A cross-sector study of the wellbeing and support provision for child protection professionals who regularly view child sexual abuse material (CSAM)

• In Event: Changing the real-world response to online child sexual abuse through research and innovation

Abstract

There is a relatively small but growing body of literature on the subject of the mental health and well-being of professionals who regularly view child sexual abuse material (CSAM) as a part of their job role. However, there remain knowledge gaps regarding – the impacts of regularly viewing CSAM on professionals across different child protection agencies; mapping of the well-being support that is available within organisations; and the gaps and challenges for staff in accessing these support services. To better understand the impacts of viewing CSAM on professionals, and the landscape of well-being support in key sectors (law enforcement, NGOs, and the private sector) internationally, researchers from the Policing Institute for the Eastern Region (PIER) conducted qualitative research to understand and document, inter alia, study participants’ views regarding the negative impacts of viewing CSAM; their experiences of accessing well-being support (formal, and informal support) within their organisation; and their reflections on how well-being support should be strengthened.
We explored these issues through semi-structured interviews with UK police officers and civilian staff (n = 20), and content analysts/moderators from the NGO and private sector (n = 9) in the UK and North America. Study findings indicate negative well-being impacts from regularly viewing CSAM, including anxiety and depression. Only limited formal support is available within some organisations, especially Police; such support tends to include individual sessions with a trained counsellor. Instead, professional staff that are negatively impacted by viewing CSAM, as well as other professional stresses, tend to seek out informal support, in the form of team debriefs and other activities. Within law enforcement, there persists a culture of staff wanting to be perceived by peers and managers as stoic, and not letting the work affect them, which results in staff not regularly seeking out formal support services. Best practice can currently be identified in NGO study participants, which offer robust support services for staff, including short work schedules, and compulsory therapy sessions. Thus, best practices sharing, between NGOs and law enforcement, should be encouraged.

Authors

• Deanna Davy, Policing Institute for the Eastern Region

• Ashley Perry, Policing Institute for the Eastern Region

• Theresa Redmond, The Policing Institute for the Eastern Region at Anglia Ruskin University

• Samantha Lundrigan, Policing Institute for the Eastern Region