Journal article
Navigating Institutional Tensions in Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure Practice: A Qualitative Study of Practitioners' Experiences
Child & family social work, Vol.First online, pp.1-8
21/08/2026
Appears in Recent Faculty of Health Publications
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Abstract
While research has examined barriers and facilitators to child sexual abuse disclosure, less is known about how practitionersnavigate the complexities surrounding disclosure. This study explored how practitioners understand and navigate factors shap-ing child sexual abuse disclosure. Twenty-three practitioners participated in six group Yarns. Data were analysed using reflexivethematic analysis. Three interconnected themes were identified. First, practitioners understood disclosure as a relational processshaped by trauma-informed discourses that emphasised trust and children's agency. Second, organisational procedures, man-datory reporting, documentation practices and fragmented interagency responses were described as institutional arrangementsthat constrained these principles. Third, practitioners responded to these tensions through ethical mindfulness, engaging inongoing reflection and judgement to balance children's well-being and safety within institutional constraints. The findings con-tribute to understanding disclosure practice as a site of tension between child-centred ideals and institutional requirements.Practices responding to the disclosure of child sexual abuse are not only shaped by individual practitioners but also by broadercontextual and institutional arrangements. Strengthening child-centred and coordinated responses requires attention to thesystemic conditions that enable practitioners to support children's agency during disclosure.
Details
- Title
- Navigating Institutional Tensions in Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure Practice: A Qualitative Study of Practitioners' Experiences
- Creators
- Corina Modderman - La Trobe UniversityAntonia Canosa - Southern Cross UniversityDarlene Rotumah - Southern Cross UniversityKathomi Gatwiri - Flinders UniversityJaime Chubb - Centre Against Violence (Wangaratta, Australia)Lynne Mcpherson - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Child & family social work, Vol.First online, pp.1-8
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Grant note
- This research was funded by the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (Australia). Open access publishing facilitated by La Trobe University, as part of the Wiley - La Trobe University agreement via the Council of Australasian University Librarians.
- Identifiers
- 991013396817302368
- Copyright
- © 2026 The Author(s).
- Academic Unit
- Centre for Children and Young People; Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples; Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article