A child’s disclosure is one of the most important safeguarding events there is.
It is a moment of extraordinary courage.
It is a plea for protection.
It is evidence.

And yet:

Across the UK, children who disclose abuse are routinely dismissed, minimised, or disbelieved, often with devastating consequences.

For protective parents, it is one of the most traumatic experiences imaginable:
your child finally finds the strength to speak up, only for the professionals responsible for protecting them to do nothing.

This article explains:

• why children disclose

• how professionals should respond

• why many don’t

• what protective parents can do

• how 1VAA supports families through this

• the dangers of ignoring disclosures

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Children Rarely Lie About Abuse

The science is unequivocal:

• Children under 7 do not have the developmental capacity to fabricate detailed sexual abuse.

• When children lie, they lie to avoid punishment, not to make allegations.

• False allegations from children are extremely rare.

• Recanting does NOT mean they were lying, it means the pressure became too great.

Studies from NSPCC, CPS, Royal College of Paediatrics and the NICHD protocol confirm:

The overwhelming majority of child disclosures are truthful.

Children disclose when they:

• feel safe

• trust the adult

• reach breaking point

• fear further harm

• worry about younger siblings

• cannot carry the secret any longer

A disclosure is a rescue attempt.
But too often, the system treats it as an inconvenience.

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How Children Disclose Abuse — It’s Rarely a “Statement”

Children almost never disclose in one clear sentence.
Instead, they disclose through:

• drawings

• behaviour

• nightmares

• fear reactions

• regression

• accidental comments

• slips during play

• changes in how they speak about the perpetrator

• expressions like “I don’t want to go” or “Please don’t make me”

Professionals with insufficient training often misinterpret these signs as:

• anxiety

• shyness

• “normal separation issues”

• “parental influence”

This is why specialist training is essential.
Most frontline professionals simply haven’t had it.

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What SHOULD Happen When a Child Discloses

The law and safeguarding guidance (Working Together to Safeguard Children) require:

1. Immediate protection of the child

Risk must be assessed fully before contact continues.

2. Referral to a specialist child protection team

Not an untrained police officer.
Not a Social worker attending a rushed home visit.
A SQEP’d specialist.

3. A NICHD-standard Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) interview

Conducted by trained officers, occupational health therapists and clinical psychologists.

Not social workers conducting a tick box exercise for a section 7 or section 47.

4. Medical examination only by trained paediatricians

Never by unqualified staff but trauma trained team.

5. Full investigation, not “word against word”

Physical evidence is NOT required for an investigation.

6. No accusation that the child is lying

This is traumatising and professionally negligent. This will affect the child long term into their adulthood.

7. Children’s services must prioritise safety

Not contact arrangements.
Not “reunification.”
Not minimisation.

8. The protective parent must be supported, not blamed

Blaming the parent silences the child.

This is what the guidance says.
It is not what happens.

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What ACTUALLY Happens — The Failure Pattern 1VAA Sees Daily

Across hundreds of cases, the failures are predictable and repetitive:

❌ Police dismiss the disclosure

Common phrases:

• “There isn’t enough evidence.”

• “It’s probably a misunderstanding.”

• “Children say things.”

• “We’ve never had a complaint about him/her before.”

❌ Children’s services side with the calm abuser

Abusers often appear composed and articulate.
Protective parents appear distressed, traumatised, exhausted.
Professionals misinterpret emotion as instability.

❌ Perpetrators reframes disclosure as “Alienation”

This is one of the most dangerous trends in family court decisions.

❌ Children are forced into further contact

Even when they cry, panic, vomit, or hide.

❌ ABE interview done poorly or too late or not at all

Improper questioning destroys evidence.

❌ Disclosures minimised as “behavioural issues”

Especially for autistic or neurodivergent children.

❌ Protective parents threatened with removal

Victims of domestic abuse are accused of “overprotectiveness.”

❌ Professionals avoid escalation

Because serious case reviews expose agency liability.

This is not rare.
This is the national pattern.

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Why Children Recant and Why It Does NOT Mean They Lied

Children withdraw disclosures because they:

• fear not being believed

• fear repercussions

• fear being taken away

• feel guilty about “breaking the family”

• are pressured by the perpetrator

• are pressured by professionals

• see authorities siding with the abuser

• are exhausted by interviews and meetings

Recanting is a symptom of trauma, not fabrication.

Research shows:

A child recanting is more likely when the child is telling the truth.

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The Danger: “Parental Alienation” Used to Silence Children

One of the most alarming trends is the weaponisation of “alienation”:

• disclosures are ignored

• the child’s fear is reframed as coaching

• the protective parent is painted as manipulative

• abusers are given more contact, not less

This reversal puts children at risk of:

• repeated abuse

• trauma

• self-harm

• PTSD

• long-term emotional damage

• homicide risk in extreme cases

It is the exact opposite of safeguarding.

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How 1VAA Supports Children and Protective Parents

When a child discloses and professionals fail to act, 1VAA:

✔ Analyses all evidence

We identify behavioural indicators, patterns, consistencies, and corroborating factors.

✔ Reconstructs the chronology

We show the timeline clearly, something professionals often fail to do.

✔ Challenges flawed assessments

We point out errors, bias, omissions and breaches of safeguarding principles.

✔ Drafts formal safeguarding submissions

Evidence-led, structured, and legally coherent.

✔ Escalates to senior police and CP leads

We do not accept minimisation.

✔ Protects the child

We advocate for reduced or supervised contact.

✔ Supports ABE/medical processes

We ensure these are done correctly.

✔ Helps the protective parent communicate safely

Trauma can make explanations difficult, we help structure them.

✔ Provides ongoing support

You will not face this alone.

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If Your Child Has Disclosed Abuse

Please remember:

**They were brave.

They were telling the truth.
They were trying to protect themselves and you.**

And if the system has failed to act?

That is their failure.
Not yours.
Not your child’s.

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You Are Not Alone

If your child has disclosed abuse and you don’t know what to do next:

📩 support@1vaa.org.uk
🌐 www.1vaa.org.uk

We will:

• listen

• believe you

• believe your child

• assess the evidence

• expose professional failures

• protect your family

• fight for safety and justice

Children deserve to be heard.
We make sure they are.