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Disclosing child sexual abuse: children and young people's experiences

Insights for the proposed mandatory reporting duty in England and Wales

Publication date September 2023

A central recommendation from the Independent Inquiry for Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA, 2022)1 was the introduction of a mandatory reporting duty in England and Wales for disclosures of child sexual abuse.

To help understand the potential implications of this proposal, we commissioned researchers from the University of Bedfordshire to review the evidence on:

  • the barriers to disclosure children and young people face
  • the motivators and facilitators that help them to disclose sexual abuse
  • their experiences following disclosure.

The evidence review focuses on 43 papers and reports from international research with children and young people about their experiences or views on disclosing sexual abuse.

The review identifies a number of key insights to inform thinking on the proposed mandatory reporting duty. It also highlights gaps in the current research, including a lack of consideration of the reporting systems in place in the countries in which children disclosed abuse, and limited research into children’s perspectives and experiences of those systems. The report recommends further direct research with children and young people to inform the design of any proposed system.

Authors: Debra Allnock and Joe Kiff

References

Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) (2022) Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. [Accessed 02/02/2024].
Listening to children and young people’s experiences of disclosing child sexual abuse
Download the report (PDF)
Listening to children and young people’s experiences of disclosing child sexual abuse: executive summary
Download the report executive summary (PDF)

Key findings

There are a variety of internal and external barriers to disclosure

Children described several barriers to disclosure including developmental factors, isolation and a lack of trusted and open relationships. Services and professionals protecting and supporting children and young people must gain the trust and confidence of children and young people to ensure appropriate, effective, and sensitive responses.

Professionals need to create safe spaces for children to disclose

Mandatory reporters must be equipped not only to identify signs and indicators of sexual abuse but also to understand how to promote opportunities and connections to help create safe spaces for children to disclose.

A negative experience following disclosure can impact future help-seeking

Children and young people describe how their experiences of disclosure are impacted by trauma, anxiety, and fear about the impact of other people learning about their abuse. Ineffective or insensitive responses can impact the likelihood of children and young people seeking help in the future.

“You’re worried and you’re scared… and you might feel angry, confused and also you might feel like you’ve locked yourself in like a prison that is keeping your worries from coming out. "

Female, aged 8

Citation

Please cite as: Allnock, D. and Kiff, J. (2023) Listening to children and young people’s experiences of disclosing child sexual abuse: insights for the proposed mandatory reporting duty in England and Wales. London: NSPCC.