Social workers' perception : the effectiveness of intervention and care orders on sexually abused children in the local context

Abstract

This research study aims at investigating the effectiveness of social work intervention and care orders with regards to sexually abused adolescents who were previously abused in their childhood, are now under a care order and are living in a residential setting. This will be done through the perceptions of residential and field social workers. This study was conducted through a qualitative research method in which open ended questions were utilized to allow for in depth disclosures and elaboration of the participants' experiences. Two interview guides were formulated, one for residential and the other for field social workers. This was done to gain further insight and knowledge with regards child sexual abuse, care orders and residential care from various available sources. The data collected was analyzed thematically. The themes that cropped up are the following: I. Effects of child sexual abuse 2. Reactions and Perceptions 3. Relationships 4. The meaning given to care order 5. Care Order and Residential Care as the only alternative 6. Services in a Residence 7. The Residential and Field Social Worker With regards child sexual abuse, adolescence, care orders and residential care there is a lack of local literature. Therefore such research aims at aiding professionals in understanding better the clients with whom they will be working as well as providing them with plausible explanations for certain behaviors. Additional research can only help in perceiving the clients' point of view, even though it is not presented by the survivors of sexual abuse, who are under care order and residing in a residential home. Children were not interviewed so as to prevent them from re-living dreadful experiences and having to narrate it again to strangers. As a compensation, professionals who work in direct contact with such client group were interviewed and in turn presented the perspectives of the latter. This research study may shed more light upon the services already being provided. Since studies regarding care orders are limited to a few, this will help in generating more information about such a delicate topic and may also encourage others to invest their resources to conduct researches about this field. Ultimately I hope this research will help in promoting awareness amongst the general public, giving them the necessary fundamentals so as to know how and when to intervene whenever facing such a situation. Finally, the provision of recommendations may offer suggestions to service providers who in turn can implement improvements in already offered services and where necessary initiate new ones.