FAGLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL AND CHILDREN CENTRE

PEER ABUSE POLICY

Definition
There is no clear boundary between incidents that should be regarded as abusive and incidents
that are more properly dealt with as bullying, sexual experimentation etc. This is a matter of
professional judgement.
If one child or young person causes harm to another, this should not necessarily be dealt with as
abuse: bullying, fighting and harassment between children are not generally seen as child
protection issues. However, it may be appropriate to regard a young persons behaviour as
abusive if:

There is a large difference in power (for example age, size, ability, development) between
the young people concerned; or
The perpetrator has repeatedly tried to harm one or more other children; or
There are concerns about the intention of the alleged perpetrator.

If the evidence suggests that there was an intention to cause severe harm to the victim, this
should be regarded as abusive whether or not severe harm was actually caused.
The Sexually Harmful Behaviour Team in the Youth Offending Service can offer information and
guidance to help practitioners distinguish between age appropriate and abusive sexual behaviour.
Risks
Children are vulnerable to abuse by their peers. Such abuse should be taken as seriously as
abuse by adults and should be subject to the same child protection procedures.
Professionals should not dismiss abusive behaviour as normal between young people and should
not develop high thresholds before taking action.
Professionals should be aware of the potential uses of information technology for bullying and
abusive behaviour between young people.
Professionals should be aware of the added vulnerability of children and young people who have
been the victims of violent crime (for example mugging), including the risk that they may
respond to this by abusing younger or weaker children.

The alleged perpetrator is likely to have considerable unmet needs as well as posing a significant
risk of harm to other children. Evidence suggests that such children may have suffered
considerable disruption in their lives, may have witnessed or been subjected to physical or
Sexual Abuse, may have problems in their educational development and may have committed
other offences. They may therefore be suffering, or at risk of Suffering, Significant Harm and
in need of protection. Any long-term plan to reduce the risk posed by the alleged perpetrator
must address their needs.
Protection and Action to be taken
It is not enough to respond to incidents as they arise: all agencies that work with children should
strive to create an environment that actively discourages abuse and challenges the attitudes
which underlie it. Agencies should have a policy on bullying, and on sexual and racial harassment.
They should also consider the effect of adult behaviour on children who may view them as role
models.
Any professional who feels that a young person has abused another child or young person should
notify childrens social care without delay. They will arrange a Strategy Discussion which will
include the referring agency, the police and the Youth Offending Service. Where the alleged
abuse is sexual in nature it may be helpful to consult the sexually harmful behaviour team at this
stage.
In order to give priority to them, issues relating to the safety of victims and potential victims
must be discussed first and completely separately from any issues relating to the needs of the
alleged perpetrator. This will usually require separate meetings.
The strategy discussion will consider:

Whether the alleged perpetrator seems to pose a continuing risk to any child;
How to protect any child who appears to be at immediate risk of significant harm;
Whether Section 47 Enquiries should be initiated (or continued if they have already
begun) and how they should be handled; and
What action should be taken in respect of the alleged perpetrator, for example arranging
a risk management meeting.

It is important to co-ordinate action to address these issues: no agency should initiate action
that has implications for another agency without appropriate consultation unless this is
unavoidable in order to protect the safety of a child.
The victim
The strategy discussion will consider what action is necessary to ensure the immediate safety of
the identified victim(s) and what further enquiries are necessary to assess any further risk. A

child protection conference must be arranged unless the child does not appear to be at
continuing risk of significant harm.
Where a young person has abused a sibling, planning must include consideration of the support
needs of the parents. If victim and perpetrator are members of the same family/household,
before making any arrangement to return the perpetrator to the family/household it is critical
to ensure that the victims views have been heard and that s/he feels safe.
A child protection conference may conclude that the victim is not in need of a child protection
plan, but may be a child in need of support to address her/his needs arising from the abuse - for
example referral to Amazon Young Peoples Counselling Service, CAMHS or another victim
support agency.
The alleged perpetrator
It is not appropriate to initiate Section 47 Enquiries in respect of the alleged perpetrator
unless there is information suggesting that they are at continuing risk of Significant Harm.
However young people who abuse others frequently have considerable needs themselves, so an
assessment of the alleged perpetrators needs should be carried out.
Any decision on action in respect of the alleged perpetrator must be based on the risk they pose
to other children and what can be done to minimise this risk. If the alleged perpetrator is over
the age of 10, consideration should also be given to whether action under the criminal justice
system would be appropriate.
If there is evidence that the alleged perpetrator has also been the victim of abuse, the police
will consider whether to initiate a separate criminal investigation relating to this.
The alleged perpetrator is likely to pose a continuing risk to others unless the opportunity for
further abuse is ended and the young person and their family have agreed to work with relevant
agencies to address the problem. It has also been proposed that the risk remains high unless the
young person accepts responsibility for the abusive behaviour, but more recent research has
suggested that in the case of sexually harmful behaviour, denial may be rooted in shame and a
well-founded fear of consequences of admission. Consequently, while denial will have
consequences for the treatment approach, it does not necessarily indicate that sexually harmful
behaviour is likely to be repeated.
Assessment of an alleged perpetrators needs will include consideration of:

The nature, extent and context of the abusive behaviours;

The young persons development and family and social circumstances;
Whether the young person appears to pose a continuing risk and, if so Who is likely to be at risk from him/her (for example self, other children, Adults at
Risk, particular children, particular adults), and

The nature and degree of the risk;

The young persons need for services, both those which relate to his/her harmful
behaviour and other significant needs;
Whether the young person is also at risk of significant harm and should be the subject of
a child protection conference; and
Whether action is to be taken within the criminal justice system.

If the abusive behaviour is sexual in nature, it may be helpful during this assessment to consult
the sexually harmful behaviour team.
If there is a criminal case pending, the young person may have been instructed not to co-operate
with an assessment and this must be taken into consideration when discussing the offence with
them.
If the Assessments concludes that the young person poses a continuing risk to others, childrens
social care will arrange a risk management meeting. This meeting should be attended by:

Persons who have responsibility for the welfare of any child who has been identified as
currently being at risk from the perpetrator;
Persons who have responsibility for the welfare of the perpetrator;
Persons who have access to resources which are likely to be required to safeguard any
child; and
If the young person appears to pose a risk to Adults at Risk, adult social care and carers
of any adult who has been identified as currently being at risk from him/her.

It may be appropriate to invite the sexually harmful behaviour team to attend the meeting or to
submit written or verbal advice on the issues to be discussed.
It is important to keep the risk management meeting separate from any child protection
conference. The purpose of the risk management meeting is to reduce the risk which the
perpetrator poses to children and Adults at Risk both at present and in the longer term. This
will include:

Ensuring the safety of children who are likely to come into contact with the perpetrator
in the immediate future;
Action to address the perpetrators behaviour and attitudes; and
Monitoring progress.

The meeting will make recommendations and, where possible, will make commitments about action
to be taken and resources to be provided for the safety of the children involved. Any
recommendations should be based on the following assumptions:

A victim of abuse must not be left in contact with her/his abuser without adequate
protection; and
Moving the perpetrator away from the victim to another place where there are children
may not reduce the overall risk to potential victims, and may actually increase it.

The long-term control of risk may depend on an addressing any unmet needs of the perpetrator.
This will be co-ordinated by childrens social care.
Other children
The strategy discussion will consider:

Whether the alleged perpetrator appears to pose a risk to any other children and young
people or to Adult at Risk;
Whether any further assessment of this risk is needed;
What immediate action, if any, should be taken to minimise this risk; and
Whether to initiate section 47 enquiries in respect of any of these children and young
people.

Issues
Particular difficulties arise in responding to a child or young person who abuses another child
because:
There is no clear dividing line between abusive behaviour and normal childhood behaviour;
Many adults who abuse children repeatedly established this pattern of behaviour in
childhood or adolescence, but a single incident of abuse does not indicate that a young
person is likely to abuse again; and
Some young people who abuse have themselves been abused, but this cannot be assumed
in any particular case.
The guiding principles for dealing with these situations are:

The needs of the victim and the needs of the alleged perpetrator must be considered
separately;
In addition to safeguarding the identified victim, agencies must consider whether the
alleged perpetrator seems to pose a risk to any other children;
Children and young people who abuse others are responsible for their abusive behaviour,
and safeguarding action must include addressing their behaviour and its causes;
The alleged perpetrator is likely to have considerable unmet needs as well as posing a
significant risk of harm to other children;
There should be a co-ordinated approach by child welfare, youth offending, education and
health agencies. No agency should start a course of action that has implications for any
other agency without appropriate consultation.

Advice from www.abusewatch.net

Peer Abuse
In some cases of child abuse the alleged perpetrator will also be a child.
In a situation where child abuse is alleged to have been carried out by another child, the child
protection procedures should be adhered to for both the victim and the alleged abuser; that is,
it should be considered a child care and protection issue for both children.
All abusers must be held accountable for their behavior and work must be done to ensure that
abusers take responsibility for their behavior and acknowledge that the behavior is
unacceptable.
Victim's Welfare
If there is any conflict of interest between the welfare of the alleged abuser and the victim,
the victim's welfare is of paramount importance.
Abuse Behavior by Children
Abusive behavior which is perpetrated by children must be taken seriously. It is known that
some adult abusers begin abusing during childhood and adolescence, that significant numbers will
have suffered abuse themselves and that the abuse is likely to become progressively more
serious. Early referral and intervention is therefore essential.
Early intervention and Treatment
Children who are abusive towards other children require comprehensive assessment and
therapeutic intervention by skilled child care professionals. Treatment is more likely to be
effective if begun early in the child's life.

Sexual Abuse by Children and Young People

Research shows that a large degree of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by teenagers. Obviously
it is important that behavior of this nature is not ignored. However it is also very important that
the different types of behavior are clearly identified and that no young person is wrongly
labeled 'a child abuser', without a clear analysis of the particular behavior.
One can identify four categories of behavior which would warrant attention:

normal sexual exploration;

abuse reactive behavior;

sexually obsessive behavior;

abusive behavior by adolescents and young people.

1. Normal sexual exploration
This could consist of naive play between two children which involves the exploration of their
sexuality. This type of behavior may be prompted by exchanges between children such as: "you
show me yours and I'll show you mine". One of the key aspects of this behavior is the tone of it.
There should not be any coercive or dominating aspects to this behavior. Usually, there is no

need for child protection intervention of any kind in this type of situation.
2. Abuse reactive behavior
In this situation, one child who has been abused already, acts out the same behavior on another
child. While this is serious behavior and needs to be treated as such, the emphasis should be on
addressing the victim needs of the child perpetrator.
3. Sexually obsessive behavior
In this type of situation the children may engage in sexually compulsive behavior. An example of
this would be excessive masturbation which may well be meeting some other emotional need.
Most children masturbate at some point in their lives. However, where children are in care or in
families where care and attention is missing, they may have extreme comfort needs that are not
being met and may move from masturbation to excessive interest or curiosity in sex, which takes
on excessive or compulsive aspects. These children may not have been sexually abused but they
may be extremely needy and may need very specific help in addressing these needs.
4. Abusive Behavior by Adolescents and Young People
Behavior that is abusive will have elements of domination, coercion or bribery and certainly
secrecy. The fact that the behavior is carried out by an adolescent, for example does not, in
itself, make it experimentation. However, if there is no age difference between the two
children or no difference in status, power or intellect, then one could argue that this is indeed
experimentation. On the other hand, if the adolescent is aged thirteen and the child is aged
three, this gap in itself creates an abusive quality which should be taken seriously.

Treatment Services for Victims

As in all cases of child abuse, it is essential to respond to the needs of the children who are
abused by their peers. Each category of child abuse may have different dynamics and effects.
There is no single approach to the treatment of child abuse so each individual case will require
its own unique intervention. Appropriate support and services should be provided to the child and
his or her parents or caregivers as quickly as possible.
In the case of child sexual abuse, treatment approaches may include individual treatment and
group therapy for the child or adolescent. Individual treatment allows the child or adolescent
the opportunity to give his or her account of the abuse; talking about the abusive experience can
often be an important first step. Group therapy offers the child or adolescent a supportive
setting and an opportunity to address his/ or her sense of isolation and secrecy.

Prevention
There is a high probability that future abuse can be prevented if early intervention takes place.
Treatment is more likely to be effective if begun early in the child's life. Therefore it is
essential to refer concerns about peer abuse immediately to the relevant health authority.
Health authorities should establish appropriate treatment programs to cater for children who

engage in abusive behavior with other children.

Impact of Allegation on Child and Family

It should be anticipated that an allegation of abuse will have a detrimental impact on
relationships between the alleged abuser, his parents and other family members. A negative
impact on other social relationships such as with peers and neighbors should also be anticipated.
As a result, the child and his family may experience isolation and in some situations victimization
following an allegation of abuse. The child's parents will need support and advice to help them
understand the abusive behavior and to deal with the situation. Active participation and
commitment by parents can be an important factor in the success of treatment and may be
crucial in influencing the general outcome of the case. It is therefore essential to provide
adequate support services to the child and his family throughout the assessment and treatment
processes.

Bullying
Bullying can be defined as repeated aggression be it verbal, psychological or physical which is
conducted by an individual or group against others. It is behavior which is intentionally
aggravating and intimidating and occurs mainly among children in social environments such as
schools. It includes behaviors such as teasing, taunting, threatening, hitting or extortion by one
or more pupils against a victim. The more extreme forms of bullying behavior, when perpetrated
by adults rather than children, would be regarded as physical or emotional abuse. However other
major forms of child abuse such as neglect and sexual abuse are not normally comprehended by
the term bullying.
It is recognized that bullying in school is an increasing problem. It is imperative that school
management boards should have in place a policy to deal with bullying, and that teachers are
aware of this policy and of procedural guidelines to deal with bullying. In situations where the
incident is serious and where the behavior is regarded as potentially abusive, the school should
consult the relevant health authority and law enforcement with a view to drawing up an
appropriate response.

Drafted
October 2016

Ratified by Governing Body

December 2016

Head Teacher

Print name
Chris Parfitt

Signature
C Parfitt

Date
December 2016

On behalf of
Governing Body

R Curtis

R Curtis

December 2016

Planned date of review

December 2017