Piloting the CSA Practice Leads Programme in social work

The Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre) supports social workers and other organisations in building 'their understanding and confidence to identify and respond to child sexual abuse' (CSA). To this end, the CSA Centre designed a training programme ('CSA Practice Leads') for social workers from three English authorities, and comprised of 10 days of learning sessions delivered over 10 months. Working in small groups, the programme employed various approaches, including presentations, videos, podcasts and audio materials, as well as reflective case discussions.

The key areas covered by the training programme were: 'the scale, nature and impact of CSA; disclosures and the social work role; CSA in different contexts (intra-familial, online-facilitated, CSE); working with children and non-offending parents/carers; working with children and young people who display harmful sexual behaviour; women who sexually abuse children; working with survivors; and child wellbeing and the child protection process.'

The evaluation of the pilot project used quantitative and qualitative methods, aiming to understand:

1. What did the programme involve, who participated and what did they think of the contests and delivery?
2. What difference does it make to their and their organisations' practice?
3. What could be improved to enhance the programme?

This evaluation's key findings are:

Participation

32 participants (out of the initial 38) completed the training and showed high levels of engagement throughout the entire 10 months, indicating that their needs were met.

Programme design and delivery 

The participants appreciated the way in which such a sensitive and complex subject was approached, offering them a positive and safe environment to learn. The monthly sessions used reflective, practice-based learning, which gave participants an opportunity to develop their knowledge and embed it in their own practice. The facilitator's expertise played a vital role in the delivery, yet this might indicate difficulties in implementing the programme more widely in other authorities. 

Programme outcomes 

The programme seemed to have a strong impact both on the participants - who gained the knowledge, skills and confidence to identify and deal with CSA concerns, as well as their wider organisations - as Practice Leads disseminated their knowledge and supported other colleagues.

Embedding and sustaining the programme

This evaluation was carried right at the end of the programme, and while positive signs could already be observed, further follow-up evaluation is needed to understand the programme's impact within local authorities. Furthermore, local authorities need to support the programme's development (allowing time for peer support meetings, further dissemination, etc.), while being aware of the Practice Leads' workloads. 

Finally, the programme could be tested in other environments (education, police, health, etc.) and might require adaptation to virtual channels.