Factors to be assessed

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(a) The child

The worker first needs to gain a detailed understanding of events surrounding the disclosure; such as when and how the disclosure occurred; to whom it was made and how key people reacted. The child who initiates the disclosure to a supportive person may well have different concerns to the child whose disclosure is initiated by an outsider and results in unexpected intervention. A child who has to name other possible victims of assault may be very worried about the consequences for those children themselves, and for his or her own relationship with them. Obviously the complexity of issues increases with the burden of sorting out others' expectations and reactions.

Figure 1:

Ultimately the worker must know not only the events of the disclosure, but more importantly how they have been interpreted and understood by the child. When the disclosure is being explored the child's affect and hesitations will highlight sensitive areas.

An assessment of the child's support network is essential in identifying possible concerns. One critical piece of information is the identity of the offender. If the offender is a stranger or someone quite outside the child's normal support group, that network may find it easier to support her or him as its own stability is not threatened. Where, however, the offender is a member of the child's network, there is much greater opportunity for conflicts of loyalty and interest, and support may be withdrawn from the child as the network attempts to protect its own cohesion and existence.

The child's safety must be carefully monitored, and if placement is necessary, the worker must consider how the child will interpret this action.

A further area of assessment is related to the specific life circumstances of the child. Cultural background, age, sex and previous experiences are significant in understanding which aspects of sexual assault will be of particular concern to her or him. The worker may find it useful to pay close attention to the nature and content of the reactions and messages that the child receives from his or her family, peers and school as this will help to illuminate cultural issues. Re child's individual strengths, such as the ability to verbalise his or her worries, should also be recognised and utilised.

Finally, the worker needs to ascertain the nature and extent of the sexual assault. A gentle and gradual exploration of what has happened is necessary at some stage in order to understand the impact of the events on the child.

If the assault was not physically painful it may be that the child perceived it as a game and then became confused by the reactions at the point of disclosure. Other children, however, may have experienced feelings of humiliation and guilt as well as fears of being damaged or becoming pregnant. The child's beliefs about why the assault occurred are important. Sometimes the perpetrator will have attempted to influence the child's thinking with statements such as: 'I'm doing this because you are naughty'. Such statements usually have a strong impact and the workers need to be very alert to them. The relationship of the offender to the child, and the means used by him or her to perpetrate the assault and prevent the child from disclosing are also highly significant. If, for example, an offender has been physically violent the child may be less inclined to blame himself or herself for the occurrence of the assault. Where the perpetrator has used his or her authority, or threats, to ensure submission, the child may minimise this afterwards and blame herself or himself for not telling sooner or resisting more strongly.

These factors are presented in summary form in Figure 2.

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The way that the disclosure occurred is a highly important variable for caregivers as well as children, and their confidence and reactions to subsequent interventions will be affected by this. The worker therefore needs to assess how the caregivers learnt of their child's disclosure. Relevant information would include such things as: whether the caregiver/s were told by the child or by someone else: whether they found out in a public or confidential manner; whether they felt that they were treated with respect and whether they felt clear or confused about the reasons for any procedures that ensued. In short, the worker strives to understand what the particular events of this disclosure meant to these caregivers, and in a broad sense whether the process thus far has been perceived as humiliating, annoying or as supportive as possible under the circumstances.

Figure 2: Factors to be assessed

The child

1. The events around the disclosure

• was the disclosure accidental or planned?
• how and when did it happen: who was told?
• how did key people react?
• was it necessary for the child to name other possible victims?

2. The child's support network

• who was the offender?
• is the network able to believe and support the child?
• is placement necessary? If so, how does the child interpret this?

3. The life circumstances of the child

• what are the values and beliefs of the child's cultural group?
• are there any developmentally related concerns?
• are there any sex related concerns?
• are there any previous relevant experiences?

4. The nature and extent of the sexual assault

• what happened during the assault/s?
• what are the child's beliefs about the assault?
• how is the offender related to the child?
• what means did the offender use to enforce submission?

For many caregivers the pressure over whether to believe or not believe the child raises many concerns. The worker needs to explore these pressures and assess whether any disbelief is due to shock and confusion and hence is workable, or whether the degree of disbelief raises very real fears for the safety of the child. A caregiver who does not believe the child, is unlikely to be able to protect that child or support him or her emotionally.

Each caregiver will have individual characteristics, beliefs and life experiences which will colour their reactions to the disclosure of sexual assault and may also influence their ability to support the child. Cultural beliefs, financial concerns, existing problems and previous encounters with sexual assault are all significant and need to be understood by the worker.

Frequently caregivers know of some distant relative or neighbour's child who has been assaulted and they draw on that situation to illuminate their own. This can be useful but it can also serve to unnecessarily increase their apprehension on behalf of their own child. If the caregiver is a victim of sexual assault himself or herself they are likely to have to deal with a resurgence of memories and feelings from that time. In this situation caregivers may also have to struggle to differentiate their own past reactions and feelings from their child's experience.

The caregiver's family and friendship network needs assessment in much the same way as the child's does: the worker must ascertain whether the caregiver has people she or he can draw support from or whether she or he is socially isolated. If there is someone with whom the caregiver can talk, what is the nature and quality of the support given? Is the caregiver listened to sympathetically or is she or he expected 'to put it behind them' and get on with things?

The worker should also explore the caregiver's understanding of sexual assault and its impact on a child. Is the caregiver's understanding based on myths or their own previous experience; or is this the first time she or he has had to think about sexual assault? The worker must assess how much the caregiver recognises the child's fears, beliefs and worries and whether any educational input could be useful. Many caregivers, for example, are puzzled by the fact that the child may have taken a long time before disclosing the assault. The caregiver may then tend to blame himself or herself or the child, or both, rather than recognising the constraints or fears under which the child was operating.

These factors are presented in summary form in Figure 3.

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Figure 3: Factors to be assessed

The caregiver

1. The events around the disclosure

• who did the children tell?
• how did the caregiver learn of the disclosure?
• how did the caregiver experience the disclosure process?

2. Is the child believed?

• what are the pressures to believe or not believe?
• is any disbelief workable?
• is the child safe and supported?

3. The life circumstances of the caregiver

• what are the relevant cultural beliefs?
• are there financial or other existing concerns?
• are there any previous experiences concerning sexual assault?

4. Caregiver's network

• does the caregiver have family or friends to talk to and get support from?
• what is the nature of quality of the support given?

5. Understanding of the impact of sexual assault

• how much does the caregiver understand the child's fears?
• what educational input is needed?

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