This session is aimed at any practitioner who works with children and families (with 850 arrests a month, this could impact people anywhere), especially police, social services and education.

Join Deborah Denis, Chief Executive of The Lucy Faithfull Foundation and Rachel Armitage, Professor of Criminology at the University of Huddersfield presenting findings from their recent paper about the impact an arrest for online child sexual abuse has on the loved ones of those arrested.

Based on an evaluation of the charity’s Family and Friend’s Forum led by Professor Armitage, the paper found that nearly three quarters of family members report symptoms indicative of PTSD following a loved one’s arrest for viewing sexual images of children.

Published earlier this year, the paper calls for non-offending family members of people who have committed online child sexual abuse to be treated as ‘secondary victims’.

The paper also recommends that police consider whether a potentially traumatic impact on families and children can be avoided, by engaging the person who has offended when children are likely to be out.

The publication also states that help needs to be improved for all partners, children and other family members of people who have committed online child sexual abuse offences throughout the lengthy prosecution stage; provision should not be a postcode lottery.