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Broad Range of Sexual Offences
The word “paedophile” is commonly used in society. “Sex offender” even more so in professional settings.
The range of sexual offences, however, is vast, covering everything from the most serious of crimes such as the rape of a young child to those comparatively more minor crimes such as young people sending explicit images of themselves to their partners.
People with a criminal record face stigma in many areas of life and those convicted of a sexual offence can face the most extreme stigma of all.
There are, unfortunately, organisations who work with people with a criminal record but exclude those with a conviction for a sexual offence. For some organisations this will be because of operating issues such as insurance; for others it will be due to the fear of reputational risk; and for others still it might be through fear of funder objections. However, whatever the rationale, these blanket bans take no account of the specifics of the conviction and in no way allow for risk assessment of the individual person.
There may well be a whole host of issues that mean blanket bans continue within your organisation. However, it would be good to really ask yourself and your teams why the blanket bans are in place and whether anything can be done, in relation to supervision and support, that might open your opportunities up to a wider range of beneficiaries.
Signposting
The following organisations offer support on this topic.
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