Organised and Complex Abuse
Last updated: October 8, 2008
Table of Contents
1. Introduction & Definition
“Complex abuse occurs both as part of a network of abuse across a family or community, and within institutions such as residential homes or schools. Such abuse is profoundly traumatic for the children involved. Its investigation is time-consuming and requires specialist skills for both police and social work staff”.
Lost in Care: Waterhouse [1]
Cases of organised abuse are often highly complex because of the number of children involved, the serious nature of the allegations of abuse, the need for therapeutic input and the complex and time consuming nature of any consequent legal proceedings.
Complex (organised or multiple) abuse may be defined as abuse involving one or more abusers and a number of children. It does not necessarily relate to both multiple abusers and multiple potential victims.
The abusers concerned may be acting in concert to abuse a child/ren. One or more adults may be involved and they may be using an institutional framework or position of authority to recruit children for abuse.
It reflects, to a greater or lesser extent, an element of organisation on the part of the adult/s involved and may involve:
- aspects of ritual to aid or conceal the abuse of children;
- child sexual abuse networks where adults plan and develop social contacts with children for the purpose of gaining access to them in order to abuse them;
- the production of child abuse images or abuse of children through sexual abuse and / or sexual exploitation;
- abuse in residential homes, boarding schools or other institutions;
- adult/s who seek contact with children for improper reasons through leisure or welfare organisations;
- adults seeking to contact children via electronic means such as internet or mobile telephones.
