A GOVERNMENT STRATEGY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO SEXUALLY ABUSE

1
A GOVERNMENT STRATEGY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO
SEXUALLY ABUSE

• Philippa Goffe
• Head of Community Sentences and Interventions
  Team,
• Youth Justice Children Unit,Home Office

2
CROSS GOVERNMENT ACTION

• Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Sexual
  Offending
• Intended Outcomes
• Reducing mental illness, self harm, suicide,
  physical injury of victimisation
• Improving mental, physical health, quality of
  life for victims
• Minimise revictimisation reduce offending by
  abusers

3
Young People who Sexually Abuse Related
Initiatives

• Victims of Violence and Abuse Prevention
  Programme VVAPP- DH/HO
• Aims
• Increase awareness of health effects on victims
• Provide evidence, guidance and information to
  improve treatment/support for victims and prevent
  offending

4
Key Reports

• The Needs Effective Treatment of Young People
  Who Sexually Abuse
• (Whittle, Bailey Kurtz, 2006)
• Links Between Juvenile Sexually Abusive Behaviour
  and Emerging Severe Personality Disorder
• (Vizard et al, 2006)

5
SEXUAL VIOLENCE AND ABUSE ACTION PLAN

• AIMS
• To improve access to health and support services
  for victims
• Improve response of CJS to sexual offences
• Maximise opportunities to prevent crimes of
  sexual violence and abuse

6
Young People Who Sexually Abuse National Policy
Framework

• Problem
• Significant number of children and young people
  exhibiting sexually harmful or abusive behaviour
• Little or no intervention to prevent offending
  and harm to others

7
National Policy Framework

• Framework for development of services for YPSA
• Identify best practice
• Identify effective treatment interventions
• Aim to use existing resources more consistently
  and coherently

8
Action

• Awareness raising
• Preventative programmes
• Target high risk families
• Facilitate early intervention
• Common referral and assessment protocols
• New assessment and treatment services
• Multi-agency training
• Cross Government working

9
Summary

• Cross Government working to tackle problem
• Ministerial commitment
• Development of national framework
• Supported by research
• Identification of local services to aid treatment