Nursery World - Sexual abuse - The grooming of young children

With children at risk of sexual abuse from a very young age, it is vital that practitioners are aware of the signs. Elaine Hook offers some
guidance.

Child grooming is sexual abuse undertaken by establishing an emotional attachment with a child. That abusers will work to gain the trust of a child and make them feel special is well known.

What is less well known is that children are at risk from a very young age.

The term 'grooming' is most often linked to predatory strangers working online, or institutional grooming (such as the Rochdale scandal where gangs of men groomed and raped and tortured well over 1,000 children). When it comes to very young children, intra-familial grooming is the most common type.

As most children (estimates range from between 80 and 98 per cent) are abused by someone they know, grooming will often play a part. There are no specific statistics on intra-familial grooming, but about 1,000 children under five are victims of all forms of sexual abuse each year, according to the NSPCC.

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