Framing sibling incest Dr. Peter Yates Lecturer in Child and Public Protection, Edinburgh Napier University Managing High Risk Conference Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice Strathclyde University 2nd February 2017

Frames A frame is like a mental filter. The world is not perceived directly but through a mental filter, comprising of templates of interpretations of prior experiences, concepts and constructed knowledge.

Social worker decision making around whether siblings can: remain living together have contact with each other return to live together again

What I did 6 local authorities in Scotland Interviewed 21 social workers regarding 21 families 54 children involved in sibling sexual behaviour 3 examples of sexual behaviour regarded as mutually initiated Grounded theory methodology

Choosing between two children “What was good for one young person was maybe not good for the other, and then how as two different professional teams, how do you work that out, while balancing risk, and need, and the fact that you actually don’t know what’s gone on in the first place! I mean it was just a mess.” (Jenny)

The social workers’ practice mindset Parents as well- intentioned protective Children as vulnerable and intending no sexual harm to others Siblings as better together Sibling relationships as non-abusive and of intrinsic value

Children as vulnerable and intending no sexual harm to others Doubting whether the behaviour happened Resisting labelling the behaviour as abuse Looking for reasons The perpetrator is a child, but the victim is the child Frame stronger the younger the child, the closer the social worker’s relationship with the child, the more remorseful the child

Sibling relationships as non-abusive and of intrinsic value Requiring a second incident Focusing on safety “There was no evidence at the time of contact being damaging…although what had happened was very serious and actually probably was quite traumatic for Paul, erm. We didn't stop to question these things. That's what I'm thinking just now…I didn't stop to think whether contact was appropriate or not. I just assumed that it would be important to maintain a bond.” (Scott) Making rules

Sibling relationships… Separation not a long-term solution “They are family members and there's only so long that you can go without introducing them back together.” (Angela) “There just became a time where we thought, right time's getting on now…I don't think there was any particular incident or something happened or work done…the decision was made because of a lapse of time rather than…any particular change in risk.” (Liz) Frame stronger if siblings had lived and grown up together, and the more the social worker was acquainted with the children as siblings

Parents as well-intentioned protective ‘On board’: Someone I can work with Having a shared understanding of the problem Did they report the incident? Are they willing to accept support? Do they show commitment to both children, but seem willing to prioritise the victim?

“So that's how we knew that this really had…been premeditated “So that's how we knew that this really had…been premeditated. Um, yeah, it did worry us. But,…I think the fact that he was able to talk about it, and we were able to address it and look at his safety planning,…it didn't prompt us into saying, right let's get him right out of there. Er, 'cause I think there was a lot of guilt attached to it for him. He did feel bad about it. So, yeah. I don't think that, any more so than anything else, was a trigger. So, it was the reporting part, mum not reporting and then not accordingly shifting bedrooms, in terms of, let's look at this risk that's presented [that made us question whether the children could remain living at home].” (Emma)

“By that point I was actually past the thinking that we need to accommodate these kids. I was quite past that, because [the parents] were engaging really well by that point.” (Emma) Frame stronger for social workers who know and like the parents In 8 out of 9 cases where parent (7 cases) or foster carer (2 cases) were ‘on board’ and decision made to keep siblings together, there was a further incident involving sibling or other close family

The social workers’ practice mindset Parents as well- intentioned protective Children as vulnerable and intending no sexual harm to others Siblings as better together Sibling relationships as non-abusive and of intrinsic value

Conclusions and Recommendations Raise reflexive awareness of these frames and how they may influence decision making What are your frames? No evidence that assessment-based decisions are better than intuitive decisions Need to hold these important decisions to the highest standards of accountability (Munro 2008)

Bring an analytical and assessment-based approach to decision making, which includes (amongst other things) an exploration and consideration of: The victim’s voice The possible emotional impact of the behaviour The risks of future sibling sexual behaviour The quality of the sibling relationship The protective abilities and capacities of the parents

References Yates, P. (forthcoming) ‘Siblings as better together’: Social worker decision-making in cases involving sibling sexual behaviour. British Journal of Social Work. Yates, P. (forthcoming) Sibling sexual abuse: Why don’t we talk about it? Journal of Clinical Nursing doi: 10.1111/jocn.13531

Contact Dr. Peter Yates p.yates@napier.ac.uk +44 (0)131 455 2762 @pyates316