Effective whole-family support following arrests for online sexual offending

Each month hundreds of families find out a parent or carer has accessed child sexual abuse material and the impact of this on children and families can be devastating. Understanding how and why this experience can be so traumatising for families is the first step to effectively supporting them; so getting the professional response right is pivotal in helping mitigate the impact.

Working with families where a parent has accessed child sexual abuse material means professionals have to both assess and address risk of harm to children in the family, while also providing emotional and practical support. When a parent sexually offends online professionals need to understand the factors which may indicate a child has or may be sexually abused, while offering essential support to all the family.

This course will highlight the research evidence on this type of offending and provide practical advice for professionals on how to safeguard and support families at a time of great emotional distress.

Who is this course for?

This course is for anyone whose role involves supporting families where a parent or carer has committed a sexual offence online. For example, it is ideal frontline professionals and managers, and for those working in policing, social work, family support work, probation and education.

What you can expect to learn

• A greater understanding of the scale and nature of online child sexual abuse.
• A greater understanding of the impact on the family as a whole and on individual family members.
• A greater understanding of the risk and protective factors associated with online sexual offending.
• A greater confidence in identifying the risk and protective factors associated with online sexual offending.
• A greater understanding of how the professional response can help mitigate impact on the whole family.
• An increased confidence in providing supportive responses to the whole family.