OVERALL CONCLUSION
103. Intervention at an early stage is important for this group of young people and we were encouraged by the commitment of staff to helping them. All of the schools were responding to the young people's wider needs as adolescents, as well as their specific needs due to their sexually harmful behaviour. However, the strengths of the provision we reviewed varied and the quality of services was not always consistent.
104. There is a balance to be achieved between specialist programmes which focus on the young person's sexually harmful behaviour, provided within an already specialist unit and work on other aspects of the young person's life. One of the under researched areas is whether specialist programmes provided by workers employed solely for the purpose of addressing sexually harmful behaviour are more, or less beneficial to young people, than those provided by staff who work with them in the unit on a range of behavioural issues. Whichever system is employed, the different elements must work together. Young people are most effectively helped by adults who can integrate all aspects of their lives. We were not convinced that this was understood fully in every setting, both within the schools and the young people's home authorities.
105. One of the professional risks in working with this group is a search for an 'expert' who will know how to solve all the young persons problems. Addressing sexual issues for victims and perpetrators can often leave staff feeling deskilled and uncertain. Staff who in other circumstances would be confident and capable. There are practical, emotional and theoretical aspects to the care of young people who can be sexually harmful and the most effective approaches need to address all of these equally and with transparency.
106. We conclude that at present services for young people with sexually harmful behaviour are most effectively delivered in dedicated settings which have specially trained staff in an appropriately designed environment. However, we recognise work in this area requires careful review and practice can be improved. There is still a shortage of programmes which can meet the needs of girls and young people with learning disabilities.
107. The schools which took part in this review have been working in this area for different lengths of time and skills and experience vary. We concluded that greater collaboration between them could promote sharing of good practice and the development of a range of programmes to meet different needs of young people.
108. The Care Commission, SWIA and HMIE identified advantages in inspecting these services in an integrated way, enabling evaluations to be made concerning the education and care practice of the school and the practice of the commissioning local authorities.
Recommendation
The Care Commission, SWIA and HMIE should continue to collaborate in periodic inspections of these services in a manner which is proportionate to the identified risks.