Paul Clark Independent Sexual Abuse Consultant

1. Paul ClarkIndependent Sexual Abuse Consultant Independent Assessment & Consultancy PO Box 128, Carnforth, LA5 5AG 07549 046 121 mail.iac@tiscali.co.uk www.iac-assessment.com

2. Understanding male and female sex offenders Understanding male and female sex offenders Commonalities, differences and best practice

3. Review core information/models • Consider practice learning & research • Male and female offenders – similarities and differences • Review key issues in managing risk

4. Historic perceptions • Denial • Child blaming – the ‘promiscuous child’ • Family dysfunction - ‘mother blaming’ • A ‘one-off’ • Compulsive/repetitive predatory behaviour • ‘Beasts’ • But sex offenders not homogenous group • Multi-factor triggers to sexual offending

5. Starting with ourselves • Attitudes to abusers • Emotional comfort • Practice experience & training • Knowledge base • Models and theoretical understanding • Practice skills

6. Starting with ourselves • Attitudes to abusers • Impact of the work on us • Our own victim experiences? • Professional Accommodation Syndrome (Tony Morrison - based on Roland C. Summit’s ‘Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome’)

7. Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation SyndromeRoland Summit, Child Abuse & Neglect, Vol. 7, 1983, Pergammon Press • Impediments to disclosure: • Secrecy • Helplessness • Entrapment and accommodation • Delayed partial disclosure • Retraction

8. Ripples of impact MANAGERS AGENCY CO-WORKERS PEERS COLLEAGUES SERVICE USERS FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS FRIENDS

9. Starting with ourselves • Experience of working with reluctant service users • Knowledge base – theoretical models of sexually abusive behaviour • Practice skills at our disposal • motivational approach/enabling style • managing resistance • ‘Empathic’ approach

10. Sex Offenders Specialists or Generalists? Are female sex offenders different to male offenders?

11. Female Sex Offenders - Prevalence • Official statistics in US, UK & Canada • 1.2 – 8% of those charged with any sexual offences were female • 1.5 – 4% of those convicted of sexual assaults against children were female • Finkelhor & Russell 1984 • 6% of abuse of females • 14% of abuse of males and • 13% of abuse of females • 24.62% of abuse of males - either alone or with a partner

12. Prevalence • Female offenders 1:20 4-5% Cortoni and Hanson 2005 & 2009 • Maybe understates the size of the problem • Female offenders – hidden from criminal justice by diverting to mental health system • A significant problem despite apparent small %

13. Prevalence • Adolescents account for about a third of all sex crime • Less than 5% of sexual offences against children are known to have been committed by women • About 20% of those convicted of sexual offences against children are reconvicted for similar offences Prof. Don Grubin Police Research Paper 1998

14. Fantasy & Masturbation Thinking errors Targeting Grooming - Environment Sexual abuse - Child

15. Male Offenders Crossover: • Male and female victims • Age range of victims • Relationship to victims – intra- and extra-familial • Victims known to them & strangers • Contact & non-contact offences

16. Male offenders • Greater crossover by gender the younger the age of the victim • Greater gender focus for rapists – teenage and adult women R Laws and David Thornton

17. Female offenders - Typology • Male coerced -pressured into offending – fear of abandonment • Also initially coerced acting alone/initiating • Predisposed – acting alone, deviant sexual fantasies, targeting own children • Teacher/Lover – struggling in relationships, ‘regressing’ and distorted perceptions of romantic or sexually mentoring relationships with under-aged adolescent of their sexual preference Mathews et al 1989

18. Male Offenders Childhood history of: witnessing sexual abuse victim of emotional abuse victim of sexual abuse (studies show 40-80%) victim of violence witnessing violence isolation/emotional separation family dysfunction Affecting socialisation and sexualisation. Significant relationship between sexual abuse in childhood and subsequently as offender in adulthood - but not in itself a single explanation NB. and not a predictor of abusive behaviour

19. Female offenders • Histories of childhood maltreatment incl. sexual abuse • MH symptoms, personality disorders, substance abuse • Difficulties in intimate relationships (or absence) • Less predatory -Tend to commit offences against known victims • More likely to commit offences with intimate partner

20. Male Offenders Characteristics: • Emotional loneliness • Inability to cope with negative feelings • Assertiveness deficits • Poor self-image • Poor problem solving ability • External locus of control • High impulsivity • Above average levels of congruence with children • Above average levels of victim empathy distortions

21. Male Offenders • Finkelhor’s 4 pre-conditions for sexual abuse • Motivation to sexually abuse • Overcoming internal inhibitors • Overcoming external inhibitors • Overcoming the child’s ‘resistance’

22. Female & Male offenders Similarities • Poor coping skills • Relationship difficulties • Cognitive distortions • Victim empathy deficits • Adolescents – low self-esteem, substance use, family difficulties

23. Female & Male offenders Differences • Sexual victimisation history more likely for female offenders – often more extensive and severe • Female offenders more likely to co-offend • Female offenders more likely to abuse in care-giving situation

24. Female & Male offenders • Rape less common for women – but more likely to be same gender • Young children more likely victims of female adolescents • Adolescent females more likely to victimise both genders. Adolescent males more likely to abuse single gender.

25. Female & Male offenders • Power & control - major issue in offending • Experiencing power of being in control • Sexual arousal in a ‘safe’ environment (i.e. feeling unthreatened)

26. Managing risk • Gathering information – what is relevant? • Sources of information • Capacity of partner to act as safe carer?

27. Gathering information • Victims & offenders disclose in layers – function of denial (situational) • Victim statement (especially if historical) • Collateral information from other sources – agency case files, family, friends • Making initial judgements about contextual risk

28. Safe decision-making • Child protection plan • Remove alleged abuser from family home where possible until an assessment indicates otherwise • Contact arrangements • Define specific contact times/venues • Define specific prohibited behaviours – bedtime/bathtime/cuddles etc

29. Specialist assessment • Actuarial assessment where appropriate (males) • Psychometric questionnaires • Structured guidelines (RSVP) (Males 18+) (or 16+ & females with considerable caution) • Clinical interviews

30. Specialist Assessment • Assessment of risk of sexual harm • Assess partner’s capacity to protect • Assess ability to engage (in treatment) • Identify treatment needs • Individual or groupwork • Offence focused • For abuser and ‘protective’ carer

31. Working with reluctance • Motivational approach to deal with reluctance and resistance • Motivational Interviewing – Miller & Rollnick 1991 • Prochaska & Diclemente’s transtheoretical model of change

32. Model of change – adapted from Prochaska & Diclemente, 1982 Maintenance Internalising new thoughts and behaviour Action Rehearsing new thoughts and behaviours Flitting thoughts unintentional expected Lapse Decision Relapse Contemplation Weighing up pros & cons Fantasy Remaining in high risk situations Grooming behaviour intentional Pre-contemplation – defensive, denial, projecting blame, depressed, unaware

33. Treatment needs • Monitoring & control • Child protection issues • Sexual assault cycle/abc matrix • Victim awareness/empathy • Cognitive distortions (thinking errors) • Sexual arousal • Sexual history • Feelings • Intimacy in relationships • Relapse prevention planning • Couple work

34. Female offenders Gender responsive intervention: • Establishing & maintaining healthy relationships • Promoting autonomy and self-sufficiency • (esp. for coerced offenders) • Developing positive self-concept • Assertiveness and social competency • Increased emotional management • Reducing self-harming behaviours • Ensuring healthy sexual expression and boundaries Center for sex offender management. US Dept of Justice.

35. Family restoration? • Outcome of specialist assessments • Risk • Capacity to protect • Capacity to engage in meaningful treatment • Completion of treatment needs • Couple work to empower protective carer • Consideration of child(ren)’s wishes and feelings

36. We are still at an early stage in developing our thinking about female offenders • Public outrage to male and especially female offenders – still seen as more deviant from the typical female role – mother/carer • There appear to be both significant differences and similarities • Neither gender offender is an homogenous group • Still learning about the sexual offending of both genders

37. Paul ClarkIndependent Sexual Abuse Consultant Independent Assessment & Consultancy PO Box 128, Carnforth, LA5 5AG 07549 046 121 mail.iac@tiscali.co.uk www.iac-assessment.com