"They target vulnerability not just age". Perspectives on the response of one statutory service to the sexual exploitation of adults.

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What are the experiences of adult victim/survivors of sexual exploitation,including their understanding of the term 'sexual exploitation' (SE) and how itrelates to them? How helpful is this label?How is the statutory Safeguarding process experienced by both social workpractitioners and adult survivors of SE?How is vulnerability constructed within the Care Act (2014) and has thiscontributed to a narrative of victimhood?How is 'relationship-based social work practice' experienced by both adult socialworkers and survivors of SE?How might survivors envisage a 'different way' of being supported or makingchange in their lives?This study includes two phases; the first an auto-ethnographic account of my colleaguesand I in our roles as specialist adult social workers within a multidisciplinary teamestablished to address sexual exploitation of children and adults across an urban localauthority district. The second will utilise Participation Action Research (PAR) by meansof Arts-Based Methodologies/research (ABR) to explore the lived experiences of adultsurvivors of SE.Through a process of 'interactive interviewing' (Ellis, 2004), the experiences of myformer colleagues will be weaved into my own auto-ethnographic observations andreflections on practice with survivors in an effort to collaboratively 'share' experiences togenerate richer accounts (Ellis, 2004). In a process similar to reflective practicediscussions, data will be gathered via multiple interviews conducted bi-monthly over sixmonths. Sessions will provide the opportunity to discuss practice/research questions ina 'context of emerging and well-established relationships among participants andinterviewers' (Adams, 2008).Both strands of the research will examine the perceptions of safeguarding practice ofadult social workers and explore the applicability and limitations of existing models ofCSE. As current practice guidance for CSE focuses on developing authentic trustingrelationships to achieve long-term safeguarding goals (Shuker et al. 2013), I will explorethis assumption and the practicalities of achieving this aim within the constraints of aformal care management model. Brown's (2015; 2019) work on vulnerability and adissection of its socially constructed nature will be considered, particularly in relation tothe Care Act (2014) with its new emphasis on 'prevention' of abuse.PAR and ABR are effective in involving marginalised groups (Coemans et al., 2015), inthis instance through their ability to capture difficult to verbalise experiences. As well asthe potential to address power imbalance within the research process, the broader aimof enacting social change is fostered, utilising the ability of the arts to '...tap intoemotions and may jar us into seeing or thinking differently' (Yorks & Kasl, 2006p12) andwhich might more deeply connect with a wider audience.Various methods will be considered including poetry, crafting and collage 'art journaling'(compiling images, text or drawings) relating to a theme and a group format isenvisaged. It will be important to communicate from the start that not all survivors willwant to explicitly discuss or express their feelings on past exploitation and that theopportunity to assert their voice is still valued. It will also be important to be open aboutthe aims of the research as viewed by myself, and to the possibility that the group mightdemocratically seek to move in a different direction.This research aims to redress the balance by adding adult voices of survivors to theliterature. By enlisting practitioners and survivors as 'co-researchers', this researchseeks to 'position [both groups] as authorities of their own experiences and furtherdeveloping their awareness of systemic issues to move them to social action' (Martin etal., 2019 p6).