By David Russell, PG Cert, Sophie King-Hill, Ph.D., & Kieran McCartan, Ph.D.
Before we begin it is important
to set out the language we are using in this piece as it has been part of an
important discussion of late. In our work over the past four years focussing on
this issue we have seen many instances and examples of the behaviour between
siblings being clearly sexual abuse and sexually abusive. However, there are
also key examples where this is not the case and that the issues present as
sexually inappropriate and/or sexually problematic. This is an important
distinction, and with this in mind, for this blog, we will use ‘sibling sexual
behaviour and abuse’ (SSB/A). We would also like to acknowledge that
terminology in this space always evolves and that SSB/A is not a static term and
is likely to change as we begin to understand more about this issue.
#SiblingsToo day is held in April each
year and hosted by Nancy Morris, based in Ottawa, Canada. Nancy first developed
and introduced the #SiblingsToo awareness day in 2023. This day brings together
a range of lived experience and professional voices within the complex theme of
SSB/A. A survivor of SSB/A, Nancy hosts a range of discussions via podcasts and videos tackling
themes such as the impact, prevention and societal responsibility within the
context of SSB/A.
This year David Russell (Thriving Survivors, UK), Professor Kieran McCartan
(University of West of England, UK) and Dr
Sophie King-Hill (University of Birmingham, UK) marked #SiblingsToo day by
embarking on a trip to Canada to share international approaches in responding
to SSB/A, sharing research, learning and practice considerations. The trip started in Ottawa at Nancy’s famous
office, reflecting on the #SiblingsToo data collection and testimonial portal
where hundreds of survivors have currently placed their experiences of SSB/A
from all over the world. An incredibly
powerful experience, the portal highlighted the international need for bespoke
supports for survivors impacted by SSB/A and the need for international
co-ordination and coalition. This
supported the four of us to use the time together and record a podcast
discussion called ‘in five
years’. This podcast explores our professional and lived experiences to
consider what needs to happen in the next five years to address the SSB/A.
We made the most of our five days
in Canada and met with a range of professionals and groups. This included a thought-provoking meeting
with volunteers at Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) held in Ottawa. CoSA in Ottawa works to help integrate
men convicted of a sexual offence (Core Members), mainly against children, back
into the community post release. Throughout the course of the conversation we
learned that in addition to the traditional child sexual abuse interventions
that CoSA run they also had some which were based on cases of SSB/A, which was
interesting to hear especially given some of the restorative, integrative and
desistence challenges these posed. This discussion highlighted some interesting
themes for us all which influenced our next discussion with Dr Christine Gervais,
an Associate Professor from the University of Montreal who has spent many of
her academic years focusing on the rights of the child. We then had a productive meeting with
academics from The Police and
Public safety Institute at Algonquin
College in Ottawa, where we looked at cross over in our work and practice
and potential collaborative projects.
Academically and professionally
we are collectively passionate about the role of health and child protection
has within SSB/A. We were particularly keen to see how frontline health and
child protection teams respond and intervene with families affected by
SSA/B. To explore this further we met
with child protection professionals at Childrens Hospital of Eastern
Ontario (CHEO). The team here work with a range of children and young
people including but not exclusive to those impacted by child sexual abuse
(CSA) and those that display harmful sexual behaviour (HSB), specifically
during immediate crisis. This
conversation allowed us to share learning and explore gaps within health
provisions both within Canada and the UK.
Keeping with the health theme, we were interested to unpack this further
and specifically understand what the current mental health service provision
was in Ottawa and its role within supporting children and young people affected
by SSB/A, HSB and CSA. This established
a meeting with Heidi Nichilo and her team at the Youth
Services Bureau, Ottawa. A
passionate and proactive group of professionals, we were truly refreshed to
hear about the fantastic work they do.
We discussed the prevalence of SSB/A within health services and explored
potential ways to ensure children, young people and families have safe routes
to access to supports and disclosure pathways in relation to SSA/B.
Our final day of the trip was in
the beautiful Montreal, requiring a 4:30am wake up for a train ride from Ottawa
to meet Anaïs
Cadieux Van Vliet, a PhD student exploring the role of siblings that have
not harmed, or been harmed in a family experiencing SSB/A. An area in much need
of exploration. A quick breakfast and
discussion with Anaïs and we were on route to the University of Montreal to
deliver our panel input on ‘International
approaches in responding to SSA/B: Research & Practice’ at the Centre International de Criminologie
Comparée (CICC). This panel input
included a fascinating Q&A session and discussion, providing a safe place
for an in-depth discussion. We felt
incredibly privileged to share a space with academics, students and those with
lived experience, our sincere thanks to the team at the University for
facilitating this and for their hospitality.
The learning from this trip has
been significant and the opportunity to meet with so many passionate people working
in this field has gained us further connections which we hope will support our
mission in tackling SSB/A on an international level.
This trip could not have been
possible without the huge support of Nancy Morris, we are incredibly grateful
to Nancy and her husband Jim for their fantastic hospitality and eclipse
hunting expertise.
For more information or support around sibling sexual behaviour/abuse please see the Thriving Survivors website: https://www.thrivingsurvivors.co.uk/
To register for the Thriving Survivors
2024 conference addressing sibling sexual behaviour/abuse please see: https://www.thrivingsurvivors.co.uk/event-details/ts-annual-conference-2024
No comments:
Post a Comment