"The messy stories are the real ones”: exploring narratives of mothers whose children are impacted by child sexual abuse and social workers’ perspectives

Aim: To explore what life is like for mothers whose child has been sexually abused, as well as examine social workers’ perspectives. Background: Behind children harmed by sexual abuse are often the hidden victims, their mothers. What is well known is that a mother’s experience remains underexplored in the UK. Whilst attention is primarily focused on mothers in relation to the support and protection of their child. However, service responses often present many shortcomings which include a lack of understanding with a mother’s own needs overlooked and feeling pathologised, silenced and blamed. What is less well-known is what this experience looks and feels like for them and how mothers are often in crisis with their child but unrecognised as such. Methods: This study employs a qualitative multiple method design. Purposive sampling recruited nine mothers to participate in online narrative interviews. Whilst 10 social workers took part in two in-person focus groups to explore their views of mothers’ experiences. This is the first study of its kind in the UK to use a narrative approach and include social worker perspectives. Findings: Narrative thematic analysis of the interviews with mothers generated four themes, whilst reflexive thematic analysis of the focus groups with practitioners constructed three themes. Together, these were distilled into the final themes (1) Hijacked Motherhood: Weaponised and Colonised Identities, (2) Ruptured, Wounded and Scarred: The Embodiment of Mother's Narratives, (3) "There is no baby without a mother": Threads Which Bind Child, Mother and Social Worker, and (4) The Intersection of Systemic Failure and Defence Mechanisms. Practice Implications: This study amplifies mothers’ visibility and reframes understandings in recognition of their trauma experiences and symbiotic relationship with their child.