The phrase intra-familial child sexual abuse describes the astonishing yet commonplace social phenomenon of children being sexually abused within their family environment. This research utilises qualitative methodology to best interpret the impact of intrafamilial child sexual abuse, by an adult, on children’s demeanour (behaviour in its broadest sense) and judge whether this is observable at school. The overall intention is to promote timely identification of child victims to initiate early help and therefore reduce cumulative, life-long effects, as well as enable preventative action.

The UK Department for Education states educators are ideally positioned to identify at risk children. One strand of research considered how prepared school staff felt to identify and raise concerns. From initial proposal, through design and execution, the inquiry was survivor led. Another strand of interpretation focusses on lived experience of survivors using a best practice model of participation. Adaptive, relational ethics were adopted to balance complex considerations throughout the research while facilitating inclusion of survivors’ voices.

Preliminary findings will be presented which abductively draw together evidence from literature, interpretive phenomenological analysis and autoethnography. Interpretation is woven through the research, analysing epiphanies that arise and connecting narratives from iterative cycles of data collection, interpretation and analysis. The research aims to deliver detailed, nuanced insight to aid education practitioners’ efforts in child protection. Autoethnography also seeks to generate conversation: I hope this challenges the secrecy, stigma and shame which marginalises sexual abuse victims and survivors and encourages the audience to take home the message ‘it could happen here’.

Authors:
Sheona Goodyear, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom

About the Presenter(s)
Sheona Goodyear is a dyslexia and inclusion specialist and doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham, School of Education.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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