The Centre is funded by the Home Office.
It is ‘hosted’ by Barnados.
There are several statements, which appear to be aims and objectives. In summary the Centre want to:
- Ensure all children are free from CSA.
- Reduce the impact of CSA.
- Improve prevention, through better understanding of sexual abusive behaviour and perpetration.
- Improve responses to CSA.
- Improve the priority given to CSA, by improving understanding of its scale and nature.
- Address gaps in knowledge, through sharing research and evidence.
- Provide training and support for researchers working in the field.
- Influence policy.
They have a ‘scale and nature’ of CSA research programme:
- Reporting on what is known and not known.
- Trying to get a CSA prevalence study done.
- Publish a guide to support improved data collection amongst organisations.
- Improve understanding on how LA practice impacts on CSA stats.
In their latest report on what is known they find:
- More concerns about CSA were reported in 21-22.
List of reports
- Improving your data on child sexual abuse: a practical guide for organisations, 2023
- Child sexual abuse in 2021/22: Trends in official data
- The scale and nature of child sexual abuse: review of evidence, 2021 revision.
- Improving agency data on child sexual abuse: A pilot study of the child sexual abuse data collection template. 2019.
- Measuring the scale and changing nature of child sexual abuse: analysis of 2017/18 official and agency data.
- A review of international survey methodology on child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation. 2018
Improving your data on child sexual abuse: a practical guide for organisations, 2023
- CSA Centre presents a core data collection template.
- Covers victims, perpetrators, context and service involvement.
- First published 19, updated 23.
Child sexual abuse in 2021/22: Trends in official data
- Centre reckons 1 in 10 children have suffered CSA, but that official data suggests the figure is lower.
- But that anyway, official data report 15% more concerns than year before.
- LA data varied, suggesting different responses to CSA in LAs.
The scale and nature of child sexual abuse: review of evidence, 2021 revision.
- 2009 NSPCC found 1 in 4 of adults reported CSA (experiences under 18).
- CSEW reported 1 in 12 children (up to 16).
- Report authors estimate 1 in 8 female CYP experience CSA, 1 in 20 boys, before age of 16.
- Most CSA done by males.
- CYP tend not to disclose at time of abuse, but if they do, they tell a friend or family member.
- Neglected children (x5), in care (x4) girls (x3) or disabled (x2) more likely to be abused.
- Don’t know in which direction CSA prevalence is heading.
- Piloted template across a handful of LAs, police forces and vols.
- Pilot sites were collecting most of the data.
- They weren’t collecting some perpetrator & context stats.
- Only data demographics were reportable, other data captured in narrative form.
- Report focuses on what is reported, not prevalence of abuse.
- Time lag between experience and reporting.
- Some groups under-represented: boys, BAME YP.
- Variations in rates of reported CSA across authorities do not reflect variations incidence of CSA.
- Little information on victims, perpetrators, contexts.
- UK government should do a CSA prevalence study.
- Various data, struggles with the so what’s.
- 1 in 6 recorded offences results in a charge, of which 3/4 result in conviction.
- Definitions and measures of CSA varied, some focused on penetration, others involved non-contact abuse.
- Questions which focus on concrete behaviours (rather than abstract concepts like abuse, rape, molested, which require interpretation) get a better response rate.
- Surveys, which ask about all types of perpetrator, deliver a higher response rate.
- Convenience and clinical sampling deliver higher rates than random.
They have training programmes for professionals and organisations.