent child sexual abuse (Craven, Brown and Gilchrist 2006).

Being aware of what training is offered to frontline child safety staff, and the advantages of participating in training workshops that can expand knowledge and skills to benefit clients. This being the case it is evident that the training in sexual grooming is limited, and is not compulsory for all frontline staff. I therefore suggest that front-line child protection workers require more specific training in identifying and assessing sexual grooming of children, in order to prevent the act of sexual abuse occurring, as suggested by Craven, Brown and Gilchrist (2006).

In a paper written by Douglas, Walsh and Blore (2009), the systemic issues within the Queensland child protection system is discussed in detail, with the effects impacting on front-line child protection workers (in regards to skill level, stress levels and burnout), and the families that this impacts on. Increasing case loads are identified as a significant issue that is having an impact on the service provided to the children and families. As the number of cases allocated to each worker increases each year, this reduces the amount of time workers can spend on professional development. Along with the direct work that frontline workers do with families, there is also numerous hours spent on administrative tasks. With increasing caseloads and resulting time constraints on employees becoming more of an issue within Child Safety, this presents a constraint for the implementation of m mandatory training. The problem identified above, is exacerbated by recent funding cutbacks, and limited resources. Senior departmental officials have recently advised that they must make “necessary adjustments” to ensure services are provided within the allotted budget for the region (Hurst 2012). With money required to fund the new training program, and pay for staff expenses, resources, etc. these funding restrictions that are being put in place will be another constraint that impacts on staff being able to successfully wean out sexual grooming. If mandatory training regarding sexual grooming was introduced in Child Safety Entry Level Training all workers had the appropriate level of knowledge and skills in this area, it may increase the quality of assessments of child sexual abuse cases. Becoming knowledgeable of the grooming process and recognising ‘danger signs’ of sexual abuse is the first the future. step in protecting children from sexual abuse and preventing sexual abuse from occurring within a family.
In some circumstances an investigation may be unsubstantiated given the child or children have not made clear and consistent disclosures of harm. For the workers who conduct these investigations, more training and knowledge about sexual grooming behaviours would assist them in making more accurate decisions and assessments. It could be suggested that this knowledge may, in some circumstances, result in earlier intervention which, in turn, could reduce the cumulative harm to the child. The same could be said for those working in intake, who receive concerns and assess whether the information meets the criteria to record a notification.

Sexual grooming is a pertinent issue evident in society, but there is still little understanding about this problem (Craven, Brown & Gilchrist 2006). By being able to increase knowledge about sexual grooming within Child Safety, being able to educate partners and the community about what behaviours to look out for, who is most at risk and how to protect children. As Craven, Brown and Gilchrist (2006) advise, in order to gain access to their victim(s), offenders groom the environment and their potential victim’s significant others (e.g. parents, carers, etc.). This may mean the offender integrating themselves into society and places where they are likely to meet children. Offenders then begin grooming the adults in this community, specifically those who are significant to their potential victim, with the aim of creating an opportunity to access and abuse a child or children (Craven, Brown & Gilchrist 2006). For this reason, it’s important that families and the community are educated about sexual grooming behaviours, and as professionals who work closely with families, community organisations, schools, day cares, child protection workers are in a position where they can pass on this knowledge throughout their work with the community. Through public education and raising community awareness of sexual grooming behaviours, we can strive to make the world a safer place for children. However the first step towards achieving this is providing more extensive training for frontline workers.

Conclusion:
Through experiences working as a Child Safety Support Officer in the Queensland child protection system, the research that has been compiled in the area of sexual abuse and sexual grooming behaviours, and the information summarised in this paper, it has been identified that frontline workers are not given enough training in identifying sexual grooming behaviours.
Due to the complex nature of child sexual abuse, it is imperative that child protection workers are well equipped with the knowledge and training in being able to identify and analyse sexual grooming behaviours. Although it is mandatory for newly employed worker’s to attend Entry Level Training, no training and knowledge is provided during any Phase of this training on sexual grooming, despite sexual abuse cases being prominent within the department. Other non-government agencies provide some training to the professional community, where Child Safety employees are invited to attend, however this training is not mandatory, nor is it specific to the role of child
protection.

There needs to be a policy proposal that outlines a plan to increase the knowledge and skills of front-line Child Safety employees, to assist them in making more comprehensive assessments, and providing better outcomes for the children of Queensland. Training and knowledge about sexual grooming will assist front-line departmental employees to make more accurate assessments about the safety and wellbeing of children in all communities, will assist them in educating parents through ongoing intervention casework, reduce the cumulative harm experienced by the child, and promote public awareness and knowledge so that the community can play a larger role in protecting Queensland’s children from sexual offenders.

References:
Bravehearts (2012). ‘Supporting Hands: Introduction to Child Sexual Assault. Participant Manual’. Brisbane.
Craven, S., Brown, S., & Gilchrist, E. (2006). ‘Sexual grooming of children: review of literature and theoretical considerations’. Journal of Sexual Aggression. 12(3), Pg. 287-299
Douglas, H., Walsh, T., & Blore, K. (2009). ‘Mothers and the child protection system’. University of Queensland.
Drake, B., & Johnson-Reid, M. (2000). ‘Substantiation and early decision points in public child welfare: A conceptual reconsideration’. Child Maltreatment. 5(3), Pg. 223-227.
Hurst, D. (2012). ‘Campaign strike threat over child safety belt-tightening’. Brisbane Times. Accessed 20 June 2012. Available at http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/state-election-2012/campaign-strike-threat-over-child-safety-belttightening-20120229-1u38m.html
James, M. (2000). ‘Child Abuse and Neglect: Redefining the Issues’. Trends and Issues Series. No. 146. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
Levenson, J. & Morin, J. (2006). ‘Risk Assessment in Child Sexual Abuse Cases’. Child Welfare, Vol. 135. Pg. 59-82.
Reed, L. D. (1996). ‘Findings from research on children 's suggestibility and implications for conducting child interviews’. Child Maltreatment 1(2), Pg. 105-120.

Sorenson, T, & Snow, B. (1991). ‘How children tell: The process of disclosure in child sexual abuse’. Child Welfare 70(1), Pg. 31