{"id":5434,"date":"2023-01-26T12:51:20","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T12:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.devon.gov.uk\/supportforschools\/?post_type=dcc_docs_document&#038;p=5434"},"modified":"2025-12-16T16:23:03","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T16:23:03","slug":"safeguarding-no-3-child-sexual-abuse","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/safeguarding\/guidance-policy-and-tools-2\/safeguarding-one-minute-guides\/safeguarding-no-3-child-sexual-abuse\/","title":{"rendered":"No.3 Child Sexual Abuse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-abed67cc wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#what-is-child-sexual-abuse\">What is Child Sexual Abuse?<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#signs-indicators-and-considerations\">Signs, indicators and considerations<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#what-to-do\">What to do<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#contacts\">Contacts<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#resources\">Resources<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#further-information\">Further information:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"dcc-documents-cpt-fixed dccdocs-sticky dccdocs-hidden\">\r\n    <div class=\"grid-container\">\r\n        <div class=\"grid-x grid-margin-x\">\r\n            <div class=\"cell medium-12\">\r\n                <a class=\"back-to-top hide-for-print\" href=\"#content\"><svg class=\"app-c-back-to-top__icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"13\" height=\"17\" viewBox=\"0 0 13 17\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.5 0L0 6.5 1.4 8l4-4v12.7h2V4l4.3 4L13 6.4z\"><\/path><\/svg> Contents<\/a>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:75%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-abed67cc wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:41.333%\"><div class=\"document-meta-acf-block clearfix \" id=\"block_acf-block-69418763bf22c\"><div class=\" dcc-documents-meta\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget dcc-documents-widget-block\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget-box2\"><p class=\"dcc-documents-published\"><span>Published<\/span> <time datetime=\"2023-01-26T12:51:20+00:00\">26\/01\/2023 12:51pm<\/time><\/p><p class=\"dcc-documents-updated\"><span>Last Updated<\/span> <time datetime=\"2025-12-16T16:23:03+00:00\">16\/12\/2025 4:23pm<\/time><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:58.666%\"><div class=\"document-download-acf-block clearfix \" id=\"block_acf-block-69418763bf2c4\">\r\n\r\n\t\t<div class=\" dcc-documents-downloads hide-for-print\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget dcc-documents-widget-block\"><div class=\"dcc-documents-widget-box2\"><div class=\"content-container\"><div class=\"content-column download-copy\"><h2 class=\"dcc-documents-title\">Document resources<\/strong><\/h2><p class=\"dcc-documents-intro\">These files may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"content-column download-button\"><ul class=\"dcc-documents-widget-dropdown dcc-documents-widget-menu\"><li class=\"dcc-documents-widget-is-dropdown\"><button class=\"button secondary dcc-documents-widget-noarrow dcc-documents-widget-button dcc-documents-widget-download-button\" >Downloads<\/button><ul id=\"\" class=\"dcc-documents-widget-vertical dcc-documents-widget-menu dcc-documents-widget-is-submenu\" data-disable-hover=\"true\" data-click-open=\"true\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/devoncc.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/PublicDocs\/Education\/EepOp_YK3GNFhagwtFQJU6QBZGSmX_Gywc_DfPncdeI2hw?e=kLtdl5\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"dcc-documents-widget-text\"><span>No.3 Child Sexual Abuse (Document)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"dcc-documents-widget-size\">150KB<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-is-child-sexual-abuse\">What is Child Sexual Abuse?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse (including via the internet), this can also include sexual exploitation. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many victims of sexual abuse in the family will never tell \u2013 they may be worried about the impact telling will have on other family members, they may be fearful that they won\u2019t be believed, and they may also be worried about what will happen next if they ask for help. It is important to remember that it is not necessary to have a disclosure for professionals to consider the possibility that a child may have been sexually abused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"signs-indicators-and-considerations\">Signs, indicators and considerations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Possible signs and indicators that a child is experiencing sexual abuse could include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Avoiding or being frightened of a person they know<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Age-inappropriate sexual language or behaviours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nightmares, wetting, soiling, smearing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Self-harm, substance misuse<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Changes in eating habits, mental health difficulties<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Changes in mood<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bruising in no accidental areas, bleeding, pains or soreness in their genital or anal area<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>STDs<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pregnancy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sofa surfing, missing episodes, becoming involved in low level crime<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keeping secrets, unexplained gifts, money<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Low or dropping attendance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Changes in presentation, personal hygiene<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Spending more time online, texting, gaming or using social media<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Being secretive about who they are talking to online or on their phone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is always important to be professionally curious, all too often signs and indicators for sexual abuse can be attributed to other forms of child abuse so you may also want to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Family background \u2013 have there been concerns\/questions about potential sexual abuse?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do not allow a child\/adult\u2019s level of learning disability\/difficulty to distract from a sexual abuse hypothesis \u2013 these children are often more vulnerable, especially physically\/cognitively disabled children that require intimate care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Children may be sexually abused by adults and\/or peers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Children who are identified as possible perpetrators should also be considered as victims.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may receive a disclosure of historical familial abuse, if this is the case it is important to identify other children in the family as they, now, may be the victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-to-do\">What to do<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judgement about levels of intervention will as always be based on concerns about significant harm. However, there is no \u2018mild\u2019 or \u2018acceptable\u2019 level of sexual abuse that might make it manageable within early help or even universal services \u2013 nearly all sexual abuse referrals will require a social care -led intervention.&nbsp; If unsure contact MASH consultation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Front Door Request for Support will need to be made as a matter of urgency.&nbsp; Do not contact parents to gain consent, as this may alert a perpetrator, may lead to the contamination or destruction of evidence, or in the case of non-familial abuse, may lead parents to take matters into their own hands.&nbsp; &nbsp;If unsure contact the Front Door consultation line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No disclosure is necessary to raise a concern about potential sexual abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are several resources available to support your settings decision making and inform of next steps if you have concerns around sexual abuse.&nbsp; Resources identified here are not an exhaustive list and you should explore your LA safeguarding partnership website for further information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>SARC \u2013 Sexual Assault Referral Centre<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Brookes Traffic Light Tool<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lucy Faithful Foundation tool kit<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SWGfL Harmful Sexual Behaviour helpline<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>NSPCC<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stop It Now<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"contacts\">Contacts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Devon Front Door (formerly known as Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub or MASH): Consultation line &#8211; 01392 388 428<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Main telephone including emergencies or Early Help &#8211; 0345 155 1071&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">E-mail &#8211; <a href=\"mailto:mashsecure@devon.gov.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mashsecure@devon.gov.uk<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Request for Support Form &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/devoncountycouncil.outsystemsenterprise.com\/MASH\/homepage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DCC &#8211; Request for support (outsystemsenterprise.com)<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Children\u2019s Social Care Emergency Duty Team (out of hours) &#8211; 0845 6000 388&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Police (non-emergency) &#8211; 101&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Police (emergency) &#8211; 999<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"resources\">Resources<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Devon &amp; Cornwall SARC \u2013 Sexual Assault Referral Centre <a href=\"https:\/\/sarchelp.co.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Home &#8211; Devon &amp; Cornwall SARC &#8211; NHS (sarchelp.co.uk)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brook Traffic Light Tool <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brook.org.uk\/education\/sexual-behaviours-traffic-light-tool\/\" rel=\"noopener\">CPD: Brook Sexual Behaviours Traffic Light Tool (RSE) Course<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lucy Faithful Foundation tool kit <a href=\"https:\/\/ecsa.lucyfaithfull.org\/toolkit\" rel=\"noopener\">ECSA Toolkit | Lucy Faithfull Foundation<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SWGfL Harmful Sexual Behaviour in schools resources <a href=\"https:\/\/swgfl.org.uk\/resources\/harmful-sexual-behaviour-in-schools\/\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/swgfl.org.uk\/resources\/harmful-sexual-behaviour-in-schools\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NSPCC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nspcc.org.uk\/what-is-child-abuse\/types-of-abuse\/child-sexual-abuse\/\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.nspcc.org.uk\/what-is-child-abuse\/types-of-abuse\/child-sexual-abuse\/<\/a> &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stop It Now \u2013 helpline and resources <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stopitnow.org.uk\/\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.stopitnow.org.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"further-information\">Further information:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DSCP \u2013 Child Sexual exploitation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devonscp.org.uk\/child-abuse\/child-sexual-exploitation\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is happening here in Devon (devonscp.org.uk)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OMG No.5 Sexting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/safeguarding\/guidance-policy-and-tools-2\/safeguarding-one-minute-guides\/safeguarding-no-5-sexting\/\">SEXTING<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OMG No.14 Child on Child Abuse <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/safeguarding\/guidance-policy-and-tools-2\/safeguarding-one-minute-guides\/safeguarding-no-14-peer-on-peer-abuse\/\">CHILD ON CHILD ABUSE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OMG No.17 Contextual Safeguarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/safeguarding\/guidance-policy-and-tools-2\/safeguarding-one-minute-guides\/no-17-contextual-safeguarding\/\">CONTEXTUAL SAFEGUARDING<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CEOP Think you Know &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkuknow.co.uk\/11_18\/lets-talk-about\/sex-and-sexual-content\/sex-and-the-law\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Sex and the Law CEOP<\/a> NPCP National Police Chief\u2019s Council \u2013 information for schools <a href=\"https:\/\/dcdhub.org\/school-incidents-sexual-offences\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Sexual Offences &#8211; DCD Hub<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is Child Sexual Abuse? Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2436,"featured_media":0,"parent":5639,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"longdocument-template.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-5434","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"updated":"","dccdocs_documents":[{"title":"No.3 Child Sexual Abuse","file":"https:\/\/devoncc.sharepoint.com\/:b:\/s\/PublicDocs\/Education\/EepOp_YK3GNFhagwtFQJU6QBZGSmX_Gywc_DfPncdeI2hw?e=kLtdl5","file_size":"","unit_type":"KB","file_type":"Document"}],"section-guidance":"","sections":null},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-26 09:14:55","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2436"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5434"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34979,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5434\/revisions\/34979"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/support-schools-settings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}