ROSIE HASKINS 1400244
THE VOICE OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG VICTIMS: METHODS OF GAINING FEEDBACK OF SERVICES
Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the final requirements of the MSc Applied Criminology
September 2018 The University of Winchester
Acknowledgements I would like to take the opportunity to thank my family and friends for supporting me through this dissertation. I would also like to thank those that work at the Police and Crime Commissioners Office in Winchester for assisting me and providing me with the opportunities needed to conduct my research.
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Abstract Children and young victims of serious sexual assault have already experienced a horrendous ordeal, but the experiences that they have after can have a further impact. Ensuring that services and support is being offered to help and assist them is one thing, but making the services as advanced and as helpful as possible is what we should be focussing on. It has been noted by many that communicating and asking the opinions of children and young victims is a struggle, however this is a struggle that is important to overcome. Children and young victims have a right to voice their opinions and views, particularly on the matters that concern them. The purpose of this research therefore, is to explore what methods are best to use to gain feedback and opinions from children and young victims on the services that they use. This will be done by conducting semistructured interviews with professionals that work regularly with child and young people, particularly those that may be victims, and ask their opinions on a range of different methods, what they believe works best for gaining feedback from different age groups, and questions regarding what methods they already have in place and how successful these methods are. From this research, a number of recommendations were drawn to improve the chances children and young victims are given to voice their opinions and views through providing feedback of the services that they use, to implement changes that could then be made in the future for others that may end up using the same services.
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Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................................5
Literature Review.....................................................................................................................8
Methodology...........................................................................................................................16
Findings...................................................................................................................................21
Discussion...............................................................................................................................27
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................33
References...............................................................................................................................37
Appendices...............................................................................................................................43
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Introduction This dissertation has focused on the need to gain the voice of children and young people who have been victims of serious sexual assault. There have been a number of sources that have noted that children and young victims, particularly of sexual offences, are not given the opportunities to express their feelings and opinions. This dissertation will particularly focus on the need for their voice in regards to gaining feedback of services that they may use. Following the completion of a literature review around the related areas, a number of gaps in research and practice have been discovered which have therefore led to the research that has been conducted alongside this dissertation. The research and literature that was available, was still limited. There were very few examples of research that actually gained the opinions and views of children at all, and with those that did, they may not have been regarding feedback of services, or related to victims of sexual offences. In regards to methods that may be used to gain the voice of children and young victims, there were no examples of research that could be found that stated the best methods for trying to gain feedback from this group of victims. Instead, the research and literature that was reviewed, analysed the methods only without the relation to the area of victims and feedback. To attempt to fill these gaps, the dissertation has aimed to gather opinions on which methods are most suitable to gain the voices of children and young people who have been victims of serious sexual assault, in regards to feedback of services and support. To achieve this, a number of professionals that work in the areas of children and young people, who may have been victims of serious sexual assault, were interviewed to gain their opinions of the best methods to use to gain feedback of services like the ones 5
they work for, from children and young victims. By using these participants and not the children and young people themselves, it allows the research to be ethically sound. The interviews were semi-structured, so allowed participants to steer the conversations. There were however, some guide questions that were asked within the interview, including for example, details of the ages of children and young people that they worked with, their opinions on what methods they already used and whether they felt that these methods were successful, and their opinions on a pre-prepared list of methods that could be used. Once the research had been conducted, the data and responses were analysed to pick out common trends or major differences in the participants responses. A findings section was completed highlighting the key points found within the research, followed by a discussion section within this dissertation that then noted in more detail what those responses could mean, the reasons behind the responses, and any influences. From all of this information within the dissertation and from the research conducted, a number of recommendations were formed to indicate from the research what could be suggested to help the issues around the voice of children and young victims of serious sexual assault, and any further research that could be advised to be carried out. The outline of this dissertation will therefore begin with a literature review, analysing the existing literature and research, which allows for the identification of gaps within this range of research that will attempt to be filled and investigated through this dissertation. A methodology section is given to explain the methods that will be used within this research while stating the advantages and disadvantages of a number of factors that surround the methods used. This section will also include any ethical issues, and how this research will avoid and overcome any issues to ensure the research and
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the data for this dissertation is ethically approved. The findings section will outline the specific details of what has been found from the research carried out, followed by a discussion section that will go into more detail about these findings. Finally, this dissertation will finish with a conclusion to summarise the dissertation and the research, while stating recommendations for next steps that could and need to be taken following on from the research that has been conducted.
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Literature Review The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that 20% of women and 4% of men have experienced some form of sexual assault since the age of 16, which is equivalent to an estimated 3.4 million female victims and 631,000 male victims. They also found that around 5 in 6 of these victims did not report the crime to the police (Flatley, 2018). In March 2015, it had been noted by police recorded crime data that children aged under sixteen years old accounted for a large proportion of rape offences recorded by the police. It was found that roughly 30 percent of female rape victims were aged under sixteen years old, as well as roughly 60 percent of male rape victims being under sixteen years old (Victims Commissioner, 2017). As well as the range of statistical information, a number of pieces of legislation should be considered. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child state that children are entitled to make decisions regarding aspects that concern them (United Nations, 1989). This can also be mirrored in legislation such as the Children Act (1989). However, regardless of this, it can be noted that some professionals that work with young people and children can be hesitant about identifying possible participants to take part in research. On some occasions even though young people and children have been identified as participants, professionals fail to actually discuss the research with them and include them properly. This can be referred to as ‘professional gatekeeping’, which is something that needs to be prevented as all young people and children deserve to voice their views and choose themselves if they wish to participate in research. This can be overcome by engaging young people and children in participation groups and engaging with professionals (HamiltonGiachritsis, et al., 2017).
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There is a lack of evidence of children and young people being engaged and consulted in writing policies and inputting into possible services available for child abuse and exploitation. This is something that has been identified as being needed to inform policy and influence service providers (Codd, Thomas and Scullion, 2016). This is a key issue that is apparent within literature surrounding the topic of child sexual abuse, as it is clear that research and literature tends to focus on ‘working on’ children rather than ‘working with’ them (Greenfields, 2013). Bell (1999) found that the views of children were only retrieved in under one quarter of child protection cases, meaning that many were not given the opportunity to give their opinions. Even where children and young person's voices are being heard, there is a lack of evidence that they are actually being listened to by legislators, policy-makers and practitioners (Codd, Thomas and Scullion, 2016). It has been suggested that by involving children and young people in research, and if done so in a supportive and understanding way it can actually help children explore their past traumas and regain confidence for their future (Save the Children, 2004). Allnock, Warrington and Beckett (2017) note that “although there are ethical concerns and logistical barriers to engaging with children and young people affected by sexual abuse, there are other important reasons for promoting their engagement in a safe way. We need to recognise and promote children's own voices and capacity to inform debate, both to empower them personally and to challenge the culture of silence which abuse can flourish” (Warrington et al, 2017). One organisational development tool known as ‘Hear by Right’ was created with and for children and young people to support organisations to develop young people's voices. It encourages organisations to “work with young people to join us in recognising the importance of young people’s participation” (NYA, 2018). The Hear by Right tool or the selfassessment tool both allow for an organisation to show evidence of the current level of 9
participation from children and young people against the standards to encourage a plan to be made to further the involvement (Badham and Wade, 2010). Within this, a number of methods are used which include workshops, training sessions and supportive practitioner networks to support organisations and practitioners that work with children and young people up to the age of 25 (Participation Works, No Date). There are minimal examples of cases when children and young people have been engaged with research regarding them as victims, however there are a few examples that should be considered. Reimer (2014) conducted research to gather an insight into children's views on court proceedings and how they could be improved to support child victims. From this research it was noted that children had many suggestions, however at that time many of the child participants were unable to actually provide any practical suggestions of how to improve the courts for children. A way that the research was able to overcome this however, was by giving suggestions and ideas to the participants and allowing them to add and discuss those suggestions, allowing conversation from the child participants regarding potential changes that could be put in place for courts (Reimer, 2014). Children’s competence to participate in research and express their opinions was doubted for a long time, but qualitative research methodology and diverse methods in gathering data have begun to open researchers’ eyes to the possibility of seeking children’s perspectives (Einarsdóttir, 2007). Research conducted by the NSPCC intended to allow young victims of sexual abuse to discuss what they thought would help improve their well-being. The research noted that “we need to recognise and promote children's own voices and capacity to inform debate” (Warrington et al., 2017). To conduct the research young people were engaged through participatory action
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research workshops. From this, the research allowed more opinions and views to be gathered from those who do not usually get listened to (Allnock et al., 2017). In regards to methods of gaining the voice of children and young victims, there are very few examples of a range of methods being used to communicate with this target group. One method that can be used, and has been used in a few examples is the method of drawings to communicate. An example of research that has been conducted which used this method was by Mair and Kierans (2007) who requested participants to annotate a drawing to gain an insight into their thoughts. However, the method has been criticised for a number of reasons. One belief is that using a method of drawings may encourage a limited view, and by having to interpret the drawings the data would be subjective (Backett-Milburn and McKie, 1999). However, Farokhi and Hashemi (2011) state that “through the process of observing and analysing the drawings of young children, insights can be gained as to the social/emotional, physical, and intellectual development of each child”. They also suggest that “children may not yet have sufficient capabilities for abstract linguistic expression, but they have symbolic communication methods such as drawing”. Silvercloud (1982) took part in clinical work which allowed her to note features that were found while working with sexually abused children. By analysing drawings that child victims had made, certain characteristics were regularly included. These drawings included aspects such as stab marks, heavy lines and sexualised drawings, genitalia, among other characteristics. She notes that “the harmful event stored in the memory as an image, is recalled and externalised as an image, and then is put into words. The artwork, however crude, transmits the message unmistakably and is less threatening to the client than is talking face to face”. However, particularly with the case of drawings that include genitals being present within the
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image, support for this meaning that sexual abuse could have been present is weak. It has been noted that these children have probably been through interviews regarding sexual abuse that they have been a victim to, possibly had to experience a genital examination and could also be partaking in sexual abuse therapy. Therefore, it is not surprising that genitalia may be present in the drawings of sexual abuse victims (Institute for Psychological Therapies, 2014). It has been suggested that for children that may be unable to communicate emotions verbally, drawing is a way in which these children can express feelings that may be contradictory or too confusing or hard to describe verbally. In this way, drawing could therefore by suggested to be helpful for children that may have experienced trauma of some sort, as it allows them to express feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety and frustration that usually develops from the trauma. By completing these drawings, it not only allows children to express themselves but also provides a focus for them to discuss what they have drawn (Malchiodi, 1998). However, one piece of research noted that the use of drawing as a method with primary school aged children actually did not prove to be useful. Instead, children resisted drawing, by ripping out pages of books and leaving pages blank as examples. This research therefore argued against other research that suggests drawing is a positive method, and instead suggests that drawing does not work as a method to enhance children's participation in research (Scherer, 2016). Another method that may be used to communicate with children and young people who may have experienced sexual abuse of some form is play therapy. Child centred play therapy can be defined as, "a dynamic interpersonal relationship between a child and a therapist trained in play therapy procedures who provides selected play materials and facilitates the development of a safe relationship for the child to fully
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express and explore self (feelings, thoughts, experiences, and behaviours) through play, the child's natural medium of communication, for optimal growth and development" (Landreth, 2002). Using art and play can help children to communicate and express feelings that cannot be put into words, externalise inner feelings and conflicts and release tension. Examples could include the use of paper made puppets, masks that show feelings, and the use of figurine characters including police with a selection of male and female figures. From these creative methods, questions can then be asked, which should be open-ended and open-minded (Gaidica and Elliot, 2012). A number of methods have been adopted by a range of researchers to attempt to gain a more improved voice of victims. One method that has been adopted is the use of technology such as computers and tablets to take part in self-completion questionnaires. These methods have been argued to allow participants to feel more comfortable when discussing sensitive information regarding their experiences. It therefore provides reliable results (Flatley, 2018). It has been noted that Children’s access to tablet computers at home has increased from 51% to 71% for children aged five to fifteen since 2013. The number of children that own tablets has almost doubled, with 34 percent of children aged five to fifteen now owning their own tablet computer, which has increased from 19 percent in 2013 (Ofcom, 2014). With these statistics demonstrating how the use of computer tablets with children and young people has expanded, it therefore demonstrates that these devices are becoming increasingly popular and could be a suggestion for a method that could be used to gain feedback from children and young victims for services and support they have received. In a largescale longitudinal study following the lives of children, a method of Computer Assisted Self-interviewing was used. This method gave children a voice by allowing them to
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complete the questions by themselves, in their own homes. This offered the children privacy and enforced confidentiality. It was also noted that it was more fun for the children to use the laptops, and interested them more than simply using pen and paper (Mabelis, 2014). It has also been suggested that peer support can be valuable in a range of different methods to gain insight into children and young people's thoughts, feelings and opinions as having the support of someone familiar or relatable to, makes children and young people feel more comfortable (Brodie et al., 2016). Peer support by people that have also experienced similar situations has been noted to be important due to the feelings and experiences being hard to talk about, however these aspects being discussed with someone who will completely understand and be able to input their own personal experiences too can be comforting. In a study completed researching into different peer support models it was found that children and young victims would feel more comfortable talking to and expressing their thoughts and experiences with someone who had also experienced similar life experiences, rather than the option of the peer support just simply being of a similar age. Participants described how they would feel uncomfortable discussing their issues with someone that had not been in a similar situation to them. However, one participant did suggest that age was a factor that would allow them to feel more at ease, and suggested a limit of a two-year age gap between the two peers. It was also noted that for someone to be a peer supporter, they have to feel confident within themselves to be able to deal with someone else's experiences without it triggering their own previous experiences as a victim. They would also need to undergo sufficient training (Girma, 2017). It has also been implied that children and young people find those that work in the voluntary sector more
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supportive than those that work in the statutory services. While this is not the case for everyone, structural issues within statutory services, such as time, resource, and frequent turnover of staff could be the reason for feelings of a lack of support from services such as the police and social services (Brodie et al., 2016). While there is a lack of direct research linking to feedback methods for services and support for children and young victims of serious sexual crime, the research and reading listed does in some ways demonstrate how different methods such as art, play, technology etc can be used and the advantages or disadvantages of them. Due to this lack of research that directly relates to gaining the voice of children and young victims in regards to feedback, it shows an importance for these areas to be investigated further to fill the gaps in research. From the literature provided, this dissertation will therefore carry out research to investigate the areas listed and look for possible explanations and ideas to fill the gaps and compose suggestions of methods that could be put in place to gain feedback for different organisations that provide support services to children and young victims.
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Methodology While completing the research as a part of the dissertation there are a range of methodological considerations. The research that will be completed will be including primary data that will be collected. Primary research “is research that is collected firsthand rather than found in a book, database, or journal. Primary research is often based on principles of the scientific method. Although the application of the scientific method varies from field to field, the general principles of the scientific method allow researchers to learn more about the world and observable phenomena. Using the scientific method, researchers develop research questions or hypotheses and collect data on events, objects, or people that is measurable, observable, and replicable� (Driscoll, 2011). Some disadvantages of primary research is that it can be more time consuming to collect the data, and by the point of the data being collected, analysed and reported, the data can then become outdated or irrelevant. However, there are also a number of advantages to using primary data. These can include that the data will be original and relevant to the topic that the researcher wishes to explore. It can also include many different methods making it possible to pick something that is most relevant and suitable (Sparrow, 2015). The method that will be used for this research will be semi-structured interviews. Semi-structured interviews are a qualitative strategy which allows predetermined questions to be asked which are open-ended. This allows researchers to still have control over the research but allows a range of responses to each question which can then lead to more of a discussion within the interviews rather than just questions and answers. A written guide of rough interview questions will be prepared in advance to lead and steer the interviews to receive relevant information for the research (Ayres, 2012). As stated, this method is a
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qualitative strategy which means that the research is in the form of written descriptions of meanings, actions and interactions which are noted in the participants words (Jupp, 1989). Research questions which use qualitative methods will ask about the experiences, circumstances, perspectives, reasoning or histories of the participants in particular social contexts. Within qualitative research an inductive approach is usually taken which begins with empirical data and works towards the development of more abstract ideas and principles (Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists, 2018). In regards to research, “if the purpose is to learn from the participants in a setting or a process, the way they experience it, the meanings they put on it, and how they interpret what they experience, the researcher needs methods that will allow for discovery and do justice to their perceptions and the complexity of their interpretations�, by using qualitative research these aspects can be achieved� (Atieno, 2009). Completing qualitative research can have disadvantages, but it also has a number of important advantages. Research that is qualitative is subjective, and requires the researcher to interpret the participants answers, this therefore makes the data open to researcher bias. The data being collected also cannot be generalised, and could not be considered reliable due to the process and answers not being able to be repeated in the exact same way again. Completing qualitative research can also be a long process due to having to conduct the research, and then having to analyse the responses to extract important and relevant information from them. This therefore makes it rather time consuming (Rennison and Hart, 2018). However, regardless of these disadvantages there are also a number of advantages to using qualitative methods, which for the type of research that is being completed as part of this dissertation, can be argued to outweigh the negatives. Firstly, by using qualitative methods, the research is able to gain real opinions and feelings from the participant. These answers are more detailed and in-depth than 17
quantitative methods, which is particularly important when attempting to gather people's views and opinions. Another advantage is that the method allows flexibility, encouraging more of a conversation and allowing the researcher to ask how and why questions (Mack et al., 2005). The sample that will be used for this research will be a non-random sample. This may also be known as a purposive, opportunistic or convenience sample. This sample is used for a deliberate reason, as in this case it has been used for the easy accessibility. This is an advantage as it can save on time and money for both the researcher and participants (Daniel, 2012). However, unfortunately there are also disadvantages to using this sample, particularly that it means findings would be hard to be generalised. While this is a disadvantage, the positives of the sample for both the researcher and the participants can be argued to outweigh the disadvantage. Within this research, a number of ethical protocols have to be taken to ensure that the research complies with the University of Winchesters Ethics board standards and the 1998 Data Protection Act. The first ethical issue that needs to be considered when conducting research is informed consent. Informed consent refers to a voluntary agreement to participate in research after being fully knowledgeable of the risks and intent of the research being conducted (Shahnazarian, et al., No Date). To ensure this within this research, participants will be provided with an information sheet detailing the aims of the research and what will be done with the findings. This is then followed by requesting participants to sign a consent form, which agrees that they understand these aims and what the findings will be used for, and therefore agrees to participate in the research. Connected to this, ability to consent is also another issue that needs to be considered. To be considered to have the ability to consent, there are four decision-
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making abilities that need to be present which include understanding, appreciation, reasoning, and choice (Cacchione, 2011). If participants show understanding of these aspects they will be deemed as having the ability to consent and therefore will be considered for the research. Consent within the research is something that is ongoing, which is an aspect that needs to be made aware to participants within the research. If someone decides they no longer consent then they have the right to withdraw from the research. It is important that the right to withdraw is made clear to participants, and that they are aware that there will not be any consequences for withdrawing. If a participant chooses to withdraw, the data that has already been collected from that participant has to be destroyed and therefore cannot be used in the research (Edwards, 2005). This is going to therefore be included in the information sheet and consent form, so that participants within this research are aware of these rights to withdraw. Another ethical issue that this research will comply with is anonymity. This means that not only names and identities of participants are concealed within the research but also locations of organisations and names of organisations, to ensure that it is not possible to identify participants in any way (Walford, 2006). While the research being gathered is collecting the opinions of participants on children and young victims and how to gain their opinions and views, the research will not be asking any personal information of any victims or asking any children and young victims to participate in the research. However, in the chance that participants may disclose something, by anonymising names, organisations and locations, the ability to identify who participated and who any information disclosed could be about is diminished. This will be done within the research by referring to each participant by a reference letter within this dissertation, and by not noting any locations where the participants are from or the
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names of the organisations they work for or where those organisations are located. A final ethical issue to discuss is confidentiality. Confidentiality is an issue that is hard to meet within research as it cannot be guaranteed that what a participant reveals will not be shared, as the purpose of this research it to include it within the dissertation (Walford, 2006). However, by ensuring anonymity this is not as much of an issue. Participants are made aware of the issue of confidentiality and that this cannot be guaranteed within the research, therefore if this is a problem their right to withdraw can be taken or the willingness to consent can be rejected. These points on confidentiality and anonymity can be concluded as, “the confidential and anonymous treatment of participants’ data is considered the norm for the conduct of research. Researchers must recognise the participants’ entitlement to privacy and must accord them their rights to confidentiality and anonymity” (British Educational Research Association, 2004). By carrying out all of these ethical precautions, the research will abide by the standards set by the University of Winchester ethics board.
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Findings This findings chapter reveals the results of the research that has been carried out as a part of this dissertation. It will illustrate the information that has been gathered from the individuals which participated in the research. The interviews involved participants that were in a line of work where they would, or may come in to contact with children and young people, particularly those that may have been victims of serious sexual crime. From the interviews, a range of common themes and differences can be identified. In regards to similarities and common themes, there were a number of responses to certain questions and topics that participants gave similar responses to. When asked what methods participants believe work best when attempting to gain feedback from children and young victims answers were similar. Participant A (2018), Participant B (2018), Participant C (2018) and Participant D (2018) discussed that the methods used can usually depend on the ages of the victims using the services they offer. Participants A and B noted that the older ages, which were narrowed down to an age group of 14 to 17 years old, are much more aware of what has happened to them, and are more conscious of talking about it or their experiences with the services. It was therefore noted that one to one feedback and having a conversation about their opinions and experiences were not ideal, and they often prefer anonymous methods. Participant D also shared the opinion that methods that were anonymous were favoured by the older age groups of the services users. Participant A therefore suggested the use of online surveys and social media. This could give the option to remain anonymous when giving feedback, as well as allowing them to use a platform of social media which most young people are familiar with and regularly use. Participants
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also noted that younger ages may benefit more from the one to one communication, however a rapport would need to be built beforehand. It was therefore noted that methods that can both be used with the younger ages could include drawing and play to gain an insight into their emotions and allow the service users to become more comfortable. In terms of the ages that the organisations offer their services to, Participant B, C and D noted that their organisations offered the services to similar ages. Participant B’s organisation work with 4 to 17 year olds while Participant C’s services are offered to 5 to 18 years old and Participants D’s is for 0 to 18 years old. In regards to opinions on methods that were listed as part of the interviews, participants had similar views on some of the proposed methods. With the method of focus groups, Participant A and Participant B both discussed that the methods can have advantages and disadvantages. They described that some children and young people would be nervous to share their experiences and opinions in front of a group of people, and would prefer a one to one method. However, it was also argued that some service users would feel encouraged by being in a group with people who share similar experiences to them, and instead they would gain comfort in knowing they were not alone in the experiences they have had. With the methods of drawing and play, Participants A, B, C and D all noted that particularly with the younger ages, these methods could work well. Not only does it allow the younger aged children to become more comfortable, but it is also a way for them to express their feelings and opinions without them even necessarily knowing they are. Participant A and Participant D gave the example of children drawing faces to demonstrate their emotions, and that these can be used to answer questions rather than words, and Participant C gave an example of an experience where a chid drew
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themselves holding a spanner, explaining that they felt they were being fixed. This was therefore interpreted as a form of showing positive feedback. As well as the similarities listed there are also a number of differences in responses that participants give on a range of the questions. For example, Participant A and their organisation does not actually offer any support services for children and young victims of serious sexual assault, but instead works with children and young people who may end up divulging details of being a victim. The organisation would then refer the victim to other services. The ages of service users are also another area that differs from what participants of the research have revealed. Participant A revealed the ages of users were 14 to 25, while Participant B and Participant C stated that the ages for their organisations were 4 to17 years old and 5 to 18 years old. Participant D and the organisation they work for were the only one to offer their services to ages as low as a matter of months old. Another difference that can be noted is in the methods that the services already use to gain feedback from service users. While Participant A seemed to offer a range of methods to gain feedback, such as questionnaires, workshops, one to one conversation, and the use of social media, which they noted has worked well as it has even influenced changes within the local Police and Crime Commissioners office, Participant B discussed that there only real method within that organisation was a questionnaire type feedback form that mainly consisted of tick boxes. While they did gain feedback in other ways, these were not methods they openly offered and were instead just methods that service users had decided to use, for example by calling or emailing the organisation. Participant C also differed by offering a 1 to 1 service for feedback, or simply judging their feedback on how far individuals who used their services had come from when they
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first began. Participant D noted that the methods of feedback they used were usually feedback forms, however they also conducted a number of assessments as a form of feedback to gage the children and young people's moods and risk as time went on, and whether these were improving or not. When questioned on whether in their opinion children and young victims are offered enough of a chance to partake in voicing their opinions and views of services they have used, the conversation within the interviews steered in different ways for some participants. Participant A discussed that it was inconsistent, as some groups of victims and children and young people were asked a lot for feedback, however others were not. They also discussed that previously there would be more opportunities for children and young people to voice their opinions, even to parliament as an example. However, cuts and lack of funds in different areas have meant that these opportunities are now hard to come by. Participant B instead discussed the influence that parents may have on children and young people voicing their opinions. They noted that often the child or young person agrees with or reinforces the parent's opinions rather than expressing their own opinions. Participant C discussed that children and young people may have the opportunities to voice their opinions, however, this is different to actually feeling that they are being heard and listened to. It can also depend on the situations that are provided to allow them to voice their opinions, as talking to professionals can be intimidating. It can also be hard for them to voice their views if parents are present, as children and young people may find it embarrassing to discuss certain topics in front of them. Participant D had a much more extreme view compared to those already noted, that children and young people are given more than enough chances to provide
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feedback and voice their opinions, and that the need to constantly try and do more to improve upon this is not necessary. Participant C expanded on some of the examples of methods given, for example by stating that focus groups and workshops would be a great idea, but it should be adapted to include games and activities to encourage children and young victims to come together but in a way that is not as intimidating and to try and make it a positive experience. Participant C also differed by elaborating more of the example of computers and tablets. They stated that more skills may be needed, however, if for example an app was created that was straight forward and easy to use, the method could be ideal for all ages, especially as the use of computers and tablets is regular among most children and young people. With the method of play, Participant C was also able to give the opinion that toys that represented people and places that may fall into the experiences that child and young victims may have had can be very useful. Figurines for example can be used to gage feelings and opinions. As stated previously, Participant D had some more extreme and different views on the topics and questions that were discussed throughout the interviews compared to the responses from the other participants. They stated as a response to some of the questions that trying to gain feedback, particularly from some of the younger ages would be ‘irrelevant’ as they would not understand, and could not provide feedback of any value. They believed that feedback of their services was best to be received by assessing in the moment whether the child or young person appeared to be improving in their mood or if risks seemed to be lowering. They also noted that depending on the service being offered, whether it was a service that the users chose to use or if it was a
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service that was given to them without much choice, could have an effect on whether they received positive or negative feedback. Participant D also differed compared to the other participants in the view they held regarding the different methods that were proposed within the interviews. While Participant A and Participant B believed one to one method of providing feedback were beneficial particularly with the younger aged groups, Participant D believe that this was not the case. Instead, they stated that the method of one to one communication for feedback would not work with these ages as they believe there is an issue of communication with them, they may not understand what they are being asked or how they actually feel about the service and support they are receiving. With the method of focus groups, Participant D’s response differed as they did not see any positive aspects to the method at all. Instead they noted that their service of counselling is very personal, so trying to provide this service or gain feedback in a group setting would be difficult, and the right group of people would have to be picked. The next section of this dissertation will be the discussion chapter which will review the findings and explore the possible meanings and reasons for the answers provided by participants within the interviews. The similarities and differences will be analysed further, as well as discussion of the research and any problems and criticisms, as well as how the research could have been improved.
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Discussion The conclusions made from the literature review led to the research aiming to investigate the best methods for gaining feedback from children and young victims of serious sexual assault, as this is one way of filling the gaps that exist in research surrounding the voice of children and young people, and the lack of evidence to demonstrate if this is or is not being achieved. The research therefore aimed to find the best methods that should be used to engage with children and young victims of sexual assault and then provide recommendations of how to use these methods to increase the amount of feedback being given back to support services from the service users. The participants used in the research were those who work within organisations or services that deal with and communicate regularly with children and young people, that may or may not be victims of serious sexual assault. The findings illustrated that the organisations that the participants worked for either provided services and support for children and young victims of sexual assault or would refer them onto or sign post further services to offer support. The reasons as to why the organisations may sign post for or refer service users to other services may be due to lack of funding to provide the support themselves, or the fact that there are such a diverse range of issues that can come with being a victim of serious sexual assault, that it would therefore be hard to provide a service that accommodates for every single one of those issues. This can be further reflected in the range of ages that the services are offered to. It has been documented through literature and by the people that have been spoken to as a part of this research, that providing services that accommodate for the youngest of ages is particularly difficult and are an age group that many would not know how to help. Therefore, the fact that only one of the participants’ organisations provide support for
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children from a matter of months old is unsurprising. As this area of the younger ages and providing services for them is an issue, it could be suggested that this is something that should be researched further to figure out a way to tackle this issue. In regards to gaining feedback and the methods that are used by organisations, there were a range of methods documented by participants, that may or may not be successful. Participants mainly highlighted one to one conversations and written methods as being most commonly used. These methods appear to be the easiest of possibilities, which may explain why they are the most popular. They are also less costly, written feedback can allow for a range of responses to be gathered quickly, and one to one can allow for more in-depth feedback. When asked whether these methods were successful for the participants, most stated that the methods had been. However, it should be noted that participants may be more likely to claim success to make their efforts appear more positive, as they may be ashamed to admit if they are failing in a part of their work. This is therefore something to remember before believing this as hard evidence for the methods being the strongest form to recommend. When asked whether participants felt that children and young victims were given enough of a chance to voice their opinions and views regarding their experiences of services, there were a range of answers, which varied from believing that they were being given enough of a chance, stating that there had been cuts in funding and programmes that encourage the child and young people's voice, or that they are given the chances, but these chances are not very well thought out to allow for children and young people to want to voice their opinions. The issue of parents input was also raised by some of the participants. When the parents are not the offenders, it should be remembered that parents may have a big impact on feedback. It could be that the
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parents speak for the children, and reflect more of their own views and opinions rather than those of the children and young people. It may also be the case that the parents wanted the children and young people to use the services and get support more than the child did, which can then affect the child and encourage the child to have negative feelings towards the service and therefore the feedback. It was important within this research to distinguish between what methods suit different age groups. This therefore led to the question of what methods the participants feel worked best for the age groups of preschool ages, 5 to twelve years old and 13 to 18 years old. The reason behind this was that it is quite obvious that what methods suit a 17 year old who is much older and more developed than a 3 year old will be very different. One participant even suggested to expand on the age groups further as they felt that even the age groups that were originally considered could still be too large and would therefore be hard to set an ideal method of gaining feedback from them. The participant instead suggested the age groups of 0 to 5, 6 to 11, 12 to 15 and 16 to 18 years old. To ask participants to simply say a generalised best method would not be fair and would not provide very helpful evidence to then enforce recommendations. It was therefore stated by most that methods such as drawing were one that they would strongly recommend for the younger ages particularly, while participants noted that written feedback would be a favoured methods among older children and young people as they wish to remain anonymous. This is because they may be worried about people knowing what has happened to them, or the consequences that might occur if they give feedback. These ages are much more conscious of what people will think of them, as they may believe that they are also alone in being a victim. This could therefore be something that needs to be covered more in schools as a recommendation, to inform
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children and young people properly of how often these crimes take place and it should not be something that they have to hide. The participants were also asked their opinions on a range of different methods which included one to one interaction, written feedback, focus groups, drawing and play, and the use of computers and tablets. As stated previously, the methods of one to one and written feedback are methods that were used a lot by the organisations that the participants work within. Focus groups were a method that came with much dispute as to whether it would have positive or negative effects for gaining feedback. It seems as though this method would have to be a choice for possible service users for giving feedback rather than a method that is enforced. This would allow the service users that do wish to participate in that method and feel comfortable talking about their experiences and opinions in front of others to be able to do so, and allows others that would not wish to partake in this method to choose another method instead. The method of drawing and play was favoured by many of the participants of this research particularly for the younger aged children. Every participant mentioned this method as being very effective, however it can be noted that it can come across and can appear as an easy option for services to use rather than attempting to use other methods that may be deemed harder work to use with young children. Services have to be careful not to generalise that this method is best for every single child that is in the younger category, as others may find other methods best suited to encourage feedback. The method that was proposed of the use of computers and tablets was a less traditional method, but one that was felt to be important to add and gain opinions on due to the growth in use of computers and tablets among children and young people. While these were not really methods that any of the participants had in place within
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their organisations at the moment, some participants seemed open to the idea, and discussed that if the method was made simply and child friendly to use, it could be a very positive and engaging method. Children and young people are advancing with the use of technology, this should therefore be reflected in the methods used to engage with them. It could therefore be proposed that a trial be enforced with the use of computers and tablets, this could then gain further research into this area to fill the gaps in the knowledge that exists currently. It should also be discussed whether the people that conduct the methods of feedback should be certain ages themselves. One of the participants noted that within their organisation that had service users aged 14-25 years old, the people that conducted the feedback gathering of the services and support they offered were similar ages to that of the service users. This can relate back to some of the findings in the literature review regarding peer support. While it would be impossible to match the ages of service users and workers all of the time, due to younger ages using the services, when it comes to the older ages that use the services this could be something that could be researched further as to whether this is helpful and encourages feedback or not. Within the conduction of the research for this dissertation there were some issues and problems that occurred and should be highlighted and discussed. The first was the reliance on the use of technology. To perform the interviews and gather the evidence to then continue on to code and look for common themes and differences, the interviews were recorded using a mobile phone. However, relying on this led to problems with one of the interviews. This resulted in one of the interviews information having to be simply remembered and referring to short notes that were taken during the interview time. Another issue that occurred within the research was the expenses
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that had to be spent to gather the information and travel to participants. This therefore had a knock-on effect on how many participants were involved in the research, as the cost to include a lot more would have not been cost effective. The low number of participants was also as a result of the time period that the research was being conducted within. Many of the people that would be relevant as participants for this research, are at the ages where they have their own children. Therefore, by carrying out the research within the period of the summer holidays for most schools meant that a lot of people that were reached out to and contacted as possible participants were unavailable to participate or in some cases unable to even reply to the contact methods. To tackle these issues, it could be suggested that future research of a similar type should consider conducting the research at a time period that does not correspond with school holidays. It could also be suggested to use more improved technology to gain the evidence within the research. If participants could be found within a closer distance then this would be ideal, however, to tackle this it may be more of a case of changing the research method, to one that may not require face to face interaction but instead could include a phone call, email or postal method.
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Conclusion This dissertation and the research that accompanied it aimed to explore the best methods to gain the voice of children and young victims. These aims were configured due to there being a lack of research and literature surrounding the area of children and young victims being listened to and being able to voice their opinions and views, both generally and after using services and support, and also a lack of any research into the methods that are most appropriate to achieve this. There were very few examples within literature of children and young victims being used to gather research to gain insight, and while there may have been some research exploring methods of researching children and young people, the adoption of this to those that are victims was pretty much non-existent. There was also a big lack of research based on the younger aged victims, as this is known as an area that is tough to tackle and avoided by most. To fill these gaps research was carried out to investigate the best methods to use to gain children and young victims voices and opinions. To achieve this, a sample of participants that would communicate and work with children and young people regularly, particularly those that have been victims, were used. A number of semistructured interviews were conducted, which asked a number of questions to gain insight into participants opinions of what methods work best for different ages, what they already currently use and whether its successful, and suggested further methods that they may not use or have not considered before, to find out their opinions of those. A non-random sample was used due to its time effectivity and quick access to participants which was crucial for this research. The research was ensured to be ethically sound by enforcing aspects such as the participants right to withdraw,
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anonymity, and informed consent, with the research being approved by the ethics committee at the University of Winchester. From the findings of the research a number of common themes could be noted. The use of drawings as a method among younger aged children was the most recommended and recalled method. All participants used either one to one or written feedback methods, noting that both methods were useful, the first for allowing in depth conversation, and the second for the opportunity to give feedback anonymously. All participants discussed the way in which different ages that used the services would need different methods, and that one method could not be generalised to all. Nearly all participants believed that more needed to be done to give children and young victims the opportunities to voice their opinions within providing feedback of the services that they have used. Many were also open to the ideas that were put forward to them of methods such as the use of play, computers and tablets and the use of workshops. Following the literature review and the results from the research that was conducted, a number of recommendations can be made. It is clear from both the literature that already exists, as well as the responses and general conversations with people within the work placement carried out, that there is a need to expand how much and how children and young people are listened to and given the chance to voice their opinions, particularly those that are victims and receive support through services. It has also become clear through the research that one method only would not suit all victims and all ages. Each service user is an individual, and should be treated that way. One method cannot be generalised, therefore the recommendation from this research would be to provide a service that allows a range of methods that can be used to give feedback
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to support services, which in turn can then help improve those services for future children and young victims that would use those services. This could be done in the form of a workshop, as participants believed that this could be a good idea, but was something they individually were yet to try. Within this workshop, it could be recommended from this dissertation as a result of the research carried out that methods such as drawing and play, anonymous written feedback forms and simple to use apps on computers or tablets would all be helpful and creative ways for service users to be welcomed to join to provide their feedback. This would also allow the users to have a choice in providing feedback as well as a choice in which methods they wish to use. It could also encourage children and young people to come together, make friends and share experiences if they wish to with others in similar situations. Within this workshop, there could also be further details signposting other services that could be helpful, as well as providing details to those who may wish to talk one to one with someone to give feedback at a further date. This workshop could be organised to take place on a set time scale, whether this may be once a year or every few months to be able to keep track and work on improvements from the feedback provided. This could therefore be much more time effective, rather than methods such as one to one that may be already provided, even to those who do not wish to take part, and therefore be a waste of time for both the service user and the person recording the feedback. It could also be recommended that further research be constructed to gain even more of an insight into the areas discussed. As the sample was small for this research, carrying out more interviews would be recommended. If the recommendations of the workshop with the methods included were carried out, this would also then need to be assessed as to whether the methods are working and improving the amount of feedback
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being received by children and young victims. If not, then this would need to be further reviewed and more research would need to be carried out to continue to work towards improving opportunities for children and young victims to voice their views, feelings and opinions. From the literature review and the findings that were discovered from the research conducted, a number of conclusions can therefore be drawn. It appears that while methods such as one to one communication, written feedback and the use of drawings for the younger ages are popular and may have their advantages, more methods need to be developed to expand upon the feedback and opportunities given to children and young victims to voice their opinions. There is not enough being achieved to encourage and allow children and young victims to give an input into the matters that concern them, so by improving on methods of achieving feedback and allowing their opinions to be shared, the bigger issue can be attempted to be improved upon. By enforcing the recommendations listed within this dissertation that have been developed from the research, improvements can begin to be made to achieve better opportunities for children and young victims to voice their opinions and make real changes within services and support organisations for their own benefit and for those in the future that will use the same services.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Information sheet
Participant Information Sheet Name of Researcher: Rosie Haskins
What is the research about? This research will be being carried out with a view to obtain evidence that will help inform the PCCO how we may obtain the voice of young people and children who have been victims of sexual abuse. Why have you been ask to participate? I am inviting a number of relevant people who may communicate with child and young victims of sexual abuse, or may have good knowledge of the ways to support them, to draw on each of their views regarding the topic. What is involved in taking part? If you agree to participate, a consent form will be provided that I will request you to sign. This will act as your consent to partake in my research. There are no personal benefits in terms of your participation, but by contributing you will be helping in assisting research for my dissertation which aims to fill a knowledge gap in the more effective methods to gain child and young victims voice, to allow their views and opinions on their experiences of support services and their journey. Will your participation be confidential? Yes, participation will be kept confidential. Any information relating to the research will be stored on a password protected, private computer which only I will have access to. Will you be anonymous in the research? Yes, I will not be using your name or the name of the institution within my findings. Each institution will be given a reference number/letter following completion, which only I will be aware of, and this is how findings will be referred to within my dissertation. I will also not include any geographical locations of each institution within my findings. This research complies with the 1998 Data Protection Act, as well as the University of Winchester's Research Ethics Policy. What happens if you change your mind? You can change your mind at any stage of the research, and if so, any research gathered that relates to you will be destroyed and will not be included within my dissertation.
If you would like any more information or have any questions you can contact me via email at: r.haskins.14@unimail.winchester.ac.uk
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Appendix 2: Consent Form
Consent Form Researcher name: Rosie Haskins
Please print name, sign and date at the bottom of the page if you agree with the following statements:
I have read and understand the information sheet and have had the opportunity to ask questions about the research I agree to participate in the questionnaire I agree for the data provided to be used for the purpose of the study I understand that my responses will be anonymous within the reports of the research and it will not be possible to identify myself of the institution I understand that my responses are confidential I understand participation is voluntary and I may withdraw at any time
Name:
Signature:
Date:
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Appendix 3: Ethics Form
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