Online sexual offending: supporting families following arrest of a parent 

Research shows that compared with those convicted of other forms of sexual offending, people who access child sexual abuse material are more likely to be married and have children. This free one-hour webinar aims to help professionals confidently safeguard and support the whole family when a parent is arrested for online sexual offending.

In 2021, there were over 850 arrests across the UK for accessing child sexual abuse material, including sexual images of children under 18, every single month. Of these arrests, many individuals will have been likely to have children of their own or in their wider family.  For the partners of people who have offended in this way, discovering that the person they love has been viewing or sharing child sexual abuse content can bring feelings of shock, fear, and confusion – and for children – the impact can be devastating. 

In this one-hour webinar, professionals can find out how to approach situations where a parent or carer is under police investigation after accessing sexual images of children online, and how to support each member of the family with the impacts of this offending using the CSA Centre’s Managing risk and trauma guide. 

Bringing together research, good practice guidance and expert input from professionals, it aims to give professionals working with children and families the knowledge and confidence to act and to show that, through the work they do, the therapeutic goal of families healing and moving forward is possible. 

Who is this webinar for? 

This webinar is primarily for social work practitioners, but it may also be useful for any professional whose role may involve contact with children or families, including those in social care, health (primary care, mental health, accident and emergency, midwifery, health visiting, sexual health), police, adoption services, fostering services, schools and any other relevant services in contact with children, young people, parent(s) or carer(s). The timings of the webinars have been selected to ensure that anyone, no matter their profession, should find a convenient time be able to attend. 

Following the webinar, you can expect to have: 

• An understanding of the Managing risk and trauma after online sexual offending guide and how to use it in practice
• An increased ability to respond effectively where a parent or carer is under police investigation after accessing sexual images of children online
• A better understanding of the scale and nature of online sexual offending
• Greater knowledge of the emotional, behavioural and physical impacts of online sexual offending
• Greater confidence in safeguarding the whole family following arrest of a parent.

Who will run the webinar? 

This course will be led by an expert trainer who has significant experience in working with children and families following arrests of parents after accessing sexual images of children online, delivering training, and working within multi-agency safeguarding arrangements. 

Questions? 

For more information on this webinar and series please contact: training@csacentre.org.uk