Supporting Victims of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Through the Criminal Justice Process

This course is designed for practitioners who may be involved in supporting children and young people who are victims of CSE\A in preparing to attend court to give evidence as witnesses.
The course aims to inform those attending of common poor experiences that young people have had, how to avoid them, and how to minimise what can be a traumatic experience for many young people.
The course will look at the roles of individual services, and best practice within a multi agency framework.

By the end of the course those attending will have considered:

• The impact of CSA/E on victims and the importance of therapeutic and other supportive interventions before giving evidence (particularly after disclosure)
• Child victim responses to CSE/A and subsequent behaviours; and how to address this within the criminal justice process (including dealing with the disclosure of confidential records)
• Responding effectively to issues of protection and safety
• The reality of the criminal justice process, what giving evidence will involve for the young person (and how best to prepare them for this)
• New initiatives including S28 and the Barnahus pilots
• Best practice in supporting young people through the process and helping them to understand outcomes and decisions
• Dealing with the aftermath and helping the young person move on after the case has concluded