Sexual Abuse and Misconduct by Professionals in Health and Social Care

The sexual abuse of children and vulnerable adults has recently been at the forefront of media attention with reports of historic incidents of sexual abuse committed by high profile celebrities, such as Jimmy Savile.

Enquiries into his sexually abusive behaviour in services conclude that institutional policies and cultures have changed significantly since his unfettered access and that services are now safer.

However, Dr Janet Melville-Wiseman, Principal Lecturer in Social Work, and Rosa Hossain, Research Assistant, have reviewed recent cases of sexually inappropriate behaviour by Health and Social Care professionals that have been taken through two of the major regulatory bodies (GMC/MPTS and HCPC) misconduct processes. The work provides a profile of the perpetrators and victims involved and examines the range and consistency of sanctions imposed. Initial conclusions suggest that the majority of such cases processed indicate that gender, relational dynamics between perpetrators and victims, and the context of the abuse remain areas of significant concern.

Most of the offences had taken place over a relatively short period of up to six months and most of the professionals involved faced erasure. This may indicate that such abuses come to light earlier than historic cases but are not yet being effectively prevented.