What is sex abuse?
- What will happen if I tell Social Services?
- Will they tell my Parents?
- Will I get taken away from home?
- What Will Happen to my Brothers and Sisters?
- If I ‘Tell’ how do I know Social Services
will believe me? - How do I know I will feel better if I tell?
- He/ she said if I tell anyone he/she will hurt other people, what do I do?
- If I tell my teacher will they tell anyone?
- I think my friend is being sexually abused. What should I do?
- Is there any point in telling Social Services and the police if the abuse has stopped?
- If I tell someone will Social Services come to my house even though the abuse has stopped?
- I really wish I had told the police or Social Services because I think he/she could abuse me or someone else again. Do you think I should say something?
- Will the abuser know that it was me who reported them?
- Do Social Services have to tell my parents/carers what happened to me?
- I really need to talk through what happened to me but don’t want my parents to know, what can I do?
- If I rang an agency like ‘Connexions’ and asked to talk it through with them, could they keep it a secret or would they have to tell other people?
What Will Happen to my Brothers
and Sisters?
You may think that no one else in your family is being hurt in the same way as you. That might be true but often even when you think your brothers and sisters are O.K. they might not be. You may be being made to feel that you are ‘special’ and ‘the only one’ but that is not always the case.
Social Services try very hard not to split families up but the law says that they have got to consider the risk to other children living in the same household or who have contact with the person who has harmed you. Many children and young people have told us that they thought that their brothers and sisters were safe and then found out that they weren’t. If Social Services and the police do not feel that other children or young people are safe from being harmed and if they cannot be reassured that there are adults who will protect these children or young people, they might be moved away from any possible danger until it is safe for them to return.