1. Insights from Children about Abuse and Neglect
Part 2: Understanding children’s journeys using the iCAN framework

2. Aims of the session
Improving your awareness of what it is like for children and young people suffering abuse and neglect
Using the iCAN framework to think about children’s experiences over time
Considering ways that you might use the iCAN framework to understand, support and safeguard the children and young people you work with
We continue to think about what it might be like for children who experience abuse and neglect using adapted examples from the research.
Now we expand our thinking to include experiences over time and explore the way that previous experiences might influence a child’s likelihood of recognising abuse and telling adults.

3. Understanding children’s journeys using iCAN
Sara’s experiences over time
This is an example of a child’s journey through the pathway, documenting Sara’s experiences over time and her understanding of those experiences.
Play the video of Sara, introduced by Dr Jeanette Cossar
You can stop the video to encourage discussion at each stage and it may be helpful to look at each pathway in turn as Sara gets older (pathways relate to her at age 13, 15, 17 and 19)
Think about and discuss as much as time allows:
Sara’s situation at age 13 - how might the school have noticed/got involved?
At age 15 – how might the school have responded differently to Sara’s behaviour?
At age 17 – how has the lack of help and support influenced the way that she approaches adults for help?

4. The iCAN framework in action
This exercise can be done using either Ben or Megan as case studies, depending on your preference and setting. Ben’s pathways will take a bit longer than Megan’s pathways. You will need to delete some slides, depending on the child you choose.
Hand out the linear framework to participants and say they will be thinking about Ben’s journey (following slides) through the framework. They can plot Ben’s journey at different ages using different coloured pens. For group work it is helpful to print the A3 version of the framework for the middle of the table.

5. 12-year-old Ben
Ben has been beaten and neglected by his mum for as long as he can remember. He knew that it was probably not right that he should be treated that way: ‘Maybe I did certain things wrong myself but I did not deserve that’.
Ben went to school with bruises but tried to hide them as he was frightened of the consequences of teachers finding out: ‘I really wanted to open my mouth and just tell them everything…but I knew that I would have to go back to my mum that night…I had a massive fear of that so I dared not mention anything’.
Thinking about Ben at different ages helps staff to see how their earlier intervention will impact on the child over the longer term.
Task 1: Use blank framework to plot where Ben is in relation to recognition, telling and help at age 12
Discussion: At the first point Ben is actively trying to avoid telling because he is scared. He partly recognises that he is being abused but there is a hint that he has had to work hard to get to that point (‘maybe I did things wrong myself’). Self-blame is common for children who are systematically abused by their parents. Staff may disagree about whether Ben clearly recognises it is wrong, or whether he partly recognises. However, the point is to think about Ben’s thoughts and feelings in relation to what is happening to him. It may be difficult for staff to intervene effectively at this point. How do staff manage when they are concerned about a child but finding it difficult to get him help?

6. 15-year-old Ben
Ben stopped attending school as his teachers were beginning to realise that something was wrong, ‘they could see that something was going on because of the evidence around my body, like bruises, cuts, black eyes, cuts on the head, bits and pieces like that and they had a very big concern for me’.
His mother kicked him out when he was 15 years old. He was angry, misused substances and felt suicidal.
He was arrested after smashing a bus shelter. The police realised he was homeless when they tried to return him home. He was placed with foster carers.
Discussion of framework: Ben starts this phase either partially or clearly recognising the problem and showing signs and symptoms (bruises, school avoidance). He gets help eventually in relation to cause (by being placed in foster care) but he has a period of homelessness and extreme vulnerability before this. Could this have been avoided?
Further possible discussion points:
When Ben is placed in foster care how effective are relationships between school and children’s services in providing support for looked after children?
To what extent does work with looked after children in school include thinking about how they make sense of their earlier family life and what brought them into the care system? The discussion might cover to what extent does school attendance trigger concerns about abuse or neglect?
If Ben stops attending school to what extent do school staff remain involved?
Task 2: Use the blank framework to plot where Ben is at age 15.

7. 16-year-old Ben
Ben was neglected in foster care and left alone at home without food. He began to suffer from panic attacks, was anxious and found it difficult to eat. He sought help from the school nurse and found on-line support useful.
He is currently living in a flat on his own whilst studying at college to complete a bricklaying course. He also has support from a youth charity and feels that the future is looking brighter:
‘I have been helped and now that I have got all the helped that I need, well I could say that I have recovered from all this and I feel that if I ever needed to speak to someone about this I could do and I will not feel afraid, I will have no fear of saying what I would say, because I know this terrible thing won’t happen again’
Task 3: Plot on the blank framework where Ben is at age 16.
It may be difficult to plot where Ben is in terms of recognition from the information given, although the fact that he sought help shows that he at least partially recognised the problem. He purposefully told about it (the school nurse) and got help in relation to the cause – a shift in accommodation.

8. Ben’s journey through the iCAN framework
Now watch the video where Jeanette Cossar explores Ben’s pathways.
After watching the video, give participants the handout about Ben.
General points about the case study: Despite the difficult experience in foster care and his continuing vulnerability, Ben’s past experience of help (the intervention by the police and his placement in foster care, support from school staff) means that he is able to ask for help about his symptoms (anxiety and eating difficulties) and feels positive looking towards his future. This is an important message to take away from this case study. Even in extremely difficult circumstances an earlier positive experience of help has a later impact on the child’s willingness to seek out an adult to talk to.
Plotting the child’s journey at different points in time allows us to think about what sense Ben is making of what is happening to him throughout his adolescence. The initial issues for school staff to consider may be how and whether to make a referral when they encounter a safeguarding concern – what to do when a child discloses. However, thinking about the child over time allows school staff to explore their ongoing role in working with extremely vulnerable young people.

9. 14-year-old Megan
Megan lives with her mum and stepdad who is violent towards her and her mum. For a long time she doesn’t tell anyone but eventually she cannot cope with it anymore.
She phones the police after a particularly violent episode and the stepdad is removed from the home. ‘I was like, I have got to speak to somebody because it was just killing me’.
She gets support from a youth worker and is able to talk about sexual abuse perpetrated by the stepdad.
Thinking about Megan at different ages helps staff to see how their earlier intervention will impact on the child over the longer term.
Task 1: Use blank framework to plot where Megan is in relation to recognition, telling and help at age 14
Discussion: At the first point, Megan realises that the violence towards her is wrong but it takes several years before she tells anyone about it and therefore she remains hidden. It is not until a crisis that she purposefully tells by calling the police. The important point to get across is that we need to think about Megan’s thoughts and feelings in relation to what is happening and she clearly recognises that the violence is wrong.
She may also recognise that the sexual abuse is wrong but does not tell about it until the police and youth worker get involved. It is likely that Megan would not have told about the sexual abuse if the violence had not escalated.
How can staff manage when they are concerned about a child but they find it difficult to get her help?

10. 16-year-old Megan
Megan meets a boyfriend and starts using drugs and alcohol. She moves out of the family home and the relationship with her mum deteriorates.
The boyfriend is violent towards her. Her mum recognises that Megan is being abused and seeks help from children’s services on her behalf.
Megan is reluctant to engage with her social worker and youth worker but over time she recognises that her situation was abusive: ‘I shouldn’t have left my family, because he was no better than what I went through in my younger life’.
Megan does not, initially, recognise that the relationship with her boyfriend is abusive. She appears reluctant to recognise that she is in need of help and her focus remains firmly on her drug and alcohol use. She gets help from children’s services and because of her earlier positive experience of help, she is able to recognise the abuse and engage with the support from social worker and youth worker.
Task 2: Plot Megan's pathway when she is 16 on the framework using the experiences described to guide you.

11. Megan’s journey through the iCAN framework
Now watch the video where Jeanette Cossar explores Megan’s pathways
After watching the video, give participants the handout about Megan.
General points about the case study: Due to Megan’s earlier positive helping experiences, she engages with social workers once her mother arranges for her support. It is important for children to have good experiences of support as that enables them to seek future support.
Plotting Megan’s journey at different points in time allows us to think about what sense she is making of what is happening throughout her adolescence. The initial issues for school staff to consider may be how and whether to make a referral when they encounter a safeguarding concern i.e. what to do when a child discloses. However, thinking about the child over time allows school staff to explore their ongoing role in working with extremely vulnerable young people.

12. Learning points
Children and young people may experience multiple problems that they need help with over the course of their time at school.
A positive experience of support encourages a child to trust that adults will help when further problems arise.
A negative experience of support could discourage a child from talking about problems in the future.
Sometimes a child will recognise that a situation was abusive some time after an intervention.
Children who are well known to services or in public care may still need support to recognise and talk about what is happening to them and may turn to school staff as adults they can trust.
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