The perspectives of stakeholders regarding evidence-based practice in the delivery of care to children who were sexually abused

Abstract

The Scottish government recently incorporated the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law to give effect to international efforts that protect children's rights. Despite these efforts, challenges such as child sexual abuse persist, not only in Scotland, but also globally. Child sexual abuse has a complex recovery process which requires multi-level interventions. The thesis, therefore, aims to improve support for survivors of sexual abuse by investigating evidence-based practice. Evidence-based practice combines research with clinical expertise and has been shown to have beneficial outcomes. However, the adoption of evidence-based practice has been slow due to barriers preventing its implementation, including in the field of child sexual abuse where literature on evidence-based is limited.

The research question focuses on the perceptions of different stakeholders about evidence-based practice in the area of child sexual abuse and how research may be better integrated into practice. To address this, interviews were conducted with twenty-eight participants, grouped as practitioners, researchers, and directors or managers of social services.

The findings of the study reveal the complexities of implementing new interventions in therapy, emphasising the need for a balanced and flexible approach. They also highlight the importance of strengthening partnerships between researchers and practitioners to promote the adoption of interventions that research has shown to be effective.

Based on the results of the study, an evidence-based practice framework is proposed which provides a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach to promoting the integration of research and practice. This framework emphasises tailored interventions, therapeutic relationships, collaboration between stakeholders, and the need for organisational support and policy-level facilitation. It underscores the importance of developing effective dissemination strategies and promoting an evidence-based culture within organisations to promote research-practice integration. The model has the potential to have application beyond the current context.

Date of Award	3 Nov 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Abertay University
Supervisor	Annelize McKay (Supervisor) & Mhairi Thurston (Supervisor)