| Abstract: | This article argues that teaching concerning the perpetrators of sexual crimes against children should form an essential part of every diploma in social work course. Input which focuses only on the victims of such crime condones an essentially reactive response to one of the major concerns of our society. Social workers need to understand the modus operandi of perpetrators if they are able to recognise potentially abusive situations and work in a preventative way. Additionally, the methods of intervention currently being employed by the various treatment programmes can inform other areas of theory and practice, and consequently form links with a number of the broader aims and objectives of social work training. Thus in this article preventative work, adolescent perpetrators, the relationship between theory and practice, the transferability of knowledge and skills, and anti-oppressive practice are all considered. |
