Stop It Now! Scotland is a small
team based in Edinburgh who works with adults and adolescents who have sexually
abused children, viewed child sexual exploitation material or who are worried
about their sexual thoughts and feelings towards children. This week we have
launched an online resource that distils what we have learned from those who
offend or at risk of offending, providing information for communities in
Scotland and the professionals who serve them about the practical things we can
all do to prevent child sexual abuse in the first place.
The aim of the resource is to
help adults who are protective to become more effective in their efforts to
prevent sexual abuse, and to help those who present a risk of harm to children
to make safer choices.
Upstream was funded by the
Scottish government and based on a CD-ROM (remember them!) we developed in 2011
to help build the capacity of individuals and communities to prevent child
sexual abuse in Scotland. As time moved
on it became apparent that a CD-ROM was no longer fit for purpose. But also we
reached a stage where we needed to comprehensively refine and strengthen the
Toolkit, properly test and evaluate its fitness as a practical resource to
prevent abuse before it might occur, and align us to effectively deliver (in a
systematic and evidenced way) primary prevention of child sexual abuse and
sexual exploitation in Scotland.
It was at this point that we
started to develop the online
resource. Whilst the content of the existing toolkit was an important
‘starting point’ in our work we also wanted to include more information and
resources to help in the changing task of keeping children safe. A big part of
this is strengthening the capacity of adults to safeguard children and also
building the resilience of communities to keep children safe. We also want to help anyone who is around
children to identify the risky behaviour of themselves or others to allow them
to intervene and prevent child sexual abuse before it occurs. We wanted to
include materials on the prevention of harmful sexual behaviour in childhood and
adolescence. And we wanted to ground all of this in bystander theory – the idea
that there are practical things we can do to make a difference when we encounter
behaviours that are inappropriate or potentially harmful.
The new resource is broken
down into five sections. These are Learn, Identify, Prevent, Act and Engaging Communities.
There is also a Get Help section for anyone in a situation that needs immediate
action.
The resource gives practical
advice based on a wide range of scenarios and frequently asked questions that
often come up during our work. “What if I don’t like the way my uncle is
playing with my daughter?” or “What are the warning signs that a child is being
abused” or “How do I make my church group safer for children?”. We have tried
to make the language as accessible as possible without losing some of the
detail and nuances of the complex world that we live in. The Engaging
Communities section contains a range of resources that professionals can use
when engaging the public about prevention.
It was developed specifically for
a Scottish audience but we hope this resource can be used more widely. Have a
look, and if it is useful, share the resource with colleagues, friends and
family or tell people about it on social media. The message of Upstream is
simple; together we can protect the next child from harm.
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