Abstract

Disclosure of childhood sexual abuse is a process that is often laden with boundary testing, decision-making and, at times, risk. Disclosures tend to be delayed, often into adulthood and later life, with disclosures to authorities remaining relatively low. In the Republic of Ireland adults who disclose experiences of childhood sexual abuse are directed towards child protection services due to an interplay between jurisprudence, child protection policy design, and mandatory reporting obligations, requiring social work practitioners to balance the social and the legal. This article compares Foucault’s concept of the confessional to current social work practices of engaging with adult victims and survivors of abuse. It is argued that thinking about these interactions as a confessional-like system highlights a process of knowledge creation that is taking place when a personal narrative of abuse is shared, willingly or via mandated reporting, with a child protection agency under the auspices of a modern state. This ‘confessional-lens’ helps us identify a tipping of the balance in this area of social work practice, away from provision of care and person-centredness, across a boundary, to legalistic practice. Narratives of childhood abuse are transformed into knowledge deemed necessary to assess current risk to children. A process that places the adult on the periphery, leading to a potential for harm and re-traumatisation.

摘要

披露童年性虐待是一个过程，通常充满边界测试、决策，有时还有风险。披露往往会延迟，通常会延迟到成年和晚年，而向当局披露的情况仍然相对较少。在爱尔兰共和国，由于法理学、儿童保护政策设计和强制报告义务之间的相互作用，披露童年性虐待经历的成年人会被引导到儿童保护服务，这要求社会工作从业者平衡社会和法律。本文将福柯的忏悔室概念与当前与成年受害者和虐待幸存者接触的社会工作实践进行了比较。有人认为，将这些互动视为类似忏悔的系统，突出了知识创造的过程，即在现代社会的支持下，自愿或通过强制报告与儿童保护机构分享虐待的个人叙述时发生的知识创造过程。状态。这种“忏悔镜头”帮助我们确定这一社会工作实践领域的平衡点，从提供关怀和以人为本，跨越边界，转向法律实践。童年虐待的叙述被转化为评估儿童当前风险所必需的知识。将成人置于外围的过程，导致潜在的伤害和再创伤。在现代国家的支持下设立儿童保护机构。这种“忏悔镜头”帮助我们确定这一社会工作实践领域的平衡点，从提供关怀和以人为本，跨越边界，转向法律实践。童年虐待的叙述被转化为评估儿童当前风险所必需的知识。将成人置于外围的过程，导致潜在的伤害和再创伤。在现代国家的支持下设立儿童保护机构。这种“忏悔镜头”帮助我们确定这一社会工作实践领域的平衡点，从提供关怀和以人为本，跨越边界，转向法律实践。童年虐待的叙述被转化为评估儿童当前风险所必需的知识。将成人置于外围的过程，导致潜在的伤害和再创伤。