Exploring support within educational provisions for children and young people experiencing sexual exploitation
Date
2022
Authors
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Publisher
University of Exeter
Abstract
Child sexual exploitation (CSE) can have huge impacts on a child’s physical
and emotional wellbeing and have long-term consequences. Literature has
found that professionals can have negative perceptions of children who are
being sexually exploited, and this can affect the support they receive. To date,
there has been little research exploring the education and support within
educational provisions for children and young people experiencing sexual
exploitation, suggesting the need for further research. This research aimed to fill
this gap by exploring the perspectives from both school staff and from survivors
of CSE. The following research questions were addressed; 1) what are Special
Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCo) and Designated Safeguarding Leads’
(DSL) abilities to respond to the needs of children who have experienced CSE
whilst in secondary schools in the South West of England (including knowledge,
perceptions, practical support, and challenges), 2) what are adult survivors of
CSE’s experiences of support within their secondary educational provision in
the UK?
This research consisted of two phases. Phase one took the form of an online
questionnaire which was completed by 30 SENCos and DSLs across the South
West of England. This used vignettes to explore the school staff’s perceptions,
and open ended and closed questions to provide a mix of quantitative and
qualitative results. Data have been analysed and is displayed in frequency
tables and descriptive statistics. In phase two, four semi-structured interviews
were conducted with adult survivors of CSE in the UK. The data were analysed
using thematic analysis.
Phase 1 findings revealed that the staff have a good level of training in CSE,
they have positive perceptions of the victims and have good systems of support
in place within their schools. It was felt that pastoral support and supportive
relationships, multi-agency working, and systemic level approaches (including
parental engagement and training), were the main strategies to help support a
child or young person experiencing CSE. Barriers included working with the
parents, engagement difficulties with the young person, difficulties in accessing
services, the demands of school, and negative attitudes of the staff. It was felt
that to achieve this, schools needed further training, funding and access to
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resources and the staff needed more support for their health and wellbeing
when working within these populations.
Phase 2 findings revealed eight main themes. The findings showed that the
survivors had many difficulties whilst being at school and there was a lack of
support. Negative attitudes and unhelpful stereotypes were prominent from
professionals, which led to their abuse being minimised, or them feeling
blamed. There was a lack of education around sex and healthy relationships,
and staff did not have adequate understanding of CSE and abuse. This meant
that signs of CSE went unnoticed and the adults were out of their depth or
limited in the support they offered. There were difficulties in communication, and
the survivors felt a lack of agency and control. The importance of a supportive
positive relationship within school was highlighted, as well as holistic support,
with an emphasis on supporting the child’s emotional wellbeing.
This research is relevant for schools in understanding how to support victims of
CSE, including addressing negative attitudes from professionals, promoting
child and family engagement, providing holistic support with a focus on
wellbeing, having a multi-agency approach and ensuring there is a high level of
training for professionals working with children. Implications for educational
psychology practice are explored at various levels of working, and future
research directions proposed.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
child sexual exploitation, research, International Resources, United Kingdom, services, education
Citation
Burrell, C. (2022). Exploring support within educational provisions for children and young people experiencing sexual exploitation. University of Exeter.