Dr Catherine Garrington

There are many puzzle pieces of collaboration in the treatment of individuals convicted of internet child abuse material offences. With information held by police, corrective services and private practitioners, it remains increasingly difficult to collate accurate chronologies of events and behaviours to inform treatment and enhance community protection.

Think: Police have investigation, interview and charge information. Corrective services have conviction information, plus information about the offender's behaviour in custody or on community orders. A private treating practitioner has what documents and information the offender provides. Within this complex landscape, assessments of risk are generally required to inform decisions in offender management, treatment and release pathways. Noting the dearth of risk assessment tools for online child abuse material offences, traditional sexual offender risk assessments may provide varying risk levels and limited accuracy.

This presentation will explore best practice approaches within the complexities of assessment and treatment, limits of confidentiality, and ongoing monitoring against the backdrop of the benefits and challenges of inter agency cooperation.