Child sexual exploitation (CSE): applying a systemic understanding of ‘grooming’ and the LUUUUTT model to aid second order change

摘要

Abstract Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) has been acknowledged in the UK as a form of child sexual abuse (Department of Education, 2017). This article presents a composite case study undertaken within family therapy and children’s social work based around some high‐risk CSE cases, using a variety of systemic ideas. The CSE case includes typical risks of abuse and exploitation, and the steps taken to understand and promote safety for the composite young person. The authors explore how CSE sits within the wider contexts of power and abuse in society. The article focuses particularly on first and second order change in CSE interventions, how we can systemically understand ‘grooming’, and how the LUUUUTT model can aid our practice. Practitioner points It is essential to locate CSE in its wider contexts, including family, organisational and societal contexts It is essential to understand the traps involved in the grooming process in CSE The LUUUUTT model (stories Lived, Unknown, Untold, Unheard, Untellable, Told and storyTelling) can be helpful in guiding systemic conversations and disclosures by young people A more cohesive and coordinated multi‐agency approach to CSE is proposed