A powerful new animated video has been produced by our gender-based violence (GBV) services (formerly EVA services) for professionals working with survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA).

The moving eight-minute animation, Never too late to tell: understanding childhood sexual abuse, follows the story of Moira, through her experience of CSA and its impact on her as a teenager and a young mother.

The story, based on research evidence and the real-life experiences of women who have been helped by GBV services, ends with Moira taking the step of seeking professional support following her experience of CSA.

NHS Lanarkshire clinical psychologist (EVA psychology) Dr Elaine Carr, one of the key expert contributors to the project, said: “The animation is an accessible way to communicate many of the issues associated with childhood sexual abuse.

“It is an invaluable training resource and conveys the common impacts of abuse such as low mood, anxiety, problems with intimacy, flashbacks and nightmares.

“Equally, it shows common coping strategies used to block out distress such as alcohol use and excessive cleaning.

“I’m grateful to all those I have had the privilege of working with – those who inspired this animation and those that did ‘tell’. Understandably, many survivors find it difficult to tell, and I hope the animation will help those struggling with the effects of CSA to know that support is available.”

GBV services manager Ann Hayne said: “The video is available online and we have a number of DVD copies available. There are also detailed training notes that professionals should use when showing it.

“The animation shows how perpetrators of CSA use grooming and coercion to gain control and silence children and young people, and how they manipulate other adults around a child or young person, including non-abusing parents.

“It also illustrates the impact on children and young people, the power imbalance between the perpetrator and children, the long-term impact of CSA on adults and ways in which adult survivors blame themselves for not realising what is happening and not being able to stop it.

“The animation shows professionals how best to support adult survivors of CSA by helping them to understand that the perpetrator was to blame and support is available even many years later.”

Ann advises that the animation has sensitive content that some viewers may find upsetting.

It is available to view or download at https://vimeo.com/232827805.

The training notes are available on FirstPort under GBV services and are on the disc as a PDF file. Contact GBVTraining@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk for discs, training notes or an input for teams who may use the resource regularly.