Workshop slides
MSU 2014 - Not to be reproduced without author's
consent
A contextual exploration of peeron-peer abuse; Lara, Mark and
Serena
MSU 2014 - Not to be reproduced without author's
consent
Contextualised Safeguarding?
Society
Neighbourhood
School
Peer Group
Home
Child
Firmin 2013
MSU 2015 - Not to be reproduced without author's consent
Lara, Mark and Serena
• Lara is bullied by Serena in school
• Mark has sexually and physically assaulted others in school over a
number of years
• After two years of bullying Lara is in the toilet with two friends
when Serena enters and steals from her
• Serena says that Lara can have her property back if she has sex with
Mark
• Mark enters the toilets and rapes Lara under the instruction of
Serena
• Lara’s friends watch and Serena films on her phone
• Later that day other boys in school start approaching Lara for sex
MSU 2015 - Not to be reproduced without author's consent
Individuals
Mark
•
•
•
•
•
Serena
Male
14 years old
Black British ethnicity
Lives with mother
Recorded as ganginvolved by the police
• Erratic school attendance
• Recorded offences and
arrests for robbery,
physical violence and
drugs possession
•
•
•
•
•
Female
14 years old
Black British ethnicity
Lives with mother
Recorded as gangassociated by the police
• Regularly attends school
• Record of a robbery
offence
Lara
• Female
• 14 years old
• Mixed Black/White
ethnicity
• Lives with mother
• Attends school relatively
regularly with some
truancy
• Record of a criminal
damage offence in the
year prior
• Described as withdrawn
and displays suicidal
thoughts in the months
after the offence (nothing
prior)
MSU 2015 - Not to be reproduced without author's consent
View it through a contextual lens
• In which environment were Lara, Mark or Serena most at risk, and
of what?
• In which environment were Lara, Mark or Serena most protected,
and from what?
Families
Mark
Serena
• Mark lives with his
mother and two younger
siblings
• He has some contact with
his father
• There are no child
protection issues raised
about the home
environment
• His mother has contacted
the school to raise her
concerns about Mark’s
behaviour – stating he is
missing from home
frequently and won’t
answer his phone
• Serena lives with mother
and siblings.
• Has witnessed domestic
abuse of her mother
when her parents were
together and of her
father’s later partners
• Both parents have
attempted suicide and
her mother has ongoing
mental health issues
• Her father is in custody
• Following the incident
her mother blames Lara
on social media
MSU 2015 - Not to be reproduced without
author's consent
Lara
• Lives with her mother
and sibling
• Has limited contact with
her father
• Witnessed domestic
abuse during childhood
• Father has misused
alcohol historically
• However, family are
supportive following the
incident and take
appropriate steps to
support their daughter
View it through a contextual lens
• In which environment were Lara, Mark or Serena most at risk, and
of what?
• In which environment were Lara, Mark or Serena most protected,
and from what?
Peer Groups
Mark
Serena
Lara
• Mark is gang-associated
outside of school, and
has a large peer network
who are involved in
violent and criminal
activity
• A number of Mark’s peers
outside of school have
convictions for robbery
and drug related
offences, and some of
them are in their late
teens and early twenties
• In school he is relatively
isolated from his peers
who report being afraid
of him and his behaviour
• Serena is described as a
bully by her school-based
peers during police
interviews
• She is acquainted with a
number of young people
in school who report
being afraid of her and
her father’s reputation
• Serena also has gangassociated peers outside
of school, both male and
female. One of Serena’s
friends is being sexually
exploited
• Lara is in supportive peer
group of young women
and also has a small
number of young men in
her wider peer network
• Two of Lara’s female
peers witness the assault
but do not intervene, and
as a result are charged
but acquitted
• Some of Lara’s peers
support her following the
abusive incident whereas
others side with Serena
• All peers refuse to give
evidence to the police
due to fear of reprisals
MSU 2015 - Not to be reproduced without
author's consent
View it through a contextual lens
• In which environment were Lara, Mark or Serena most at risk, and
of what?
• In which environment were Lara, Mark or Serena most protected,
and from what?
School
Lara, Serena and Mark
• The school is aware of the impact that local gang-related violence is having on their
students
• Lara is bullied by Serena in school. Other students also report bullying by Serena,
however the school denies that she is a bully and instead refer to her as
‘headstrong’
• School professionals are aware of Serena’s vulnerabilities at home and seek to
protect her in school which is her ‘safe place’
• Lara is exposed to sexual and physical violence between her peers in school
• It is on school property that Lara is raped
• Mark sexually harasses and physically assaults young women within school for two
years
• The school respond with detentions and reprimands but do not refer to children’s
social care
• The school offer Mark’s mother a parenting programme to address her concerns
• Parents state that they will not support their young people to give evidence during
the investigation as it will compromise their safety in school
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author's consent
Neighbourhood
Mark
Serena
Lara
• Mark spends most of him
time on the streets in his
local neighbourhood
• Mark is gang-associated in
the local neighbourhood
where he is exposed to and
engages in physical violence
• He was first victimised age
10 when is bike was stolen.
While he was harmed since
this was the only offence
that he ever reported
• The school is so concerned
about the levels of violence
that he is experiencing that
they report he is unsafe
outside of the school gates
• Serena is associated to
gang-involved peers in the
neighbourhood
• There is police intelligence
to suggest that she has been
threatened on the street by
young men in the past
• One of her female peers is
being sexually exploited by
a street-based group of
young men
• Serena is repeatedly going
missing into the
neighbourhood but the
incidents are rarely reported
by her family
• Lara spends little time out in
the local neighbourhood
• She goes to the shops with
her friends
• Lara is aware that both
Serena Mark are associated
to different local gangs but
she is not associated with
them in the neighbourhood
- only through school
• After the offence Lara is
attacked on the street near
her school by people who
claim to be friends of
Serena
MSU 2015 - Not to be reproduced without
author's consent
So….
• In which environment were Lara, Mark or Serena most at risk, and
of what?
• In which environment were Lara, Mark or Serena most protected,
and from what?
• Which environment was most strongly associated to the abusive
incident?
Society - the bigger picture
Peer-on-peer abuse does not occur in a vacuum, it
occurs in a society where there are structures and
norms that shape young people’s views, experiences
and behaviour, as well as responses towards them.
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consent
Group reflections
Q1. What key learning/messages would you
would like to take away from this session and
feedback to the wider group?
Q2. How can the learning be applied within your
role and service/organisation?
MSU 2014 - Not to be reproduced without author's
consent