Masterclass Series (20/21) - Session 7 - Mind Your Language: Exploitation and Victim Blaming

The language we use as professionals can have a significant, and potentially lifelong, impact on victims of exploitation. A victim of exploitation is never to blame for the abuse they have lived through, yet we live in times where victims are still blamed.

This webinar enables us to discuss victim-blaming language and how we can accurately and sensitively record and report on victim experiences. The aim of this webinar is to share practice between agencies and to explore ways in which we can develop the language we use.

Since gaining a degree in youth studies Sarah Brown has worked in a variety of settings, supporting young people and their families. Sarah has worked as a Pastoral Manager in a secondary school and a Family Resource Worker within Social Care. After volunteering as a counsellor at ChildLine for several years, Sarah was employed as a supervisor. It was here that Sarah developed as a trainer, working to increase the skills, knowledge and empathy of volunteers in areas such as bullying, abuse, neglect, self-harm & suicide; all to ensure young people received the best possible support. Sarah’s work at ChildLine involved the assessment of safeguarding issues, and the immediate management of life threatening situations.