Technology-assisted child sexual abuse and harmful sexual behaviour

Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis

university of Bath

Dr Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis is an HCPC registered forensic and clinical psychologist with twenty years’ experience in child protection and family violence. Her research focuses on child maltreatment and family violence, including technology assisted sexual abuse. Catherine’s latest book (‘What works in child maltreatment: An evidence based approach to assessment and intervention in child protection’) is due to be published by Wiley later this year.

Elly Hanson

Independent Clinical Psychologist

Dr Elly Hanson is an independent Clinical Psychologist whose clinical work, research and writing has focussed on abuse and trauma. She undertakes consultation, training and research with organisations such as CEOP and the NSPCC and provides psychological assessment and therapy. She has previously worked in an NHS substance misuse service, an NSPCC service for young people with sexually abusive behaviour, and a residential children’s care company. Recent papers include those on preventing revictimization, and developing approaches sensitive to adolescents' needs and development.

Helen Whittle

Mentor Forensics

Dr Helen Whittle has worked both in prevention of child sexual abuse (on the CEOP Education Team) and the aftermath of abuse during investigative operations as part of the Behavioural Analysis Unit. Helen’s research focuses on victims of online grooming and she is now working therapeutically with young people exhibiting sexually harmful behaviour.

pat branigan

NSPCC

Pat Branigan is a Development and Impact manager at the NSPCC. He is a medical anthropologist with a background in public health and risk taking behaviours- sexual health and illicit substance misuse.

Abstract

The large rise in technology-assisted sexual victimisation of young people online (TA-CSA) has raised questions about whether different outcomes are likely following different forms of sexual victimisation. However, to date, there has been insufficient evidence-based research to answer that question. Therefore, a team of researchers from the Universities of Bath and Birmingham, funded by the NSPCC and in collaboration with CEOP conducted research with young people who have experienced CSA and/or TA-CSA. A mixed method approach was used. Data was collected via interviews with 16 young people, questionnaires from 30 young people, 52 professionals and 379 young people completed a screening questionnaire.

This symposium will present three aspects of this study, followed by a framework for working with young people with harmful sexual behaviour (HSB). First, an overview of the key findings will be presented, including how the use of technology complicates the impact of abuse. One limitation of the study was the relatively small sample size due to significant issues with recruitment. Hence, the second paper reflects on the difficulties that arose with professional gatekeeping and discusses ways to ensure that young people’s voices can be heard. Moving on to consider ways of working with young people, first the findings on abuse-related self-blame from this study will be discussed in relation to implications for therapeutic approaches. Then, in light of the fact that a large percentage of the abuse in this study was perpetrated by young people, the NSPCC Evidence-Informed Operational Framework for HSB will be presented.

In conclusion, the research presented in this symposium represents an important step in identifying a) young people’s perceptions of the impact of different forms of child sexual abuse, including a technology dimension, b) current responses to both TA-CSA and offline child sexual abuse, and c) good practice for professionals working with HSB.

Authors

Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis (university of Bath)
Elly Hanson (Independent Clinical Psychologist)
Helen Whittle (Mentor Forensics)
pat branigan (NSPCC)
Anthony Beech (University of Birmingham)

Topic Area

Sexual Abuse

Session

Oral3 » Session 1-Child Sexual Abuse (11:00 - Monday, 2nd October, King Willem Alexander Compact)

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