Latest news and work

Our latest annual Trends in official data report collates of the latest data across local authorities, policing, criminal justice, sexual assault referral centres and, for the first time, data on what happens following convictions of child sexual abuse offences, to explore how child sexual abuse is being identified and responded to in England and Wales in 2023/24.

The new analysis shows that the number of people charged and convicted following child sexual abuse offences both increased, yet the number of children with a protection plan for sexual abuse in England fell to it’s lowest level in thirty years – making up just 3.5% of all new plans in 2023/24. Read all the trends in the report below.

We’ve released our new Funding and commissioning child sexual abuse services guide. It is is designed to build understanding of where and how to address these gaps in provision. In four parts, the resource signposts each stage of the commissioning cycle: analysing local need for support, planning targeted interventions, delivering effective support services, and rigorously reviewing outcomes.

It is designed for funders and commissioners across a wide range of local, regional and national arrangements, including Police and Crime Commissioners, local authorities, NHS England and Wales and Integrated Care Boards, the guide offers a structured approach to developing and improving support provision.

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published the results of their National Review into child sexual abuse within the family environment – which was conducted by the CSA Centre.

The review focuses on the experiences of 193 children who were sexually abused in the family environment. Sadly, for many of these children the abuse they experienced was not identified by professionals, or they did not get the support needed for their safety or recovery. In the report, we set out 10 national recommendations which could fundamentally transform the identification of abuse and the response that children and families receive. Please note  – the children’s experiences reviewed in this report are upsetting.

As a child, young person or adult, finding and getting support can play a large role in feeling able to move forward from sexual abuse in childhood. If you, someone you care for, or someone you are working with, needs to find support, our new directory of over 350 support services in England and Wales can help.

With a simple postcode search, in moments you will discover nearby support services working with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, and their families. Find support services and get help today through our updated Get support page.

Supervision plays an important role in supporting professionals’ wellbeing at work and addressing potential knowledge gaps, including those that might exist around child sexual abuse. To help, our new resource will give you the material and prompts to kickstart those discussions.

The Using supervision and team meetings to improve responses to child sexual abuse guide is designed to help professionals, especially social workers, have discussions about child sexual abuse within their teams, reflect on the experiences of children and families they are working with, and explore how the evidence might inform and develop their practice moving forward.

We have released our new Data Insights Hub, an interactive online dashboard that gives instant access to local and national data on child sexual abuse in England and Wales.

Using interactive maps and charts, the Data Insights Hub displays helpful official data from local authorities and police forces, alongside up-to-date estimates on the scale of child sexual abuse and information about local support service provision for children and families, all in one place. Try it now and build an understanding of identified and recorded child sexual abuse in your local area.

The CSA Centre and SEEN have published the first overview of research in relation to the sexual abuse of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage children.

This new review, undertaken by the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit at London Metropolitan University, explores the nature of sexual abuse, its impacts, the barriers that prevent children talking about it, and how concerns about it are identified and responded to, both within communities and by services. The review brings into stark focus the need for further research to inform and drive improvements. Not just in prevention but also in the identification of and response to sexual abuse of children from African, Asian and Caribbean backgrounds.

In our latest blog post, our Assistant Director Lisa McCrindle explores what we know about artificially generated child sexual abuse material, if it is legal, and explains how professionals can use their existing skills to respond to this kind of child sexual abuse today.

All of us at the CSA Centre are devastated by the death of our colleague and friend Liz Jones, who sadly passed away last month. Liz was an exceptional member of our team – a passionate advocate for children, families and adult survivors, hugely knowledgeable and with a depth of experience in the field of child sexual abuse that few could match.  She will be very deeply missed.

Liz will be remembered as someone who spent her life fighting for vulnerable children, adults and their families, with a particular passion and expertise in tackling child sexual abuse. The impact she made in this regard is tremendous. Liz’s death is a not only a loss to her family, friends and colleagues, but the children for whom she devoted her career.  We hope to continue the great work she begun and make her proud of the changes we make.

Our second helpful overview of the key findings and implications of our Support Matters research focusses on the services supporting adult victims/survivors of child sexual abuse. It explores the provision and availability of support for adults affected by childhood sexual abuse across England and Wales, and highlights key gaps and needs.

Written for organisations delivering services, professionals working with adult victims /survivors or those with responsibility for commissioning support, read this and our previous overview on the Support Matters page.

Building on our full Support Matters report, we have published a helpful overview of the key findings and implications of the research, focused specifically on the services supporting children who may have been sexually abused and their parents, as well as for children displaying harmful sexual behaviour.

Written for organisations delivering services, professionals working with children and those with responsibilities for commissioning support, this overview of services for children and parents affected by sexual abuse summarises what is known about the current provision of services for children across England and Wales today.

In this compelling new blog our Deputy Director Anna Glinski, reflects on Bea Campbell’s new book to revisit the impact of Cleveland and how it must inform how professionals respond to child sexual abuse today.

Our new report, Child sexual abuse in 2022/23: Trends in official data collates the latest data across local authorities, policing, criminal justice and sexual assault referral centres to explore how child sexual abuse is being identified and responded to in England and Wales.

New analysis by the CSA Centre shows that children are more likely than adults to be the victims of sexual offences. They are the victims in 40% of all sexual offences – including rape and sexual assault – yet make up just 20% of the population in England & Wales. Find out more in the full report.

We have released the most comprehensive study to-date of the current landscape of service provision in response to child sexual abuse in England & Wales.

In this landmark research, the CSA Centre found just 488 services providing support to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and their families, yet an estimated 500,000 children will suffer some form of child sexual abuse every year. Find out more in the full report.

The start of a new year is always a good moment to take stock. Our Director, Ian Dean, reflects on how productive 2023 was for the CSA Centre and looks ahead to some of the work that will keep us busy into 2024.

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has appointed the CSA Centre to be the lead reviewers in a National Review into child sexual abuse within the family environment.

Working closely with the Panel Leads, our work will explore the specific challenges which feature in the identification, assessment, and response to child sexual abuse within a family environment. The review will also seek to address how multi-agency safeguarding practice can improve the way they protect and respond to children.

This month, our Deputy Director Anna Glinski spoke to social workers Nadia, Fran and Eugene from the Social Matters podcast about we know from our Key messages work about children and young people who display harmful sexual behaviour, and her experiences in practice.

Concerns about harmful sexual behaviour are likely to be experienced by all professionals working with children. It is important that they have the knowledge and understanding to respond and support children, and ensure their organisations are set up to maximise safety from harm.

For the first time, we are offering a consultation package to provide organisations and professionals with further opportunities to consolidate their learning after our training courses.

View our full range of courses, and speak to our training team at training@csacentre.org.uk for further details.

We’ve launched the second of our new papers to help professionals understand and respond to child sexual abuse online – Key messages from research on harmful sexual behaviour in online contexts.

Sexual behaviour by under-18s that may be harmful towards themselves or another child, young person or adult, is typically called harmful sexual behaviour – this includes within online contexts. The impact on children of sexual abuse in online contexts can be severe and varied, but effective intervention, education and support from professionals and the wider family can make a difference.

We’ve launched our Key messages from research paper on child sexual abuse by adults in online contexts.

The internet, social media, digital devices and services are embedded in our daily lives. Indeed, research indicates that they are also likely to feature in most types of child sexual abuse. Although many professionals suggest they feel unable to help, as they are not ‘experts’ in technology, an effective response to abuse in online contexts requires the same core skills as for any form of child sexual abuse. That is relationship-based practice, talking to children and accepting what they say. Find out more in our latest Key messages paper.

We’ve refreshed our Key messages from research on intra-familial child sexual abuse, the latest in our series of updates to our accessible, quick-read papers.

Child sexual abuse in family settings is one of the most common forms of sexual abuse against children. It’s incredibly important that those working with children know where to find the knowledge and evidence they need to recognise the signs of intra-familial child sexual abuse, and protect and support the children and families they work with.

In September, we launched a new free new resource, Sibling sexual behaviour: A guide to responding to inappropriate, problematic and abusive behaviour.

Professionals working with children need to be equipped to support and help young people who are experiencing sexual behaviour and abuse from their siblings. But despite having the core skills to respond, many professionals report a lack of knowledge or experience to feel confident in doing so effectively. This guide is designed to help; Part A covers the identification and understanding of sibling sexual behaviour and Part B covers the professional response.