Child Sexual Abuse Series 203 : Overview of Child Sexual Abuse

1. Child Sexual Abuse Series 203: Overview of Child Sexual Abuse

2. Housekeeping • 15 min. Rule • Breaks & Lunch • Cell Phone, Computers, Side Bar Conversations • Packets • Parking Lot • Idea Catcher 1A

3. Training Agenda • Welcome and Introductions • Values, Beliefs, Myths, & Facts • Defining Child Sexual Abuse • General Dynamics • Offender Dynamics • The Child and Family in General • The Investigation • Planning and Collaborating • Effects of the Child Welfare Professional • Closing and Evaluation 1B

4. Competencies • 203-3: The Child Welfare Professional is able to recognize the patterns of interaction in families that maintain intra-familial sexual abuse. • 203-4: The Child Welfare Professional can recognize age-appropriate sexual knowledge and awareness in children and can identify abnormal and/or precocious sexual knowledge or preoccupation. The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program 203: Overview of Child Sexual Abuse Overhead #1, Page 1 of 1

5. Competencies (continued) • 203-6: The Child Welfare Professional understands the individual and family dynamics of sexual abuse and can elicit and identify these dynamics during sexual abuse investigation interviews. • 203-12: The Child Welfare Professional is aware of his/her own emotional responses to child abuse and neglect and of the potential for these responses to interfere with the casework process. The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program 203: Overview of Child Sexual Abuse Overhead #1, Page 1 of 1

6. Learning Objectives • Articulate the laws, regulations, and policies that guide serving families facing child sexual abuse issues. • Recognize individual and familial dynamics associated with sexual abuse (including research-based signs, characteristics, patterns, and cycles of sexual abuse).

7. Learning Objectives (continued) • Recognize fundamental collaborative casework efforts related to serving children, youth, and families facing sexual abuse issues. • Communicate personal values and beliefs regarding child sexual abuse and how those values and beliefs might affect serving families in which child sexual abuse issues exist.

8. Introductions • Name • Agency • Length of Employment w/Agency • Employment Duties • WIIFM

9. Legal Child Abuse Definitions Federal: CAPTA, as amended by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003: (2) …“child abuse and neglect” means, at a minimum, any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm;1 Pennsylvania: (Child Protective Services Law) (1) The term “child abuse” shall mean any of the following: (i) Any recent act or failure to act by a perpetrator which causes nonaccidental serious physical injury to a child under 18 years of age.

10. Legal Child Abuse Definitions (continued)(ii) An act or failure to act by a perpetrator which causes nonaccidental serious mental injury to or sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child under 18 years of age. (iii) Any recent act, failure to act or series of such acts or failures to act by a perpetrator which creates an imminent risk of serious physical injury to or sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child under 18 years of age. (iv) Serious physical neglect by a perpetrator constituting prolonged or repeated lack of supervision or the failure to provide essentials of life, including adequate medical care, which endangers a child’s life or development or impairs the child’s functioning.

11. Circumstances of Child Sexual Abuse Involve: From a clinical perspective, circumstances of Child Sexual Abuse involve: • Dyadic Sexual Abuse • Group Sex • Sex Rings • Sexual Exploitation of Children • Child Pornography • Child Prostitution

12. Sexual Abuse Theories • Attachment Theory • Behavioral Theory • Biological Theory • Cognitive-Behavioral Theory • Integrated Theory Source: Terry, Karen J. Ph.D. & Tallon, Jennifer. Child sexual abuse: A review of the literature. The John Jay College of Criminal Justice: New York, New York. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on May 9, 2008 @ Children today know too much about sex.

15. Adult Offenders • Are usually adult males; however, females perpetrate as well • Are almost always “known” to the child victim • Rarely have one victim • Primarily abuse children in the home; however, some also abuse children outside of the home • Usually began perpetrating in adolescence or childhood • May blame behaviors on marital difficulties, alcohol, and other drug abdication and/or stress.

16. Juvenile Offenders • Include adolescents (13 to 17) who commit illegal sexual behavior as defined by sex crime statutes • Represent a significant proportion of all individuals responsible for sex offenses • Most juvenile offenders have not been child sexual abuse victims • Most juvenile offenders will not become adult perpetrators

17. Juvenile Offenders (continued) • Most differ from adult sex offenders in several ways • Why they offend is still being researched; however, common characteristics do appear • They are a diverse group of youth • Although males still constitute the higher number of offenders against children; females do offend

18. Sexually Reactive Children • Toni Cavanaugh Johnson used the term to refer children involved in sexual activity with other children that likely exceeds expectations for their age • Occurs only as a “reaction” to: • The child’s own abuse; being chronically exposed to explicit sexual materials; and/or being a child in a family where the boundaries regarding sexuality are too loose Source: Gil, E. & Johnson, T.C. (1993). Sexualized children: Assessment and treatment of sexualized children and children who molest. Rockville, MD: Launch.

19. Sexually Reactive Children (continued) • The child is not to blame: • They do not try to force or groom another child; • Nor do they make efforts to keep the sexual activity a secret • Their behaviors are not ingrained patterns of sexually acting out but are not as easily redirected, as are the inappropriate behaviors of non-abused children. • Child’s focus on sexuality is out of balance in relation to their peer group. Source: Gil, E. & Johnson, T.C. (1993). Sexualized children: Assessment and treatment of sexualized children and children who molest. Rockville, MD: Launch.

21. Non-Offending Parents • Reveal a wide range of emotions, and rarely will two parents react to disclosure in the same way • Most believe, support, and take action • Relationship with the perpetrator might assist in predicting willingness to support and protect the child • History of physical or sexual abuse has little to no affect on whether the parent is less or more likely to believe, support, and protect. • Age of the child might affect willingness to support and protect. • The child’s gender might affect willingness to support and protect. • A small percentage of parents know about the abuse and tolerate it. Source: Elliot, Ann N. & Carnes, Connie N. (November 2001). Reactions of nonoffending parents to sexual abuse of their child. Child Maltreatment; 6; 314. Sage Publications. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on May 19, 2008

22. Engaging Non-Offending Parents • Accepting the client, but not any abusive or neglectful behaviors • Remembering that the non-offending parents might be in shock • Not placing blame • Actively listening and reflecting on what non-offending parents say • Allowing non-offending parents to vent feelings • Universalizing (normalizing) feelings and beliefs Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. (1994). Crisis intervention in child abuse and neglect: User manual series (1994).

23. Engaging Non-Offending Parents (continued) • Using firm, but kind, confrontation • Summarizing client feelings after extended listening • Partializing (breaking into several smaller issues) concerns • Educating or informing about forthcoming events, community resources • Setting boundaries and limits on behaviors and contracting on acceptable alternatives • Reframing client statements or behaviors to find the positive aspects Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. (1994). Crisis intervention in child abuse and neglect: User manual series (1994).

24. How is the family organized? Is there a hierarchy? If so, what does it look like? How does the family communicate with one another? What rules might be enforced in the family and by whom? What kinds of boundaries exist in the family? What kind of support is present for family members who are having problems? How does the family appear to “outsiders?” Family Dynamics Consideration

25. Investigation Goals • When investigating allegations of child sexual abuse, Child Welfare Professionals must determine whether: • The child’s safety can be assured • The child was sexually abused, per the Child Protective Services Law • The abuse might occur again in the future, and/or what services might need provided to prevent the abuse from occurring once again.

26. Interviews • As part of the sexual abuse investigation, at a minimum, Child Welfare Professionals must interview: • The child, if appropriate. • The child’s parents or other person responsible for the child’s welfare. • The alleged perpetrator of the suspected child abuse. • The reporter of the suspected child abuse, if known. • Eyewitnesses to the suspected child abuse. • Neighbors and relatives who might have knowledge of the abuse. • Daycare provider or school personnel, or both, if appropriate.

27. Information Needed • During the investigation stage, Child Welfare Professionals must take steps to: • Discover whether allegations are true • Learn whether access issues exist • Learn about the client’s culture • Find out whether elements of secrecy exist • Discover whether medical indicators exist • Determine who lives at the alleged child victim’s home, in addition to the number of siblings, ages, etceteras. • Establish the family’s history of involvement with the agency • Determine whether information offered by everyone corroborates • Discover information that allows them to consider other possible scenarios that could explain reasons for referral

28. Reasonable Efforts If the court finds the child dependent and orders the placement of the child outside the home, the agency must make, document, and be able to state the reasonable efforts made to reunify the child with the family. • Except as ordered by the court in cases where aggravated circumstances exist, the agency must make reasonable efforts to prevent removal, and once removed, to reunify the child with the family. • If the agency alleges dependency and petitions the court for removal of the child, the court will ask the agency, as part of the petition and subsequent court orders, to prove that it made reasonable efforts to prevent removal.

29. Aggravated Circumstances Aggravated circumstances specifically citing sexual abuse include: The child or another child of the parent has been the victim of physical abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, sexual violence or aggravated physical neglect by the parent. The parent of the child has been convicted of any of the following offenses where the victim was a child: a felony under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3121 (relating to rape), § 3122.1 (relating to statutory sexual assault), § 3123 (relating to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse), § 3124.1 (relating to sexual assault). an equivalent crime in another jurisdiction. The attempt, solicitation or conspiracy to commit any of the offenses set forth in [main bullet 2 above] Source: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Juvenile Act (42 Pa.C.S. § 6302, (relating to definitions)).

30. Service Plans After child safety has been assured, child sexual abuse-related service plans must: Address Protective Capacities that need to be enhanced to mitigate existing safety threats Address risk concerns Support (except as otherwise ordered by the court) goals and tasks that: prevent placement and/or reunify the child with the family Address concurrent planning efforts that consider any situation in which the child cannot be reunified with the family

31. Visitation According to 55 Pa Code §3130.68(a) (relating to visiting and communication policies): the county agency must provide opportunity for visits between the child and parents as frequently as possible but no less frequently than once every 2 weeks at a time and place convenient to the parties and in a location that will permit natural interaction, unless visiting is: Clearly not in keeping with the placement goal—for example, in adoption or independent living. (1) Freely refused in writing by the parents. (2) Not in the child’s best interest and is limited or prohibited by court order. (3)

32. Reunification If the child was removed from the home, reunification of the child back into the home in which a perpetrator who underwent treatment resides Reintroducing a perpetrator into the family (if the child was not removed from the home and the perpetrator left the home to go into treatment as part of a Family Service Plan, successfully completed the treatment, and a qualified professional approved him/her to be with the child and family.

33. Vicarious Traumatization Characterizes the cumulative effects of working with survivors of traumatic life events Intensifies over time and with multiple clients Is a way of framing the emotional, physical, and spiritual transformations experienced by those who work with traumatized populations Can lead subtly to persistent feelings of fear and vulnerability to assault, difficulty trusting others, intrusive thoughts of violence, hopelessness to make a difference in clients’ lives, and a changed view of the world Often causes workers and victims to experience parallel reactions Affects each person differently Is pervasive and affects all areas of the Child Welfare Professional’s life Is a painful but preventable process

34. Burnout The psychological strain of working with difficult population McCann and Pearlman One of the most serious and constant issues in child welfare. Worker burnout results in lower productivity and effectiveness, increased sick leave and staff turnover. Shapiro & Dorman Symptoms are described as: depression, cynicism, boredom, loss of compassion, discouragement, lack of motivation, exhaustion, and hopelessness. McCann & Pearlman, Shapiro & Dorman