Providing support and therapy for victims and survivors of child sexual exploitation
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPMH-07-2018-0051 |
| Published date | 18 March 2019 |
| Pages | 38-45 |
| Date | 18 March 2019 |
| Author | Nick Frost |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Mental health,Public mental health |
Providing support and therapy for victims
and survivors of child sexual exploitation
Nick Frost
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to analyse the public mental health challenges arising in the field of
child sexual exploitation (CSE) from the perspective of frontline professionals.
Design/methodology/approa ch –The methods included semi-s tructured face-to-face i ndividual
interviews (n ¼6) and focus groups (two groups with a total of eight participants ¼8), all participants
work with CSE-experienced young people.
Findings –Professionals report how they offer support and therapy to CSE-experienced young people.
Findings are outlined in relation to support, therapeutic interventions, multi-agency working, what works and
the challenges and issues faced in their professional roles.
Research limitations/implications –The paper reports briefly on a substantial amount of data. A further
limitation is that there is a need to gather data directly from the perspective of young people.
Practical implications –The high quality of work undertaken and the need to further develop therapeutic
work with the CSE-experienced young people emerges from the findings.
Social implications –CSE is a high-profile public health issue which attracts considerable public and
political attention.
Originality/value –The data gathered reflect the contemporary views of frontline professionals in a
challenging and complex field of practice.
Keywords Support, Therapy
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is one of t he many challenges facing contemporary health and child
welfare professionals. Growing professional awareness, increased child trafficking and technological
change have all contributed to both a rising awareness and incidence of CSE across the globe
(Lefevre et al., 2017; Pearce, 2017). Whilst the immediate challenges of addressing disruption and
intervention around CSE have improved in the UK ( for a discussion of this see Hill, 2016; Harris et al.,
2017) since the publication of the influential Jay (2014) report, the longer terms challenges around
the mental health and well-being of survivors remain a major shortfall in service provision (Warrington
et al., 2017). This challenge has global public health implications as the extent and impact of all forms
of sexual abuse, including CSE, have become more widely recognised (Pearce, 2017).
CSE –history and policy
In his book, The Politics of Child Abuse, Parton (1984) demonstrated how our responses to child
abuse change over time and he illustrates how professional practice relates to social and political
factors. Never has this been more apparent than in the case of developments around CSE
(Hallett, 2017). It is probably the case that CSE has existed throughout the centuries, however,
we did not have the language or concepts to fully understand the nature and extent of what
would today be identified as CSE. For example, the slave trade can now be seen as containing
elements of CSE (see Davis, 2002).
Received 30 July 2018
Revised 30 October 2018
13 November 2018
Accepted 19 November 2018
Nick Frost is based at the
Faculty of Health and Social
Sciences, Leeds Beckett
University, Leeds, UK.
PAG E 38
j
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH
j
VOL. 18 NO. 1 2019, pp. 38-45, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1746-5729 DOI 10.1108/JPMH-07-2018-0051
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