Summary

A helpline and email service which provides an initial contact point for people worried about their own sexual attraction to children, or people worried about someone they know, for them to receive advice, support and referrals onto additional services e.g. psychologists.

Type of intervention

Phone, online/app

Target groups, level of prevention and subgroups

• Potential Offenders | Secondary prevention | Young People (12-17 years), Young Adults (18-20 years), Adults (21+ years) | Male and female | Phone, online/app | French
• Communities and Families | Secondary prevention | Young People (12-17 years), Young Adults (18-20 years), Adults (21+ years) | Male and female | Phone, online/app | French

Target population

People (young people aged 12 years + and adults) worried by their own sexual attraction or thoughts concerning children, but who have never acted upon these thoughts. This includes people who have viewed illegal images of children on the Internet, but have not offended offline.

People worried by someone else’s (young people aged 12 years + and adults) sexual attraction or thoughts concerning children (for example a partner or a friend) and that person has never acted upon these thoughts.

Delivery organisation

Association DIS NO – CH 1860 Monthey (French-speaking Switzerland).

Mode and context of delivery

The “Espace” is an initial contact point for people who are concerned about theirs or another adult’s thoughts and feelings, where they can receive advice and support and can be referred on to additional services if deemed necessary (for example a Psychologist).

It delivers this service through:
- A helpline
- An email service
- The possibility to have face-to-face meetings (in Monthey – Valais).

The service is for all appropriate individuals in Switzerland, who speak French.  

Level/nature of staff expertise required

For the Espace staff: experience in social work, mediation and child protection. For the professional network (to refer people on to) psychotherapists.

Intensity/extent of engagement with target group(s)

People can contact Espace by telephone or email or can attend face to face meetings for an unlimited number of times, depending on their need.

Description of intervention

The Espace’s activities began in April 2014.
he Espace is a threshold service offering a helpline number, an email address and the possibility for the concerned persons to have a personal interview. The Espace delivers information, a first hearing and a threshold coach. A first hearing is a discussion about the person’s situation via the helpline, email or a face to face meeting, to help the person to better understand their needs and the next steps to undertake. A threshold coach helps the person to understand what their problem and needs are and if necessary, directs the person towards a therapist from the professional network.

Media actions and campaigns to reach different target groups, for example young people, adults, partners and family members.

The target groups for Espace are assumed not to have acted on their sexual attraction towards children and thoughts offline, so they are free to stop the engagement at any moment if they wish so. However, the Espace clearly states that if any information is disclosed that a child has been sexually abused, the appropriate authority will be informed. This includes situations where a child is in danger of being sexually abused. Espace do not report the online viewing of child abuse images to the Police, but encourage the consumers to stop and to develop responsible behaviours. 

Evaluations

TThe pilot period of this project will run from April 2014 to March 2015. At the end of the pilot year, the collected data about the people who have contacted Espace will be internally evaluated, including the number of calls, emails and interviews, types of requests, target groups, ages, number of young people and pedophilia problems versus other problems (for example incestuous contexts, internet addictions and fear of reproducing victimization). The evaluation 3 © Lucy Faithfull Foundation 2015, Eradicating Child Sexual Abuse (ECSA) Reference No: OS13 | CS16 data is reported to the Federal Office of Social Insurances (Office Social des Assurances Sociales – OFAS)

References

The project preliminary research is available  on www.disno.ch/ 

Contact details

Association DIS NO - Route de Clos-Donroux 1 - 1870 Monthey - 0840 740 640 - aide@disno.ch

RATING: Pioneering

Information correct at February 2020