Young People in Focus

SECTION 4

Session 5: Working with Young People who have Suffered Abuse and/or Neglect

As the IYPP project progressed it became apparent that a number of the families referred to the delivery sites had past experience of either abuse, or neglect, or both. The site staff felt that these issues cropped up frequently enough to request additional training input. They were concerned that they were enabled to effectively address the legacy of families’ past experiences. Having some training in these areas would enable them to address the issues with more confidence with both parents and young people, whether working with parents and young people together, or in parallel. It was acknowledged that, even when working with parents and young people together, there is a need for some separate work to take place with the young person to address these issues. 

A workshop was held to provide training input and to enable site staff to explore the issues. The definitions of abuse and harm are enshrined in legislation, such as the Children Act 1989, which defines harm in Section 31 (9) for example and site staff should follow their local Child Protection Procedures if there are any current and/or outstanding concerns. The focus of this workshop however, was to consider how past experiences of abuse and/or neglect could impact upon the young people with whom we work. Perry (1999) states that:

Traumatic experiences can have a devastating impact on the child, altering their physical, emotional, cognitive and social development. In turn, the impact on the child has profound implications for their family, community and, ultimately, us all.

In the training and workshop, site staff looked at ways in which to work with such young people and used as a basis for the following list of principles adapted from one generated by Perry (2001).

It is important that any intervention should be planned to suit the individual young person or family and that there are some important principles to be aware of, which fall into a number of categories, as outlined below. It is also important that issues of safety and confidentiality are addressed immediately, if these issues emerge in any session.  Group facilitators should plan strategies for dealing with this in advance of any group work. This is because the impact on and the needs of other group members will need to be responded to, as well as the individual who has disclosed.

Workers’ issues – It is important for workers to be aware of and acknowledge their own feelings about abuse and neglect, as these are emotive issues. Workers should address their own feelings in supervision and seek support if necessary. When working with these issues, it is important to have a joint or common approach with other services/professionals, who may be working with the young person or family. Before embarking upon work in this area, workers need to ensure that they are aware of any legal issues (including the outcomes of any child protection procedures) and the possible impact that they may have on discussions with the young person or family.

Information gathering – When a young person and/or family are referred and there is an indication of abuse or neglect, a sensitive information gathering process is needed. This will establish if there are current and/or outstanding child protection concerns, in which case the relevant procedures must be swiftly followed. When a disclosure is clearly about historical events workers have the opportunity to contribute to recovery. They will need to know what young people want from workers and the key steps for recovery.

Relationship with the young person – When working with a young person who has suffered abuse or neglect, it is important to create an informal and relaxed environment. The most important aspects of developing the relationship is that workers create an open door (opportunities) for the young person to discuss the event (but never push the young person) and that the work needs to move at the young person’s own pace. Young people appreciate workers who:

• Are honest
• Give straight forward answers to questions that are raised
• Discuss rather than talk at
• Provide clarity
• Give explanations that are easily understandable
• Provide opportunities to participate
• Engage them in a range of ways – not just talk about problems
• Help them to feel they are a priority

Workers can show that they are trying to understand and support the young person by making a statement of empathy. One strategy to use is to convey to the young person that you are a non-abusing adult and intend to be an effective protector (see box below). It can be helpful to think about long term healing as a series of smaller steps and to plan and look for small changes:

• I know what has happened to you
• I am sorry that it has happened to you
• It should not have happened to you. The abuser was wrong
• You were right to tell
• If you want to talk about it, I am here to listen
• I understand if you don’t want to talk. Many young people find it hard to talk about, but you may want to talk at a later time. I am still here to listen

Working with the family – Make sure that everyone understands the issues of confidentiality. If working with the family, it is important to acknowledge the impact of abuse and neglect on the rest of the family at an appropriate opportunity and identify how best to support each family member.

« Previous | Next: Session 6 »