Dealing with a disclosure

Safeguarding Network

April 2024 -

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Introduction

Not many children will just tell a practitioner what has happened to them although they often do choose professionals they see often as people they can trust. They may not have the language to describe their abuse, they may be frightened of what will happen next, they may be worried about what people will think of them or feel ashamed of what has happened. If they are very young, their language may not have developed to a level which can adequately describe the abuse.

Children and young people make their disclosure in a number of ways and often it can be changes in their behaviour or presentation that suggest there is something happening to them instead of them actively saying anything. In some cases they freely volunteer the disclosure, in others they may be prompted or accidentally tell someone, and even when they do disclose it may only be a partial disclosure.

We know from research that children and young people value being believed and, if they do disclose directly to you, they will have chosen you as a trusted adult, that is why it is so important you act on what you are told.

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Definition

Disclosure is the act of giving people new or secret information.

Collins English Dictionary

Why do children tell what is happening?

There are several reasons which include:

realising that the abuse they've suffered is wrong.
not being able to cope with the abuse any more.
the abuse getting worse.
wanting to protect other children from being abused.
the desire the see the abuser punished.
reaching a point where they trust someone enough to tell them.
when someone notices some signs and asks them directly.

Barriers to disclosing

There can be many things that stop a disclosure being made:

Lack of trust.
Not knowing that they are being abused.
Fear / shame / embarrassment / self-blame.
Previous poor response to a disclosure.
Worry for others.
Fear of being in trouble.
Additional needs (e.g. physical disability, additional learning needs, English is not their primary language).

Removing the barriers ...

Adults can make it easy for children and young people to talk to them in a variety of ways, the following points are some ideas to help that communication:

Keep quiet and let the child talk.
Go at the child's pace.
Do not get upset or emotional but acknowledge how upset the child may be.
Respect the child’s beliefs and way of life.
Be uncritical and non-judgemental.
Show you understand.

Asking questions ...

It is OK to ask questions to clarify what you are being told (for example if they are using words that you do not know the meaning of or may have a different meaning). However we need to make sure that we use the child / young person's language and words and do not ask leading questions (e.g. "Did it hurt when they hit you" - this is a leading question as they may not have thought about how they felt). We must not investigate, tell the alleged abuser or promise confidentiality.

Use open ended questions such as "tell me ...", "explain to me ..." or "describe to me ..." (remember the TED acronym).

Creating a safe culture

Safe culture is about:

ensuring that children and young people feel able to approach staff, knowing that they will be listened to and that they will be heard, with staff then following up.
staff having professional curiosity about what they are seeing and hearing - not accepting things at face value or making assumptions.
staff remembering that "it could happen here".
staff remembering that disclosures may not be verbal but may be changes in behaviour or presentation.
staff being confident in how they respond.
talking about the potential for harm in an age appropriate manner.
talking about safe relationships and the benefits of safe relationships.
staff taking action and continuing to take action until the child is safe.