Blog
Disclosure or Exposure?
Friday 23rd September 2022
STC
Child A: Sometimes professionals expect you just lay it on a plate for them
Child B: They listen but they don't hear
Child C: I told them I didn't want help but I needed it
Many young people affected by CSE report feeling ignored and invisible to professionals. Sadly the comments above are only a few of many I have been exposed to during many years of working within the safeguarding arena.
For most, talking about intimate experiences is difficult, even more so when such experiences are distressing and painful. A young child may also have fear of asking for help or making a disclosure for many reasons such as repercussions from those who are exploiting them or even concerns about the expectation of having to make repeated disclosure of their experiences if the case progresses through the judicial system.
For some young children talking about their experiences can be experienced as an uncomfortable exposure, often leaving hem feeling negatively exposed and vulnerable.
Read the three comments at the top of the article again......
When managing disclosure of a child, it is your reaction and the young person's control over what they reveal, how it is revealed and with whom these details are shared that makes the difference for a young person.
Time, Time. Give them Time, build trust, actively listen, understand their individual experiences.
Your reaction matters!!!