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

Approximately one third of child sexual abuse is carried out by children and young people themselves. There is a developing awareness of this issue among professionals whose work involves safeguarding 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. Authors Allardyce and Yates focus on the importance of recognising that young people who display harmful sexual behaviour are children first and foremost. They argue for a formulation-based, trauma-informed, and multi-systemic approach to working with these children and their families. In particular, the books suggest an approach that moves away from an exclusive focus on the psychology of the individual child towards a wider systemic understanding of the child and the meanings of their behaviour within their familial and environmental context. 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. [Subject: Social Work, Child Protection, Sexual Behavior]

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.