The neglected priority: sexual abuse in the context of residential child care

✍ Scribed by Meg Lindsay

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 569 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0952-9136
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0852(199911/12)8:6<405::aid-car546>3.0.co;2-e

✦ Synopsis

In 1995, a questionnaire was sent to Scotland's residential child care services. Of 89 questions, ®ve concerned sexual abuse. Responses were analysed along several variablesÐservice type, gender and age of residents. A detailed report was compiled (Lindsay, 1997). The response rate was 94% of all Scottish services. The largest group of services were children's homes (112±49%), then residential schools (43±19%), residential respite care (28±12%), care leavers services (16±7%), services for young homeless people (15±7%) and secure units (5±3%), with other service types seven (3%). Two-thirds of services believed they were caring for children who had been abused and one third for children who had abused others. Where children who had abused others were present, in 91% there were also abused children in the same service. The results were consistent across the variables. In a few cases, allegations of abuse had been made against sta. This was commoner in services for males than females. Sta requested more training and support in their stressful role. These ®ndings have implications for the practice and training of residential sta, management policies and procedure and the design of new services.