girls who display harmful sexual behaviours - developing ... · girls who display harmful sexual...

Girls who display Harmful Sexual Behaviours - developing

Assessment Tools & Intervention Resources.

Sharron Wareham Team Manager

&

Wendy SteerResearch Practitioner

NOTA CONFERENCE 2015 DUBLIN

Introduction to the Taith Service

Established in 2000

Specialist service for children and young people with harmful sexual behaviours (5-21 years)

Dedicated staff team and expert consultancy

Work with circa 120 young people per year

Over 1300 referrals

The Taith Service accepts referrals across Wales


Girls with Harmful Sexual Behaviour

In 2014/15 Taith worked with 118 children and young people (average age 13 years)

25% of referrals/ worked with in 2014/15 were girls (increase from 8% in 2010/11)

Big Innovation lottery funding 2012/15


Existing Research

& Issues

Limited literature available

2%-11% of sexual assaults against children estimated to be committed by female adolescents (Roe-Sepouliz & Krysik, 2008,

Vandiver, 2010).

Under reporting, social meaning of gender, role expectations inconsistent professional responses (Frey, 2010)

The lack of a gender specific analysis of patterns of female HSB (number and type of victims), motivational types and how different motivations are expressed by girls as opposed to boys

Lack of gender-specific standardised assessment tools normed on girls, therefore lack of means to target risk factors, measure treatment change and conduct risk assessments.


Girls’ Project Research Team

We were a small team consisting of:

• Richard Beckett, Research Director, Consultant Clinical & Forensic Psychologist

• Sharron Wareham, Team Manager

• Wendy Steer, Research Practitioner

With additional support provided by James Jackman, BSc, during the final analyses.


Objectives of the Taith Girls’ Project

Develop standardised assessment measures

Develop treatment workbook

Evaluation of treatment workbook

Increased awareness through training of professionals and publication of project findings


Girls’ Assessment Measures

Self esteem (Thornton, 2008)

Emotional loneliness (Russell et al,1980)

General empathy (Davis,

1980)

Children and Sex (Beckett,

2001)

Victim Distortion Scales (Beckett et al, 2012)

Social Sexual Desirability(Unpublished)

Novaco Anger Scale

(Novaco, 2003)

Alcohol and Drug use

Trauma Checklist (Briere,1992)

SDQ (Goodman et al, 1998)

SERAF (Barnardo’s, 2007)

Sexual knowledge - age banded (unpublished)


Trauma Background

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Adol FemalesAdol Males

21% currently

subject to CPR

62% historical

CPR

n=40n=679

(Information at point of referral)


Trauma Symptom Checklist

For Children (TSCC)

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

Anxiety Depression Anger PTSD SexualConcerns

SexualPre-occ

SexualDistress

CRITICAL

ITEMS:

42% not trusting others as

may want sex

50% Scared of men

42% afraid someone will

kill them

25% Scared of women


Other Concerns & Vulnerabilities

020406080

100

FemalesMales


0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Frequency

Age of onset of age-inappropriate and/ or HSB

Pre-pubescent Girls

- Sexually reactive (mirroring abuse)

- Mimicking (observing others)

- Function of bullying

Pubescent Girls

- Trauma/Abuse reactive

- Anger motivated

- Experimentation

- Child abuser

- Peer abuser

- Co-abuser


Behaviours Displayed

S.T.W.C.PenetrativeC.M.T.P.Child Abuse ImagesExposingOther

70% known to have displayed

previous concerning behaviours Only 18% had

previously received any intervention


Victims

51%male

49%

female

52% Family member44% Friends/ acquaintances2% Stranger2% Other

3% adult victim27% peer victim70% significantly younger child

Awareness of impact on victim77% Average understanding8% Poor15% Distorted

* 70% of the girls accepted responsibility to some degree


Amy’s StoryNOTA CONFERENCE 2015 DUBLIN

There are five themes

within the workbook:

• Setting the Scene

• My life Experiences

• Positive Self

• Healthy Relationships

• Self-regulation & Positive

Strategies


My Life

ExperiencesWhat the research tells us about our girls:

• 40% experienced PTSD• 11% perceived their relationship with mother to be supportive

• 20% saw relationship with father as supportive

• 31% had no other significant positive adult relationship in their lives.

• However 34% identified professionals as a positive support.

Exercise 2.1 – Feeling Safe

Exercise 2.2 – ‘My Masks’ Activities

Exercise 2.3 – The Journey from Shame to Self-Worth

Exercise 2.4 – Mindfulness – exploring senses

Exercise 2.5 – Mindfulness – calming and focus

Exercise 2.6 – Mindfulness – feelings and thoughts

Exercise 2.7 – Self-Compassion Checklist &

Reflections Diary

Exercise 2.8 – Compassion for Others Checklist &

Diary

Exercise 2.9 – Therapeutic Stories

‘There should be my dad here too, thing is he pissed off and left

me… left us’

‘mum’s out with a new bloke so I’m stuck here looking after little piggy’

‘I hate my family’


Positive Self

What the research tells us:

• 60% of our girls identified as having none/ negative peer relations. • Their self esteem was lower than normal sample but not significantly

different, however normal sample significantly lower than boys• Poor self-worth and self-compassion key areas within intervention

Exercise 3.1 – ‘What do I think and feel

about…’ Quiz

Exercise 3.2 – About Me

Exercise 3.3 – Body Image Activities

Exercise 3.4 – Seeing Me

Exercise 3.5 – My Appreciation List

Exercise 3.6 – What makes Me happy

Exercise 3.7 – Seeing Me Collage

‘… what if you

don’t know how to

be yourself and

what if who you

are is shit?’

Craig at a party full

of girls, prettier than

me, older than me,

better than me’.

‘maybe I’m just a

bad person’.

.


Healthy

relationshipsWhat the research tells us about our girls:

• 56% identified themselves as having difficulties with peers

• Had significantly lower levels of sexual knowledge compared to normal and comparison groups

• Did not have high levels of thinking errors around children and sex

• 89% were at moderate/

significant risk of CSE

‘I ain’t bullying I'm

just messing

around’

‘… he says it’s what

everyone does… I

don’t want him to

dump me’

Exercise 4.1 – Defining relationships

Exercise 4.2 – Relationships in My Life

Exercise 4.3 – People & Relationships Scrapbook

Exercise 4.4 – Behaviours in My Relationships

Exercise 4.5 – Boundaries

Exercise 4.6 – Exploring My Relationships

Exercise 4.7 – Relationships Paper-chain

Exercise 4.8 – ‘Time Together Jar’

Exercise 4.9 – What is Bullying?

Exercise 4.10 – What would I do?

Exercise 4.11 – How would I feel?

Exercise 4.12 – Healthy Sexual Relationships Jigsaw

Exercise 4.13 – Rainbow and Raindrops

Exercise 4.14 – Amy’s Story

‘… these guys

get me and

they know how

to have a good

time’


Self-Regulation & Positive Strategies

What the research tells us about our girls:

• 69% identified themselves as having emotional difficulties

• 81% identified as having conduct difficulties

• 56% identified as having inattention/ hyperactivity difficulties

• Significantly lower perspective taking ability (than the normal sample)

• Significantly less able to manage personal distress

Exercise 5.1 – Emotions Words

Exercise 5.2 – Feelings in my Body

Exercise 5.3 – Emotional Self-Awareness

Exercise 5.4 – Three Types of Communication

Exercise 5.5 – Changing ‘You’ to ‘I’ Messages

Exercise 5.6 – ‘I’ Statements

Exercise 5.7 – Conflict Resolution

Exercise 5.8 – My Bag of Calm

Exercise 5.9 – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Exercise 5.10 – Focusing on the Solution

Exercise 5.11 – Goal Setting

Exercise 5.12 – Girls’ Talk Game

‘ok so I have a temper

… you’d have a friking

temper if your life was

as unfair as mine!’

‘Amy feels

tremendous shame,

anger and distress at

what happened…’


Thank you for listening!

Does anybody have any questions?


For any further information, please contact us on the email below:

[email protected]

[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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