Using Q-methodology to explore what is valued from child sexual exploitation services: The importance of safety.

This thesis was written to fulfil the requirements of the University’s Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. The thesis consists of three chapters: a review of the research literature focused on the psychological and trauma-based impact of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), an empirical paper exploring young people and staff members’ viewpoints on CSE services and interventions, and an executive summary of the empirical paper which has been designed for dissemination to young people and staff members in CSE services.
The literature review identified four important themes across the research: (1) Overall mental health difficulties, (2) Self-harm and suicide, (3) Are difficulties a precursor or consequence of CSE? (4) Strengths and resilience. The review concluded that children involved in CSE are likely to be experiencing significant mental health difficulties. It was suggested that future research could consider exploring young people’s views on effective CSE interventions.
The empirical paper used Q-methodology to explore the subjective viewpoints of young people and staff members working with CSE services, regarding what is valued most from services and interventions. A total of 18 participants (nine young people and nine staff members) completed Q-sorts in which they were asked to rank 54 statements relating to different aspects of services. Three significant factors emerged: (1) The importance of safety and attunement, (2) Managing trauma and mental health difficulties, (3) Family, normality, and a relaxed approach. All three factors emphasised the importance of safety and trusting relationships between young people and professionals. These three factors identified key areas that service design would find useful to consider. It was recommended that young people are likely to benefit from specialist support from services which promote a relational approach to effectively meet the psychological needs of their service users.
The executive summary provides an overview of the findings of the empirical paper in an accessible format.