Peer-reviewed article
‘Both/And’ Not ‘Either/Or’: Reconciling Rights to Protection and Participation in Working with Child Sexual Exploitation
Michelle Lefevre, Kristine E. Hickle, Barry Luckock ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study evaluated a child-centred framework for addressing child sexual exploitation in England over two years. It found that practitioners face a significant dilemma when trying to balance young people's rights to voice and autonomy with their need for safety and protection. The research shows that when professionals use relational, participatory approaches and involve young people as partners in reducing exploitation risk, they can better navigate this tension. However, practitioners need manageable workloads, supervision and organisational support to do this effectively.
Key points
- Practitioners experience 'double-bind' scenarios where protective actions may alienate young people and encourage further risky behaviours
- Individual commitment to child-centred, participatory and reflective practice helps professionals explore tensions with young people as partners
- Systemic barriers including high workloads, inadequate supervision and lack of organisational support prevent practitioners from achieving integrated practice
- The framework revealed an intrinsic dilemma between honouring young people's rights to voice, privacy and autonomy versus their rights to safety and guidance
- Transformational learning across disciplinary practice systems is needed to achieve 'both/and' rather than 'either/or' thinking in child protection
Limitations
This evaluation describes practitioner experiences and dilemmas during framework implementation but does not measure outcomes for young people experiencing or at risk of child sexual exploitation. The study does not quantify the effectiveness of the child-centred approach in reducing exploitation or improving safety.
Abstract
Analysis of data from a two-year evaluation of the piloting of a child-centred framework for addressing child sexual exploitation (CSE) in England revealed an intrinsic practice dilemma, whereby many practitioners experienced profound ontological, ethical, emotional and intellectual dilemmas in reconciling young people’s rights to voice, privacy and autonomy with their rights to safety, guidance and protection. ‘No-win’ scenarios left practitioners in a ‘double-bind’, whereby acting protectively might alienate a young person, paradoxically encouraging them to engage in further risky behaviours. An individual commitment to child-centred and participatory approaches, relational practice and reflective use of self was found to support professionals in exploring this tension with young people themselves, involving them as partners in reducing the risk of exploitation. However, practitioners will struggle to achieve this without manageable workloads, good supervision and organisational support for the emotional content of the work. Transformational learning is required across the disciplinary practice systems to achieve a more integrated practice of ‘both/and’ thinking and feeling. The tensions between protection and participation can then be surfaced in a way that is constructive rather than divisive.