The Explanation, Assessment and Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse

Sexual offending against children remains a socially significant and complex problem. It is becoming increasingly evident that the psychological and emotional costs to victims and their families are profound, with many victims experiencing major difficulties in adjusting to the demands of adult life. In this paper I focus on a number of significant current issues associated with sexual offending and attempt to give a brief overview of these domains: the causes and types of sexual offending; assessment and risk evaluation; the principles of effective intervention; best practice treatment of sexual offenders; and a consideration of treatment effectiveness. I conclude by arguing that we also need to pay more attention to the relationship between normative theories and empirically validated therapeutic techniques. Any understanding of rehabilitation is underpinned by values and assumptions about the kind of lives available to offenders.