A service for non-offending partners of male sexual offenders
| Date | 13 November 2017 |
| Published date | 13 November 2017 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JFP-02-2017-0004 |
| Pages | 288-295 |
| Author | Simon Duff,Nick Wakefield,Aimee Croft,Lorraine Perry,Sophie Valavanis,Lisa Wright |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Forensic practice,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Law enforcement/correctional,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice |
A service for non-offending partners of
male sexual offenders
Simon Duff, Nick Wakefield, Aimee Croft, Lorraine Perry, Sophie Valavanis and Lisa Wright
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a novel service for the non-offending
partners (NOPs) of men who have sexually offended against children.
Design/methodology/approach –The paper examines the rationale for the current service and the
preliminary qualitative data that reflect how NOPs experience the group innovations.
Findings –Interviews and previous qualitative analyses demonstrate boththe positive changes that the NOP
programme supports regarding child protections skills and the value that NOPs perceive in incorporating
male therapists and male offenders into the process.
Research limitations/implications –Given these recent changes to the NOP group, and the small group
sizes, the ability to examine how the NOPs perceive these innovations, the personal impact they have on
change in NOPs, and more importantly, the impact on recidivism and reduction of further harm to children are
yet to be fully investigated and these are central questions for the service to ensure that it offers a valid and
reliable intervention programme and limits the extent to which the programme can be generalised. Further
research will plug this gap.
Practical implications –The service offers new challenges for NOPs with the aim of making them better
understand offending against children, their role in protecting children, and ultimately the protection of
children in general. This may act as a model for the development of future services for these individuals.
Originality/value –There are few programmes aimed at providing support and intervention for an often
marginalised group of individuals, the female NOPs of men who have sexually offended against children. This
programme includes new approaches to working with the women providing them with new sources of
support and insight.
Keywords Risk, Intervention, Child protection, Paraprofessionals, Child sexual abuse, Non-offending partners
Paper type Case study
Introduction
In a recently published paper, Shannon et al. (2013) highlight the importance of protecting
children through intervention with the non-offending partners (NOPs) of men who have sexually
offended against children (child sexual abuse –CSA). They provide an overview of a service
providing this intervention and conclude that further work is needed to address the unique
needs of NOPs and the paucity of releva nt published research. The current paper advances
both needs by describing innovations and research related to NOPs that our service has
initiated over the la st five years. The aim is to describe the se innovations and the impact for th e
NOPs, translating to safeguarding ch ildren more effect ively than was prev iously possible.
Importantly, the i ntervention pro gramme is constant ly evolving as we lea rn more about NOPs
and their role in mediati ng the impact of CSA, assis ting in the risk manage ment of offenders,
and their own specific needs, yet more research is necessary to deepen this understanding
and to respond to it in an appropriate manner.
The Office for NationalStatistics (2016) estimated thatfor the year ending September 2016, there
were 41,468 offences recorded by the police in categories that directly relate to sexual offences
against childrenand that 567,000 women and 102,000men between the ages of 16 and 59 years
have experienced assault by rape of penetration (including attempts) during childhood.
Received 20 February 2017
Revised 6 April 2017
Accepted 11 May 2017
Simon Duff is the Deputy
Director of Forensic
Programmes at Forensic and
Family Psychology, Faculty of
Medicine and Health Sciences,
University of Nottingham,
Nottingham, UK.
Nick Wakefield, Aimee Croft,
and Lorraine Perry are Clinical
Psychologists, Sophie
Valavanis is a Trainee Clinical
Psychologist, and Lisa Wright is
a Clinical Psychologist, all at the
Mersey Forensic Psychology
Service, Liverpool, UK.
PAGE288
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JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PRACTICE
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VOL. 19 NO. 4 2017, pp. 288-295, © Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2050-8794 DOI 10.1108/JFP-02-2017-0004
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