There may be times when an adult makes an allegation of abuse, including sexual abuse, that happened many years ago. This is often called historical or non-recent abuse. Most commonly it is an adult reporting abuse that happened during their childhood, but it could also be an older adult who experienced abuse as a younger adult.
There are a number of reasons why the adult may not have been able to report the abuse at the time. This includes:
- a concern that they may not be believed;
- a fear of retaliation by the alleged abuser;
- the consequences to themselves or others of the impact / fallout of reporting the abuse;
- a power imbalance between the abuser and the adult.
There are also different reasons why the adult decides to report the abuse at that particular time. This may include:
- sharing it with another person and being supported to report it;
- being aware of other allegations against the abuser.
Historical abuse allegations may be more complex to investigate and prosecute due to the passage of time; there may be less evidence available and / or people may have left the area for example. However, evidence inlcuding photographs may still be available and people may be willing to give statements. There are many examples of successful prosecutions of historical abuse which, indeed, may be a motivating factor in the adult deciding to make a formal complaint to the police.
If the alleged abuser was in a position of trust with children or vulnerable adults at the time of the offence/s, either children’s social care or adult social care (as relevant) should hold a strategy discussion to determine what is known about the alleged abuser now and whether any further action is required. Discussions should involve senior police officers and partner agency managers to ensure there are appropriate resources, as required.
Where the alleged abuser is a family member or acquaintance and it is not possible to identify current children or adults at risk, the worker should report the disclosure to the police on 101.
For further information in relation to children’s safeguarding, see LLR Safeguarding Children’s Procedures.
For action in relation to adult safeguarding, see Stage 3: Undertaking Enquiries.
