Sexual abuse of children by people in organisations: what offenders can teach us about protection Marcus Erooga, NSPCC T

2. 2 I support reasonable conclusions based on supported facts

3. Outline Background – Review of the literature and absent ‘perspective of offenders’ Aim and Methodology of current research Characteristics of the sample Themes about offending Themes about organisational issues Minimising risk – preliminary findings

4. 4 Basis of the Study Wide ranging search of English language databases UK inquiries into abuse of children by staff, students or volunteers Interviews with professionals Interviews with 27 people convicted of sex offences related to positions of trust

5. 5 Basis of the Study Wide ranging search of English language databases: British Humanities Index (CSA) Blackwell Synergy Child Abuse, Child Welfare and Adoption (NISC). CINAHL (Ovid) Cochrane Library ebrary Electronic Journals Service (EBSCO) Educational Resources Information Clearinghouse (ERIC) Emerald Fulltext International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) JSTORMEDLINE (CSA) PsycINFO 1872-current (CSA) PubMedScience Direct (Elsevier) Social Services Abstracts (CSA) Social Care Online (Caredata) Web of Science (ISI)

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7. 7 What is the Problem? People inappropriate to work with children and families – includes abuse in positions of trust Incidence 20 Public Inquiries 1967 – 2000 4% of police CP investigations (Gallagher, 2000) 9.6% US school students CSA (Shakeshaft, 2004) NSPCC 0.3% CSA by professional (Cawson et al., 2000)

8. 8 Incidence

9. 9 Incidence

10. 10 What is the Problem? Frameworks for understanding Organisationally endorsed behaviour – ‘Pindown’ Regime ethical corruption Individuals using organisations to abuse Castle Hill School moral corruption Individuals exploiting systems to behave inappropriately – foster carer Eunice Spry

11. 11  Key message that abuse or inappropriate behaviour can happen in any setting from volunteers (Huston) to students (JD), foster carers (Spry) to paediatric nursing (Allitt), children's homes (Beck) to schools to nurseries. Absence of inquiries does not mean that fieldwork social care settings are without incidence.

12. 12 Individual issues Inappropriate people are also "People like us " "…the overwhelming burden of the evidence was that she did indeed appear to be like everybody else“ (Clothier, 1994) No single indicative feature or factor

13. 13 Individual issues Boundary keeping; Lack of awareness of impact of behaviour on others; Acting in children's best interests ‘despite the organisation’; High standing or reputation Charismatic Leaders Isolated but dutiful, over helpful & committed (Doran & Brannan, 1996)

14. 14 Organisational Issues Corruption of Care (Wardaugh & Wilding, 1993) Neutralisation of normal moral concerns Balance of power and powerlessness Failures of management Closed organisations

15. 15 Aims of the study Contribute and develop existing knowledge by providing an in-depth, qualitative, contextualised understanding of people who sexually offend in organisational positions of trust; Inform the improvement of recruitment screening in organisations working with children and young people; Inform increased use of situational prevention measures in organisations working with children and young people; Inform improved organisational responses to inappropriate behaviour and allegations of abuse; Ultimately, to reduce risk for children and young people

16. 16 Methodology Case file data collection Semi-structured interviews with 27 participants to date – 21 core & 6 non-core (2 ? core) Participants identified through NOMS Probation Areas and SOTP providing Prisons

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18. Offender Characteristics Own experience of abuse 11 offenders reported having been abused themselves as children: Primarily sexual abuse – also emotional abuse Work related stressors Lack of support; working many hours

19. 19 Offender Characteristics Personal issues Recent loss of relationships/ emotional closeness Emerging sexual orientation History of self harm/suicidal thoughts Rule breaking Some offenders showed patterns of rule breaking more generally in addition to the abuse of children

20. 20 For those agencies whose job it is to protect children and vulnerable people, the harsh reality is that if a sufficiently devious person is determined to seek out opportunities to work their evil, no one can guarantee that they will be stopped. Our task is to make it as difficult as possible for them to succeed…”

21. 21 Some sex offenders are preferential, some are opportunistic and some are situational offenders

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24. 24 Offender Characteristics Small number (of treated offenders) acknowledged a potential subconscious motivation

25. 25 Offender Behaviours Identifying victims Many offenders identified vulnerability in their victims: Disability; being Looked After, Residential school when parents were overseas, poor family relationships one described his “offencedar”

26. 26 Offender Behaviours Grooming Patterns reflect those identified in the literature In context of organisational abuse, patterns enhanced by offender’s access to resources and status in the organisation

27. 27 Offender Behaviours Grooming Direct use of authority to offend Material/practical benefits for victims Support for isolated children Favoured Children Unique Patterns – use of alcohol; use of uniform; use of videos/images

28. 28 Offender Behaviours Grooming Methods of commencing the abuse Intimacy, erosion of boundaries, slow progression to abuse, use of trust/authority

29. 29 Offender Behaviours Grooming Meeting child’s needs (physical and emotional) Buying gifts, ‘providing affection’, giving money, medical attention, taking on trips

30. 30 Offender Behaviours Grooming Developing relationships with child’s family “He was more like a family friend than a teacher” Victim’s mother (Pris 9)

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32. 32 Organisational Environment Failures of Management / staff support Absence of supervision/appraisal

33. 33 Organisational Environment Absence of supervision/appraisal

34. 34 Organisational Environment Organisational Culture Closed and inward looking environments

35. 35 Organisational Environment Over-regulation of organisations impeding care of C & YP

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37. 37 Minimising risk– preliminary findings “Ill chosen families spell disaster for the children and grief for the agency” Wolins, 1963 Importance of adherence to basic recruitment and staffing good practice – “doing the simple things well” Basic recruitment good practice – Application forms; vetting; references Clarity about acceptable behaviour

38. 38 The Leicestershire Inquiry, 1993 “It would not be wise for anyone to approach this Report on the basis that it all happened a long time ago and that nothing like it could ever happen again” (Kirkwood, 1993, Para 1.45).

39. 39 Safer Recruitment and Culture Model

40. 40 Little Ted's Nursery Inquiry, 2010

41. 41 Little Ted's Nursery Inquiry, 2010

42. 42 Little Ted's Nursery Inquiry, 2010

43. 43 Little Ted's Nursery Inquiry, 2010

44. 44 Little Ted's Nursery Inquiry, 2010

45. 45 Little Ted's Nursery Inquiry, 2010

46. 46 Minimising risk– preliminary findings Powerful effect of organisational culture – importance of clarity and congruence about values and expectations Situational prevention can have important impact – reducing opportunity; reducing permissibility; increasing the effort required; increasing risk of detection

47. 47 ‘Take Home’ Messages Screening – necessary but not sufficient No ‘Silver Bullet’ Organisational engagement with child & staff welfare can have a significant preventive effect

48. 48 Contact details