Practice resources and research on adult sex offenders
May 2012
A collection of research studies and practice resources for professionals working with adult child sex offenders.
Adult sex offenders
Creating safer organisations: practical steps to prevent the abuse of children by those working with them.
Erooga, Marcus (ed.)
Wiley-Blackwell, 2012
Provides practical messages and measures for organisations to ensure that safeguard the children and young people they are responsible for. Gives an overview of the literature and the policy and legislation in the UK. Draws on research with offenders to understand manipulation styles and to highlight the diverse prevention strategies needed to address the range of possible risks. Discusses organisational issues, multi-agency collaboration and digital technologies, using cases to illustrate institutional failures. Presents guidance on safer recruitment, interviewing approaches and managing allegations against staff. See also: Towards safer organisations (2009) a literature review of on child abuse in organisations and Towards safer organisations II (2012), research with adults convicted of sexually abusing children or young people in their care.
Internet child abuse: current research and policy.
Davidson, Julia and Gottschalk, Petter (eds.)
Routledge, 2011
Presents and assesses research on internet child abuse. Considers the legislation and policy for protecting children, sentencing and managing sex offenders. Reviews research on the characteristics of the online child abuse and international perspectives on child abuse images. Sets out a stage model for the behaviour of groomers. Explores the online behaviours of groomers and fantasists based on research with police officers and case analysis. Describes research into the policing of social networking sites and grooming. Discusses methods for assessment and treatment of online sexual offenders.
Paedophiles in society: reflecting on sexuality, abuse and hope.
Goode, Sarah D.
Palgrave Macmillan, 2011
Based on original research with self-identified paedophiles in the community, this book challenges many common assumptions about paedophilia and sexuality. Argues that paedophiles are not 'outside' culture or society but are part of our everyday human existence - and that sexual attraction to children is part of human sexuality. Explores the need for information on paedophiles which does not assume that they are monsters, mad, evil or 'other', and which seeks to locate paedophiles in their everyday context, in society, arguing that these new understandings will offer new ways to protect children. Chapters cover paedophiles on the Internet, popular culture and sex offending, the Kinsey study and sex offending, and studies on adult sexual contact with children.
People convicted of child abuse image offences (factsheet)NSPCC, 2011
An analysis of 284 cases reported in local and national news of people convicted or cautioned for possessing, making or distributing indecent images of children and/or child sexual abuse from April to September 2010.
Understanding and addressing adult sexual attraction to children: a study of paedophiles in contemporary society.
Goode, Sarah D.
Routledge, 2010
Describes a research study of an internet-based sample of 56 self-defined paedophiles. Describes how the study was set up and draws on data from the research to explore themes of self-identity, fantasy and experiences of support. Highlights debate and dissent within the online paedophile community about issues such as the morality of sexual contact with children and maintaining a law-abiding lifestyle. Draws careful distinctions between sexual attraction to children and sexual contact with children. Also discusses what is known about paedophiles, how the internet has acted as an enabler and looks at what stops abuse and how to address adult sexual attraction to children.
Sexual abuse assessments: using and developing frameworks for practice.
Calder, Martin C. ed.
Russell House Publishing, 2009
Examines ongoing problems with the recognition, assessment and management of sexual abuse, highlighting the lack of clear government guidance on how to work in this area. Presents updated assessment frameworks for assessing all aspects of child sexual abuse, including victims, sexually abusive children and young people, sexually abusive female adolescents and women, adult male sex offenders, and mothers of sexually abused children. Including assessment frameworks for rape, learning disability, and the internet. Includes a chapter on personal safety skills for children.
Preventing child sexual abuse: evidence, policy and practice.
Smallbone, Stephen, Marshall, William L. and Wortley, Richard
Willan Publishing, 2008
Looks at prevention strategies aimed at preventing sexual abuse before it might otherwise occur through integrating clinical and criminological concepts with public policy. Empirical and theoretical knowledge concerning child sexual abuse is integrated with broader developments in evidence-based crime and child maltreatment prevention, leading to new ideas about understanding and preventing child sexual abuse.
Managing men who sexually abuse.
Briggs, David and Kennington, Roger
Jessica Kingsley, 2006
Draws on developments in cognitive-behavioural therapy and emphasises the need to incorporate practice-based research and clinical experience in intervention strategies. Argues the importance of customising interventions and describes how to tailor treatment according to individual client's needs. Chapters include: sex offender treatment - what works with whom?; managing client motivation to change; managing cognitive distortions; managing deviant sexual interest; managing victim empathy; managing social functioning; relapse prevention and self-regulation; work with non-abusing partners; and, online sexual activity. Includes a list of resources.
Women who sexually abuse children.
Ford, Hannah
Wiley, 2006
Aimed at clinicians, practitioners and researchers working in the field of child sexual abuse or those working with offenders, this book provides an overall understanding of the issue of female sexual abuse of children. It is organised into the following five sections: the nature and prevalence of sexual abuse by women, contextualising sexual abuse by women, the consequences of sexual abuse by women, furthering our understanding and developing work in this field, and widening our focus. It considers societal and professional understanding of this issue and looks at why it has been denied and minimalised. It highlights gaps in professional knowledge and looks at treatment needs and approaches for female offenders.
Females who sexually offend against children: responses of the child protection and criminal justice systems.Bunting, Lisa
NSPCC, 2005
A review of what is known about female sex offending including offender and victim characteristics. Also examines policies for dealing with this issue within the child protection and criminal justice systems. Aims to provide insight into working with, assessing and treating female sex offenders, and makes recommendations about the way in which policy and service provision should be developed.
Read the executive summary of females who sexually offend against children
Related resources
A 24-hour telephone line to help prevent child sex offenders from committing more sex offences against children.
An NSPCC service using a new guide to assess the sexual risk posed by known or alleged adult male sex offenders who are not in the criminal justice system and to provide treatment to contain and reduce the risk to children.
Keep up to date with the most recent developments on working with adult sex offenders pulled from CASPAR, the current awareness service for child protection policy, practice and research.
See all of our resources for professionals on working to prevent child sexual abuse.
To find more publications search the NSPCC Library Online using the keyword "sex offenders"
Contact the NSPCC Information Service to request information tailored to your specific requirements
Copyright © 2011 NSPCC - All rights reserved. National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Weston House, 42
Curtain Road, London EC2A 3NH. Incorporated by Royal Charter. Registered charity number 216401. NSPCC, charity registered in Scotland, charity number SC037717.