The effectiveness and impact of the child protection and criminal justice systems in cases of intrafamilial child sexual abuse
Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice
ISSN: 2056-3841
Article publication date: 14 March 2016
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings from a study commissioned by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) in England, concerning intrafamilial child sexual abuse (IFCSA)/incest. Specifically, it aims to explore the evidence about child protection and criminal justice responses to victims of IFCSA in the UK and where the gaps in these approaches lie.
Design/methodology/approach
A Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) was used, the function of which is to: search the literature as comprehensively as possible within given time constraints; collate descriptive outlines of the available evidence on a topic and critically appraise it; sift out studies of poor quality; and provide an overview of the evidence. Over 57,000 documents were scanned, and 296 ultimately systematically analysed.
Findings
It was found that children may be re-victimised by various aspects of “the system” and professionals within it, including social workers, police officers, and lawyers.
Research limitations/implications
A REA is not a full systematic review, differing in the scope and depth of the searches and depending almost exclusively on electronic databases, not accompanied by searching journals by hand.
Originality/value
The findings of this research provide the evidence-base for a new two-year inquiry into the subject of IFCSA by the OCC.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Office of the Children’s Commissioner for England, who funded the Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) on which this paper is based. The authors would also like to thank colleagues Julie Grove-Hills and Clare Choak for their hard work on the REA, and Antonia Bifulco and Julie Grove-Hills for their work on previous research on police practice with victims of child sexual abuse, which this work draws on.
Citation
Gekoski, A., Horvath, M.A.H. and Davidson, J.C. (2016), "The effectiveness and impact of the child protection and criminal justice systems in cases of intrafamilial child sexual abuse", Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 54-66. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-06-2015-0023
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited