Dr Theresa Redmond

Theresa is a subject specialist in child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE), gendered violence and how individuals make sense of their experiences. She takes an interdisciplinary approach and is currently leading and working on a variety of CSAE related projects within the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI) team.

[email protected]

Background

Theresa has extensive frontline practise-based experience in social care and in education. For many years, she worked with and supported people with learning disabilities, people experiencing mental health challenges, and children and young people at risk of, or experiencing, sexual exploitation and abuse.

Theresa is an experienced social sciences teacher and trainer, facilitating learning and workshops with HE students, professionals and third sector organisations on aspects of CSAE.

Theresa’s interest in researching child sexual exploitation and abuse, as a specific form of gendered violence, is focused on how it is experienced and made sense of by victims/survivors, parents and responding agencies, and developing policy and practice responses to challenge mutual mistrust that can develop between these social actors.

Before joining the IPPPRI team, Theresa was a researcher for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and an Assistant Facilitator in the Inquiry’s Truth Project.

Research interests

• Violence against women and girls
• Child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE)
• Sense-making and understandings of consent, agency and exchange within CSAE from personal and professional perspectives.
• Feminist methodologies
• Narrative Inquiry and analysis

Areas of research supervision

• Child sexual abuse and exploitation

Qualifications

• PhD in Sociology and Social Anthropology, University of Hull
• Postgraduate Certificate in Research Training, University of Hull
• MSc Psychology and Investigation (awarded with Distinction), University of Huddersfield
• PGCE Social Sciences and Citizenship (awarded with Distinction), Manchester Metropolitan University, Qualified Teacher Status Awarded in 2005
• BA (Hons) Social Policy and Administration (First Class), Leeds Metropolitan University

Selected recent publications

Conway, P., Redmond, T., Lundrigan, S., Bailey, S., & Lee, P. (2023 - under review). Protecting the Protectors: Moral Injury, Coping Styles, and Mental Health of UK Police Officers and Staff Dealing with Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation.

Redmond, T., Conwy, P., Bailey, S., Lee, P., & Lundrigan, S. (2023). How we can protect the protectors: learning from police officers and staff involved in child sexual abuse and exploitation investigations. Frontiers in Psychology, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1152446.

Hurcombe, R., Redmond, T., Rodger, H., & King, S. (2023). ‘Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Ethnic Minority Communities’ in Chapter 7, Gill, A.K & Begum, H. (eds) Child Sexual Abuse in Black and Minoritised Communities, Improving Legal, Policy and Practical Responses. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-06337-4_7

Zammit, J., Senker, S., Bows, H., Redmond, T., & Brähler, V. (2021). ‘Contemporary case file analysis of child sexual abuse in institutional settings.’ Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Brown, S., Redmond, T., Rees, D., Ford, S., King, S. (2020). ‘Child sexual abuse in school settings.’ Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), December 2020.

Rodgers, H., Hurcombe, R., Redmond, T., & George, R. (2020). ‘“People don’t talk about it”. Child sexual abuse and ethnic minority communities.’ Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).

Redmond, T. (2020). ‘Navigating the borderlands: Adult survivors’ experiences of child sexual exploitation’ in Chapter 9, Clisby, S (ed.) Gender, Sexuality and Identities of the Borderlands: Queering the Margins. London: Routledge.

Recent presentations and conferences

Presentations to practitioners 2023

‘Protecting the Protectors: Improving the wellbeing of police officers and staff involved in CSAE investigations’ Hampshire Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT).

‘How we can protect the protectors: learning from police officers and staff involved in child sexual abuse and exploitation investigations’ - National Investigator Wellbeing Week of Action.

‘Protecting the Protectors: Improving the wellbeing of police officers and staff involved in CSAE investigations’ - Norwegian Police (Kripos) who investigate CSA.

‘The Knock: impacts on the families and on the police, and how to do better.’ - Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, Liaison and Diversion officers.

Academic presentations

IPSCAN Conference, 2023

• 'Protecting the Protectors: Improving the wellbeing of police officers and staff involved in CSAE investigations’.
• ‘The ‘Knock’: Best practice in supporting the families of alleged CSA offenders’.
• ‘Victims and survivors: have a meaningful seat at the table’.

Gender Based Violence Conference, @ARU.

‘A personal perspective of the impacts of researching child sexual abuse and exploitation’

PIER23 Conference

• ‘Protecting the Protectors: Improving the wellbeing of police officers and staff involved in CSAE investigations’.
• ‘The ‘Knock’: Best practice in supporting the families of alleged CSA offenders’.

2018 - Centre of Expertise on Child Abuse PhD Conference, London Metropolitan University - presentation title: ‘Experiences of non-abusive parents whose child has been sexually exploited outside the family and home.’

2017 - 8th Annual Social Work Summer Conference, Sheffield Hallam University - presentation title: ‘Agency, exchange and sense-making in survivors’ responses to sexual exploitation.’

2016 - ‘Borderlands Conference, University of Hull - presentation title: ‘An exploration of the relationship between discourse and narratives of child sexual exploitation and the impact they have on victims/survivors.’

2015 - ‘Violence against Women and Girls’ Conference - Member of expert panel, Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE), Hull.