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Rotherham CSE and need to provide trauma recovery

A large-scale national disaster is being unveiled by the media across the UK, following the launch of the Rotherham Abuse Inquiry report released on 26th August 2014. No one knows the true scale of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Rotherham, but the current conservative estimate is approximately 1400 children sexually exploited over the full Inquiry period from 1997 to 2013.

What is noticeable in the media is that once again the primary focus is not on the children, or on the emotional impact to them. The focus doesn’t seem to be acknowledging that each individual who was raped, assaulted or coerced into behaviour that terrified them has faced, or now faces, years of recovery from trauma. The focus in the media is not on the need for the victims to easily access trauma therapy that can help them process the horror, shock, shame, torment and pain over the coming years. We need to fight for a child centred focus.

Trauma recovery takes time. You cannot rush a person into psychological recovery. Each child has to listen to their own voice recounting the horror that they hope to forget, and explore the shock and deep sadness of what could have been. Every person has a right to emotional support as they face interviews, questions, their own memories, flashbacks and nightmares. But where is this support? How do people find it? Who will finance it?

As the child and their families wrestle with the shame, shock and horror of what has been experienced, there needs to be support in place; offering a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on as they process the trauma. But most victims will not be able to find appropriate professional support or – worse – won’t be able to afford it.

‘Trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood, and untreated cause of human suffering.’ (Levine and Kline 2007;3)

 Central and vital questions need to be raised about the response to this national tragedy. Who is going to finance the trauma recovery for these victims? Who is going to ensure that it becomes a priority for the police and other frontline practitioners to understand how to identify the signs of abuse and the complexities of CSE?  Who will finance the recovery from trauma for the families, teachers and friends of those who have had to listen to and support the victims?

Despite being British, we need to acknowledge that human kind is not in-built to ‘just get over it’ or ‘forget it now and move on’. Neuroscience has shown that our minds and response to trauma is complex. Unprocessed trauma can lead to a host of physical complications, depression and anxiety, difficulties with concentration, learning and working, and long term relational challenges amongst many other symptoms.

We believe that we need to communicate clearly that justice is not just the perpetrators being arrested and prosecuted; it is also the facilitation of the right to recover from the traumatic experiences.

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Attachment Aware/Trauma Informed Practice in School

I am very fortunate that my office is three doors away from the school counsellor.  I say fortunate because I am able to speak relatively regularly to her, and not only gain incredible insight from her comments but also to recognise and celebrate the unique and positive impact she has upon the school community.  I am proud that she, and our attempt to support children through difficult times, is not hidden away in a cupboard or as an adjunct to the ‘SEN zone’ or similar.  It is on a main thoroughfare of the school, and easily identifiable by all students as a very important place.

In one of our semi-regular conversations, the counsellor spoke to me about a year seven girl she had been supporting.  This student had recently lost a younger sibling, and was now enduring the terminal diagnosis of a step-parent.  As a school, we had mobilised the troops to support her and her older sister, and the school counselling service is a big part of that.

‘I’m so glad I came to Trinity’, the young girl had said.  She continued, ‘I was so worried that I would have to change when I came to high school, but here, everyone just makes sure that you fit’.

When I reflect on how we support children through traumatic episodes, but also help them recover from trauma, this statement has a special resonance.   We can never expect that the ‘mainstream’ school approaches of numbers on the doors and bells on the hour will suffice.  We have to consciously cushion our support around the child, and, for a short time at least, prioritise their recovery over all else.  Of course, the journey towards a Trauma Aware School is a slow one, and the goal of a child centred approach influencing curriculum and pedagogy must not be lost sight of.  The work we are developing alongside the Virtual Headteacher is key here and rightly identified as a local and regional priority.

In the interim though, my focus is on leading a school in which we are proud of the vocal, open and deliberate way that we discuss our support for children.  It is a central platform of our school ethos, cannot be divorced from my personal convictions and, of greatest importance, is the best way to support children and young people in a school setting.

I see the IRCT as being key to this.  It is only through effective research and discussion by committed professionals that we can achieve meaningful and lasting change that will support all children, but particularly the most hurt.

Chris Gabbett.

IRCT Trustee
Principal – TRINITY CATHOLIC SCHOOL, Leamington Spa.

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IRCT Best Practice Forum – Launch Day

Lord Francis Listowel, IRCT Patron, opened the Forum by welcoming members. He stressed the importance of the Forum members to join the IRCT to share good practice and he ably articulated the personal element of working to ensure that recovery is available to all children who have experienced trauma.

Stephen Bell, Chair of the IRCT Board then offered a reminder of the moral imperative of not only recovery work, but also of knowledge-sharing and dissemination of this best practice to the wider workforce.

To that end, Dr. Janet Rose, Principal Lecturer at Bath Spa University, presented on her work in building “Attachment Aware Schools”, tracking the three strands of attachment, neuroscience and emotion coaching. Her work focuses on addressing unmet attachment needs of children by equipping schools (both primary and secondary) with appropriate whole school policies and practice. Some of the more keys ideas to the programme include:

Introducing emotion coaching as a contrast to behaviourist theories of practice…transforming how we perceive student behavior in a practical way.

Encouraging empathy with the emotional state of children no matter the behavior while also maintaining standards.

Appointing an attachment lead/trauma lead for each school’s senior team

Using Pupil Premium funding to support the training for all school staff and developing consistency for support/canteen/duty staff who have contact with children.

Dr. Rose reminded the forum that the imperative for schools, and the child-centred workforce at large, is to help students heal from trauma, and not simply deal with the manifestations of that unresolved trauma. Her inspirational work has already produced positive initial data and outcomes and she shared feedback from a primary student who explained the effect of the new approach in his/her school as helping to “Stop the volcano in (my) tummy”. A worthwhile exploration/reminder of the power of a teacher to make a difference and, in a wider sense, of the role all of us can play in transforming the sense of self for vulnerable children.

Following on, Betsy de Thierry, Director of the Trauma Recovery Centre, spoke on Working with trafficked children and sexually exploited children. She began with a view of the general focus on awareness raising and the push for “rescue” of children in such traumatic situations, asking what happens when children get “rescued”? How are they best supported? What are we rescuing them to?

Betsy discussed her practice centred on therapy, training and creative work to aid recovering children as well as support for parents/carers/families while raising a number of provocative points. When discussing therapeutic mentoring, de Thierry asked what is the equivalent of the first aid level of access for children who have come through trauma? Again, for professionals working with students caught in or removed from such exploitative situations, we must ask and, more importantly, we must ensure we all know:

What is the road to recovery?
What does it look like?
How do we build consistency and attachment for these young people?
What is the difference between CSE v. Trafficking?
Further, what is the difference between Complex trauma v. trauma?

So, as the session came to a close our moderator, John Diamond (CEO of The Mulberry Bush Organisation) led a reflective discussion through the need for commitment for this sort of work, and explored some of the key recovery links between the efforts of our two speakers, including the focus on enhancing the children’s workforce through:
empowering professionals to heal
establishing a base level of empowerment/knowledge for all involved (including volunteers and foster carers) in supporting children who have experienced trauma.
Reducing negative emotions and feelings of being “de-skilled”
Building empathy, passion and consistency

With the points raised, questions asked and ways forward discussed, the forum was an excellent lead-in to the launch of the IRCT as well as a catalyst for the work we have begun.