Overview of Child Sexual Abuse_April 2017.pptx

Child Sexual Abuse Series
203 Remote: Overview of Child Sexual Abuse

The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Housekeeping
• 15 min. Rule
• Breaks & Lunch
• Parking Lot
• What to do about technical issues
2

Introductions
• Name
• Agency
• Length of Employment
w/Agency
• Employment Duties
• WIIFCF
3

Competencies
• 110-2: Assessment: The child welfare professional
gathers relevant information and engages in critical
thinking, utilizing a strength-based perspective and
the competency model leading to an ongoing,
accurate, and comprehensive assessment process.
• 110-4: Planning: The child welfare professional
facilitates the planning, development, and
coordination of relevant information to a well-
reasoned sequence of strategies and goals to achieve
sustainable and beneficial results.
4

Competencies (continued)
• 110-8: Cultural Awareness and Responsiveness: The
child welfare professional demonstrates acceptance and
responds respectfully and effectively to people of all cultures,
races, and ethnic backgrounds; languages; classes; religions
and spiritual traditions; immigration status; sexual
orientation, gender identity, and gender expression
(SOGIE); and other diversity factors in a manner that
recognizes, affirms, and values individuals, families, and
communities and protects and preserves the dignity of all.
5

Learning Objectives
• Articulate the laws, regulations, and policies that
guide serving families facing child sexual abuse
issues.
• Recognize individual and familial dynamics
associated with sexual abuse (including research-
based signs, characteristics, patterns, and cycles of
sexual abuse).
6

Learning Objectives (continued)
• Recognize fundamental collaborative casework efforts related to
serving children, youth, and families facing sexual abuse issues.
• Communicate personal values and beliefs regarding child sexual
abuse and how those values and beliefs might affect serving
families in which child sexual abuse issues exist.
7

Training Agenda
I. Welcome and Introductions
II. Values, Beliefs, Myths, & Facts
III. Defining Child Sexual Abuse
IV. General Dynamics
V. Offender Dynamics
VI. The Child and Family in General
VII. The Investigation
VIII. Planning and Collaborating
IX. Effects of the Child Welfare Professional
X. Closing and Evaluation
8

Legal Child Abuse Definitions
Federal: CAPTA, as amended by the Keeping Children and Families
Safe Act of 2003:
(2) …“child abuse and neglect” means, at a minimum, any recent act or failure
to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in death, serious
physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to
act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm;1
Pennsylvania: (Child Protective Services Law)
(b.1) The term “child abuse” shall mean intentionally, knowingly or recklessly
doing any of the following:
(1) Causing bodily injury to a child through any recent act or failure to act
9

Legal Child Abuse Definitions (continued)
Child Protective Services Law (continued)
(2) Fabricating, feigning or intentionally exaggerating or inducing a medical symptom or
disease which results in a potentially harmful medical evaluation or treatment to the child
through any recent act
(3) Causing or substantially contributing to serious mental injury to a child through any act
or failure to act or a series of such acts or failures to act
(4) Causing sexual abuse or exploitation of a child through any act or failure to act.
(5) Creating a reasonable likelihood of bodily injury to a child through any recent act or
failure to act.
(6) Creating a likelihood of sexual abuse or exploitation of a child through any recent act or
failure to act.
(7) Causing serious physical neglect of a child.
10

(8) Engaging in any of the following recent acts:
(i) Kicking, biting, throwing, burning, stabbing or cutting a child in a manner that
endangers the child
(ii) Unreasonably restraining or confining a child, based on consideration of the method,
location or the duration of the restraint or confinement
(iii) Forcefully shaking a child under one year of age
(iv) Forcefully slapping or otherwise striking a child under one year of age
(v) Interfering with the breathing of a child
(vi) Causing a child to be present at a location while a violation of 18 Pa.C.S. § 7508.2
(relating to operation of methamphetamine laboratory) is occurring, provided that the
violation is being investigated by law enforcement
(vii) Leaving a child unsupervised with an individual, other than the child's parent, who the
actor knows or reasonably should have known:
11

(A) Is required to register as a Tier II or Tier III sexual offender under 42 Pa.C.S. Ch. 97 Subch. H (relating
to registration of sexual offenders), where the victim of the sexual offense was under 18 years of age when
the crime was committed
(B) Has been determined to be a sexually violent predator under 42 Pa.C.S. § 9799.24 (relating to
assessments) or any of its predecessors
(C) Has been determined to be a sexually violent delinquent child as defined in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9799.12
(relating to definitions)
(9) Causing the death of the child through any act or failure to act
(10) Engaging a child in a severe form of trafficking in persons or sex trafficking, as those terms are defined
under section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (114 Stat. 1466, 22 U.S.C. § 7102).
(c) Restatement of culpability.--Conduct that causes injury or harm to a child or creates a risk of injury or harm to a
child shall not be considered child abuse if there is no evidence that the person acted intentionally, knowingly or
recklessly when causing the injury or harm to the child or creating a risk of injury or harm to the child
(d) Child abuse exclusions.--The term "child abuse" does not include any conduct for which an exclusion is
provided in section 6304 (relating to exclusions from child abuse)
12

13
CPSL Definition of Sexual Abuse or Exploitation
1. The employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement or coercion of a child to
engage in or assist another individual to engage in sexually explicit conduct, which
includes, but is not limited to, the following:
i. Looking at the sexual or other intimate parts of a child or another individual for
the purpose of arousing or gratifying sexual desire in any individual
ii. Participating in sexually explicit conversation either in person, by telephone, by
computer or by a computer-aided device for the purpose of sexual stimulation or
gratification of any individual
iii. Actual or simulated sexual activity or nudity for the purpose of sexual stimulation
or gratification of any individual
iv. Actual or simulated sexual activity for the purpose of producing visual depiction,
including photography, videotaping, computer depicting or filming.
This paragraph does not include consensual activities between a child who is 14
years of age or older and another person who is 14 years of age or older and whose
age is within four years of the child’s age.

14
CPSL Definition of Sexual Abuse or Exploitation (continued)
2. Any of the following offenses committed against a child, as defined in 18 Pa. C.S.:
i. Rape (§ 3121)
ii. Statutory sexual assault (§ 3122.1)
iii. Involuntary deviate sexual intercourse (§ 3123)
iv. Sexual assault (§ 3124)
v. Institutional sexual assault (§ 3124.1)
vi. Aggravated indecent assault (§ 3125)
vii. Indecent assault (§ 3126)
viii. Indecent exposure (§ 3127)
ix. Incest (§ 4302)
x. Prostitution (§ 5902)
xi. Sexual abuse (§ 6312)
xii. Unlawful contact with a minor (§ 6318)
xiii. Sexual exploitation (§ 6320)

Circumstances of Child Sexual Abuse Involve:
From a clinical perspective, circumstances of Child Sexual Abuse involve:
15
Dyadic Sexual Abuse
Group Sex
Sex Rings
Sexual Exploitation of
Children
Child Pornography
Child Prostitution

Sexual Abuse Theories
• Attachment Theory
• Behavioral Theory
• Biological Theory
• Cognitive-Behavioral Theory
• Integrated Theory
Source: Terry, Karen J. Ph.D. & Tallon, Jennifer. Child sexual abuse: A review of the literature. The John Jay College of Criminal
Justice: New York, New York. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on May 9, 2008 @ Children today know too much about sex.
16

17

18

Perpetrator Relationships to Children: Pennsylvania 2013
19
Relationship Total Perpetrators
Father 827
Mother 784
Other family member 606
Paramour 498
Babysitter 475
Household member 356
Step-parent 215
Other/unknown 47
Daycare staff 37
Residential facility staff 26
Source: Table 5 – Relationships of Perpetrator to Child by Type of Injury (Substantiated Reports. 2013. DHS 2013 Annual Report. (16)

Adult Offenders
• Are usually adult males; however, females perpetrate as well
• Are almost always “known” to the child victim
• Rarely have one victim
• Primarily abuse children in the home; however, some also abuse
children outside of the home
• Usually began perpetrating in adolescence or childhood
• May blame behaviors on marital difficulties, alcohol, and other
drug addiction and/or stress.
20

Juvenile Offenders
• Include adolescents (13 to 17) who commit illegal sexual behavior as
defined by sex crime statutes
• Represent a significant proportion of all individuals responsible for
sex offenses
• Most juvenile offenders have not been child sexual abuse victims
• Most juvenile offenders will not become adult perpetrators
21

Juvenile Offenders (continued)
• Most differ from adult sex offenders in several ways
• Why they offend is still being researched; however, common
characteristics do appear
• They are a diverse group of youth
• Although males still constitute the higher number of offenders
against children; females do offend
22

Sexually Reactive Children
• Toni Cavanaugh Johnson used the term to refer
children involved in sexual activity with other children
that likely exceeds expectations for their age
• Occurs only as a “reaction” to:
– The child’s own abuse
– Being chronically exposed to explicit sexual materials
– And/or being a child in a family where the boundaries
regarding sexuality are too loose
Source: Gil, E. & Johnson, T.C. (1993). Sexualized children: Assessment and treatment of sexualized children and
children who molest. Rockville, MD: Launch.
23

Sexually Reactive Children (continued)
• The child is not to blame:
– They do not try to force or groom another child
– Nor do they make efforts to keep the sexual activity a secret
– Their behaviors are not ingrained patterns of sexually acting out
but are not as easily redirected, as are the inappropriate behaviors
of non-abused children
– Child’s focus on sexuality is out of balance in relation to their peer
group
Source: Gil, E. & Johnson, T.C. (1993). Sexualized children: Assessment and treatment of sexualized children and
children who molest. Rockville, MD: Launch.
24

25

Non-Offending Parents
• Reveal a wide range of emotions; rarely will two parents react to disclosure in the
same way
• Most believe, support, and take action
• Relationship with the perpetrator might assist in predicting willingness to support and
protect the child
• History of physical or sexual abuse has little to no affect on whether the parent is less
or more likely to believe, support, and protect
• Age of the child might affect willingness to support and protect
• The child’s gender might affect willingness to support and protect
• A small percentage of parents know about the abuse and tolerate it
Source: Elliot, Ann N. & Carnes, Connie N. (November 2001). Reactions of nonoffending parents to sexual abuse of their child. Child Maltreatment; 6; 314. Sage
Publications. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on May 19, 2008
26

Engaging Non-Offending Parents
• Accepting the client, but not any abusive or neglectful behaviors
• Remembering that the non-offending parents might be in shock
• Not placing blame
• Actively listening and reflecting on what non-offending parents say
• Allowing non-offending parents to vent feelings
• Universalizing (normalizing) feelings and beliefs
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. (1994). Crisis intervention in
child abuse and neglect: User manual series (1994).
27

Engaging Non-Offending Parents (continued)
• Using firm, but kind, confrontation
• Summarizing client feelings after extended listening
• Partializing (breaking into several smaller issues) concerns
• Educating or informing about forthcoming events, community resources
• Setting boundaries and limits on behaviors and contracting on acceptable
alternatives
• Reframing client statements or behaviors to find the positive aspects
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. (1994). Crisis intervention in
child abuse and neglect: User manual series (1994).
28

Family Dynamics Consideration
• How is the family
organized? Is there a
hierarchy? If so, what
does it look like?
• How does the family
communicate with one
another?
• What rules might be
enforced in the family
and by whom?
• What kinds of
boundaries exist in
the family?
• What kind of support
is present for family
members who are
having problems?
• How does the family
appear to “outsiders?”
29

Investigation Goals
• When investigating allegations of child sexual abuse, child welfare
professionals must determine whether:
– The child’s safety can be assured
– The child was sexually abused, per the Child Protective Services Law
– The abuse might occur again in the future, and/or what services might need
provided to prevent the abuse from occurring once again.
30

31
a) Response to direct reports – Upon receipt of a report of suspected child abuse by
a perpetrator from an individual, the county agency shall ensure the safety of the
child and any other child in the child’s home and immediately contact the
department.
b) Response to reports referred to county agency by department – Upon receipt of
a report of suspected child abuse from the department, the county agency will
immediately commence an investigation and see the child within the following time
frames:
1) Immediately , if:
i. emergency protective custody is required, has been or will be taken
ii. it cannot be determined from the report whether emergency protective
custody is needed
2) Within 24 hours of receipt of the report in all other cases.
Amended CPSL: Investigation of Reports

32
c) Investigation – An investigation will include the following
1) A determination of the safety of or risk of harm to the child or any other child if
each child continues to remain in the existing home environment
2) A determination of the nature, extent and cause of any condition listed in the
report
3) Any action necessary to provide for the safety of the child or any other child in
the child’s household
4) The taking of photographic identification of the child or any other child in the
child’s household , which will be maintained in the case file
5) Communication with the department
Amended CPSL: Investigation of Reports (continued)

Amended CPSL: Notice of Investigation
33
Prior to interviewing the subject of a report, the county agency is required to
notify the subject who is about the interviewed of the following information:
• The existence of the report
• The subject’s rights under 42 Pa. C.S. §6337 (relating to right to counsel)
and §6338 (relating to other basic rights)
• The subject’s rights pursuant to the CPSL in regard to amendment or
expungement
• The subject’s right to have an attorney present during the interview

• As part of the sexual abuse investigation, at a minimum, child welfare
professionals must interview:
– The child, if appropriate.
– The child’s parents or other person responsible for the child’s welfare.
– The alleged perpetrator of the suspected child abuse.
– The reporter of the suspected child abuse, if known.
– Eyewitnesses to the suspected child abuse.
– Neighbors and relatives who might have knowledge of the abuse.
– Daycare provider or school personnel, or both, if appropriate.
Per 55 Pa. Code, § 3490.55 (relating to investigation of reports of suspected child abuse)
34
Interviews

Amended CPSL: Investigation of Reports: Interviews
The amended CPSL now mandates that the investigation include interviews
with all subjects of the report of suspected abuse, including the alleged
perpetrator.
Subject of the report, as defined by §6303 of the CPSL, is any child,
parent guardian, or other person responsible for the welfare of a child or any
alleged or actual perpetrator in a report made to DHS or a county agency.
35

Information Needed
• During the investigation stage, child welfare professionals must take steps to:
– Discover whether allegations are true
– Learn whether access issues exist
– Learn about the client’s culture
– Find out whether elements of secrecy exist
– Discover whether medical indicators exist
– Determine who lives at the alleged child victim’s home, in addition to the
number of siblings, ages, etc.
– Establish the family’s history of involvement with the agency
– Determine whether information offered by everyone corroborates
– Discover information that allows them to consider other possible scenarios
that could explain reasons for referral
36

Collaboration with Law Enforcement Officials
37
Collaboration with law enforcement officials will prove critical to the
interview with the alleged perpetrator. The amended CPSL now states that:
• If the suspected child abuse is alleged to
have been committed by a
perpetrator and the behavior
constituting the suspected child abuse
may include a violation of a criminal
offense, the appropriate county agency
and law enforcement officials will
jointly investigate the allegation
through the established
multidisciplinary investigation
team.
– §6334.1 (2)
• If the suspected child abuse is alleged to
have been committed by a person
who is not a perpetrator and the
behavior constituting the child abuse
may include a violation of a
criminal offense, law enforcement
officials where the suspected child abuse
is alleged to have occurred will be solely
responsible for investigating the
allegation.
– §6334.1 (2)

Reasonable Efforts
• Except as ordered by the court in
cases where aggravated
circumstances exist, the agency
must make reasonable efforts to
prevent removal, and once
removed, to reunify the child with
the family.
• If the agency alleges dependency
and petitions the court for removal
of the child, the court will ask the
agency, as part of the petition and
subsequent court orders, to prove
that it made reasonable efforts to
prevent removal.
• If the court finds the child
dependent and orders the
placement of the child outside the
home, the agency must make,
document, and be able to state the
reasonable efforts made to reunify
the child with the family.
38

Aggravated Circumstances
Aggravated circumstances specifically citing sexual abuse include:
• The child or another child of the parent has been the victim of physical abuse resulting in serious
bodily injury, sexual violence or aggravated physical neglect by the parent.
• The parent of the child has been convicted of any of the following offenses where the victim was a
child:
• a felony under 18 Pa.C.S. § 3121 (relating to rape), § 3122.1 (relating to statutory sexual assault), §
3123 (relating to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse), § 3124.1 (relating to sexual assault).
• an equivalent crime in another jurisdiction.
• The attempt, solicitation or conspiracy to commit any of the offenses set forth in [main bullet 2
above]
• The parent of the child is required to register as a sexual offender under subchapter H of Chapter
97 (relating to registration of sexual offenders) or to register with a sexual offender registry in
another jurisdiction or foreign country.
Source: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Juvenile Act (42 Pa.C.S. § 6302, (relating to definitions)).
39

Service Plans
After child safety has been assured, child sexual abuse-related service plans
must:
 Address Protective Capacities that need to be enhanced to mitigate
existing safety threats
 Address risk concerns
 Support (except as otherwise ordered by the court) goals and tasks that:
 prevent placement and/or
 reunify the child with the family
 Address concurrent planning efforts that consider any situation in which the
child cannot be reunified with the family
40

Visitation
According to 55 Pa Code §3130.68(a) (relating to visiting and
communication policies):
• the county agency must provide opportunity for visits between the
child and parents as frequently as possible but no less frequently than
once every 2 weeks at a time and place convenient to the parties and
in a location that will permit natural interaction, unless visiting is:
• Clearly not in keeping with the placement goal—for example, in
adoption or independent living. (1)
• Freely refused in writing by the parents. (2)
• Not in the child’s best interest and is limited or prohibited by court
order. (3)
41

Reunification
• If the child was removed from the home, reunification of the child back
into the home in which a perpetrator who underwent treatment resides.
• Reintroducing a perpetrator into the family (if the child was not
removed from the home and the perpetrator left the home to go into
treatment as part of a Family Service Plan, successfully completed the
treatment, and a qualified professional approved him/her to be with the
child and family.
42

Secondary Traumatic Stress
 Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is natural consequent behaviors and emotions resulting from
knowing about a traumatizing event experienced by a significant other – the stress resulting
from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering person (Figley, 2002)
 A person can experience secondary traumatic stress through direct and indirect contact with a
traumatized individual
 Ongoing exposure to traumatic stress creates symptoms related to other conditions,
and is likely to be overlooked or assessed as some other problem
Figley, C., Figley, K.R. Crisis Y2K (2002): The Green Cross Project.
University of Pittsburgh. (2014). 313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional.
Mechanicsburg, PA: University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center.
43

Burnout
 Describes anyone whose health is suffering or whose outlook on life
has turned negative because of the impact or overload of their work
(Rothschild, B. 2006)
 Burnout and secondary trauma have similar roots. Both conditions
involve the cumulative effects of stress. Both conditions elicit similar
responses from affected employees
 While trauma deals with exposure to clients’ trauma and our own
trauma, burnout adds the daily stressors of functioning in the overall
workplace
University of Pittsburgh. (2014). 313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional.
Mechanicsburg, PA: University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center.
44

Four characteristics of Sexual Abuse Cases that Contribute
to Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout
• The acts themselves are terrible and terribly harmful. Sexual abuse violates
fundamental social norms, and the lives of some victims dramatically attest to
its devastating effects
• Cases are fraught with uncertainty. In many instances, it is not possible to
determine whether the abuse occurred. Likewise, it is very difficult to
determine the risk of future sexual abuse.
• Survivors are sometimes re-traumatized by repeated interviews, intrusive
medical exams, court testimony, and separation from their families.
• Child welfare professionals are often unsuccessful. Survivors are not made
to feel safe, and offenders may not be prosecuted or held accountable for
their actions
(U.S. DHHS, 1993)
45

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