Considering Family Reconnection and Reunification after Child Sexual Abuse

complex questions of separation, reporting,
court procedures, prosecution, sentencing,
community and family reactions, and
economic insecurity.
It can be difficult for many people to fully
take in the fact that the successful and
safe integration of the adult or youth who
sexually abused back into a community
means that every child and community is
safer. This is the ultimate goal for every
professional working towards community
safety, whether they are victim advocates,
sex-offender treatment providers,
probation or parole officers, or childprotective-services
case managers.
Most of these same professionals would
also agree that family reunification is not
the ultimate goal for every case. In fact,
reunification should only be considered if
safety can be maintained for everyone in
the family, especially with the safety of the
child who was victimized at the center of
the discussion.
Ideally, as part of the healing process,
the family will develop a structured
way to acknowledge and discuss how
A note about language
How we talk and think about the
dynamics of sexual abuse and those
involved can have profound effects on
how we approach the work.
With that in mind, this document
will use “person-first” language
to honor the various ways people
self-identify and to emphasize
that a behavior or experience
does not define the whole person.
Descriptions of someone’s behavior
such as “the person who sexually
abused a child,” “the child who
was sexually abused” or the “child
who was harmed” are used rather
than defining an individual by
their actions or what happened
to them (e.g. offender, abuser, or
victim, survivor.)
Describing someone as a “person”
first, whose life has been affected
by a behavior or experience,
avoids defining them solely by that
experience. It asks us to consider that
people can change, heal and grow,
and develop new, healthier identities.
Person-first language demands hope.
While this document is primarily
for sexual assault advocates, much
of this information can also be useful
to many other service providers.
When the document refers to
sexual assault advocates and other
professionals, this includes clinicians,
probation officers, child protection
service workers, and others who
may work with children who were
sexually abused.
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