Sexual offending and cognitive impairment
This course starts from the understanding that any service user with cognitive impairments is potentially vulnerable to becoming a victim of sexual abuse and offending, so incorporates introductory material about the nature of sexual offending and offenders. It serves as an alternative to our course 'Introduction to sexual offending', for those who need a more in-depth understanding of service users with cognitive impairments as they relate to sexual offences and offending.
It expands on this by considering the particular challenges of sexual harm and sexual offending created through behavioural disinhibition. It asks the questions:
- What is sexual offending?
- How do sex offenders operate?
- What are the relations between cognitive impairments, behavioural disinhibition and sexual offending?
- How does the law respond to sexual harm caused by those with cognitive impairments?
- What is the academic research around those with cognitive impairments who offend?
- What examples are there of sexual offending by those with cognitive impairments?
- How are offenders managed within the community?
- How can we work alongside those managing offenders?
- How do we act on concerns around our service users and share information safely?
This course will give confidence to those working with individuals with cognitive impairments that they can keep the public, other services users and themselves safe.