What do I do if a child comes to me and makes an accusation of abuse against somone? (a disclosure)

Child Protection trainers and consultants will admit that the biggest fear people have, when attending workshops, is that they might one day be asked to deal with a Disclosure – a child telling them that something is happening to them or another child and they want it to stop.

Child Protection is an emotional subject, you only have to pick up a paper to see that any story that deals with abuse of a child is highly reported. People do not want to see children abused and while people continue to protect those children that are usually unable to protect themselves, then hopefully fewer and fewer will become a victim of abuse. The fact remains however that there are many people who do abuse children either intentionally or otherwise and will continue to do so until they are stopped. Many people read of stories of highly respected adults being convicted of offences against children and relatives and friends being totally shocked by the conviction stating that they would never have thought the person capable of such acts of abuse. What has to be realised is that abusers do not wear a sign or advertise their abuse – if they did it would be stopped at once. Every conviction is someone’s son, daughter, brother, sister, father or mother, relative friend or member of a local community. In the majority of convictions these people were unaware of the crime and often blaming themselves for not spotting any signs that could have prevented the abuse. That is why abuse continues because abusers can hide it from nearly everyone apart from the youngster being abused, like minded individuals, or others wishing to excuse the abuse. The very sad fact is that being married to, related to or knowing someone for 20 years does not guarantee that they do not abuse children.

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