Best practice

Part of SurvivorScotland's work involves discussing and, in the future, disseminating examples of best practice to improve the care and support of survivors. Success in this area could make a significant difference to survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

What is best practice?

The National Strategy document (2005) includes information on what we know about best practice so far.

The key points are detailed below:

From research we know survivors report that the people who help them do not come from any one professional background or use a particular therapeutic approach. They do not necessarily have high professional status. The majority have not attended specific training courses on child sexual abuse, although they have gathered expertise in other ways.

However, they did do the following:

  • They were secure and firm about boundaries, but related with warmth and kindness.
  • They were informed and aware about the main effects of CSA trauma and had examined their own personal issues around working with sexual abuse.
  • They worked non-hierarchically, consulting respectfully with survivors about what their main needs were and what their service could offer.
  • They neither hid behind confidentiality nor broke it insensitively.

We also know that services provided by the voluntary sector revealed a number of innovative support and information services from which lessons can be learned. The organisations involved survivors in their development, and are committed to ensuring their provision reflects what survivors’ value.

Professionals who may need to be aware of survivor issues in their daily work include:

  • GP’s
  • Dentists
  • Hospital departments like gynaecology, Genito Urinary Medicine and other specialisms relating to the mouth, throat and stomach.
  • Drug and alcohol workers
  • Voluntary sector