North West Sexual Abuse Consultancy
Co-Directors: Jacqueline Toro & Paul Clark
About NWSAC
NWSAC provides risk assessments, offence-specific interventions and training for agencies and organisations concerned with safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Paul Clark and Jacqueline Toro are Independent Social Workers, specialising in risk of sexual harm. They are Co-Directors of NW Sexual Abuse Consultancy. Launched in August 2011, NWSAC provides a range of services for Courts, the Police, Local Authorities, faith and sports organisations, MAPPA Boards, Youth Offending Teams, and other agencies involved in safeguarding and child protection.
Paul and Jacqueline have extensive experience working with families where sexual abuse is a concern. They are frequently called upon to act as Expert Witnesses in the Family Courts as Risk Assessment Experts.
We provide bespoke services to a range of external agencies. Our primary objective is to prioritise the safety of vulnerable children and young adults, and in this context, the welfare of children is paramount to all the work and decisions that we make. We work in a respectful, honest, and transparent way with families, taking on board the diverse and often complex needs of our service users. This includes recognition of their age, disability, identified gender, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.
We understand the importance of conflict resolution in supporting our service users to understand how we have arrived at difficult decisions which may be different to their own, their perception of themselves, and/or their family. Our practice is underpinned by up-to-date research and our extensive knowledge of adults who pose a risk of sexual harm. We provide Risk Assessments and Capacity to Protect Assessments to advise Courts and Local Authorities in planning to ensure children’s safety.
Our Safe Carers intervention (group work programme) is designed for primary carers who are working to safeguard children from individuals who pose significant risk, and as a preventative measure to support children in remaining safe living in their family.
Based in the North West of England, NWSAC provides a high-quality specialist service. Referrals are accepted from professionals and organisations nationally.
Services
Safe Carers Programme
Safe Carers & partners of sex offenders
Assessment of the capacity of carers to protect children and young people from the risk of sexual harm.
Safe Carers Programme
Therapeutic assessment of primary carers of children.
Referrals can be made at any time throughout the year.
Contact Jacqueline for further information or to discuss a potential referral
Rules for Living Intervention
Work to prepare couples who are working towards family reunification (long-term risk management).
We provide a programme of structured intervention - Rules for Living work - which involves working with couples in the final phase of family reunification.
This work is an integral part of long-term risk management. It is designed to support adults who are managing risk posed by a family member who has committed a sexual offence who is preparing to return to live in a family.
The intervention commences when -
i) the adult with the sexual conviction has been formally assessed as presenting a manageable risk, and following his/her meaningful engagement in treatment.
ii) the protective carer (usually the mother) has successfully completed a programme of Safe Carers work.
Rules for Living work consists of 5-6 sessions facilitated by Jacqueline. Personal work is undertaken outside of the structured sessions to ensure that the work is being internalised.
If you would like more information on Rules for Living work, please contact Jacqueline.
Risk Assessments
Assessment of risk of sexual harm to children and young people posed by adult males:
Risk assessments are typically based upon:
• Actuarial risk assessment (where appropriate)
• Structured information using Risk of Sexual Violence Protocol (RSVP)
• Consideration of Stable and Acute risk factors
• Psychometric evaluation where appropriate – independently scored and evaluated
• Interviews with the subject of the assessment
• Information from agencies, extended family and social network
• Wishes and feelings of the children involved where appropriate - gained from professionals
• Research based evidence
Training
Bespoke packages can be designed to meet agency needs.
Jacqueline Toro
Professional Memberships; NAGALRO
Registered with Social Work England – No.: SW86683
I have an extensive background in Social Work spanning over thirty-five years. In this time, I have worked as a Child Protection Practitioner, a Children’s Guardian, a Manager of a team of Specialist Social Workers, and most recently as an Independent Social Worker. I am Co-Director of North West Sexual Abuse Consultancy, launched in 2011.
I qualified as a Social Worker in 1983 (University of Manchester), and following this, worked for Tameside Local Authority - and then later, from 1989, for Bolton MBC as a Senior Social Worker in an assessment and therapy unit. The key focus of my work between 1983-2000 involved assessing family viability in high risk cases of child abuse and working directly with children following separation from their family as a result of safeguarding concerns. I provided many assessments for Court during this time, as well as providing consultation to staff in all areas of safeguarding/child protection. During the latter period, I developed and presented training packages to multiple agencies in relation to child abuse. Within this role, I developed my skill and knowledge of deviant sexual pathology - assessing men who presented risk of sexual harm to children, and facilitating therapeutic groups for mothers following allegations of sexual abuse made by children.
Other aspects of my work during this period involved chairing Child Protection Case Conferences and reviewing children in the ‘Looked After’ system.
From 1994 – 2000 I was appointed as a Children’s Guardian on two Panels - Stockport and Bolton, whilst continuing to maintain my role working as a Senior Social Worker for Bolton Local Authority.
In October 2000 I was appointed Specialist Social Worker and subsequently Manager of Meadow House, NSPCC. This is a Unit which assesses and treats sex offenders, working in close partnership with Probation, Youth Offending Services and the Police. I regularly provided risk assessments for Court in respect of convicted and unconvicted sex offenders, and also provided offence-focused treatment of adult sex offenders in partnership with Lancashire Probation Service. I received training and supervision in the area of sexual offending, including training in the use of actuarial risk assessment tools. I regularly provided risk assessments for Court following applications made by Lancashire Police in relation to convicted sex offenders when Sexual Offences Prevention Orders were being sought.
Teaching/Training
I have developed and presented a range of training packages for the LSCB and for the Youth Offending Service, as well as presenting workshops at NOTA Conferences. This included Understanding and Recognising Sexual Harm, Why Children Don’t Tell, Working with Highly Resistant Offenders, Preparing to work with Sex Offenders, Understanding the Theoretical Models which underpin sexual offending and Female Sex Offenders. I also provided training to Lancashire Police, (‘High Risk Sex Offenders’ and ‘Achieving Best Evidence’).
Between 2015-2019, I provided training to Merseyside Police on the ’SCAIDP’ (Specialist Child Abuse Investigations course), and Tier 3 Advanced Suspect Interview course. All of my training is based on up to date theory and research relating to sex offenders, and drawn from my experience of working directly with this client group.
Consultation
Whilst working for the NSPCC, I provided consultation to the Probation Service in the management and treatment of sex offenders, advising on appropriate sentencing for adults who had committed sexual offences, and contributing to Multi-Agency Public Protection Panels advising on safeguarding and risk management issues.
Therapeutic work
I am a Home Office accredited group facilitator and have run offence-focused treatment programmes for sexually deviant men in partnership with Greater Manchester Probation Service. In 2005 I developed my expertise in the area of female sexual offending and delivered treatment plans for a number of female sex offenders. My article in ‘Seen and Heard’ (volume 19 – September 2009) encapsulates many of the challenges facing practitioners and clinicians working in this area.
‘Safe Carers’ intervention
Since 2007, I have developed and facilitated a bespoke programme of individual and group work for primary carers (now including fathers) who are attempting to protect children from risk of sexual harm. This continues to be a key focus of my work in the present day, and NWSAC’s Safe Carers programme is regularly utilised by Local Authorities in the Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire areas.
Expert Witness
I am used by the Courts as an Expert Witness, (Independent Social Worker) and have undertaken many complex assessments of family viability and risk in both birth and reconstituted families, where sexual violence/deviance are key features.
Paul Clark
Paul is an independent risk assessment expert, assessing the risk posed to children and vulnerable adults by people convicted of, or alleged to have committed, sexual offences, and assessing a partner’s capacity to protect specific children within the family. This has been his specialist area of work for the last 30 years.
Until July 2009, Paul had worked for the NSPCC for 18 years, the last 14 of which he managed the Meadow House Team in Preston, a specialist sex offender team working with adult offenders, their partners and families, providing risk assessment and treatment services.
Prior to this, Paul was a Probation Officer in Greater Manchester for 6 years where he began developing his experience in the assessment and treatment of sex offenders and their families in both individual and group settings.
Paul has provided risk assessments for Local Authorities, Family Courts, the Police, MAPPA boards, Local Authority Designated Officers (LADOs) faith organisations and sports governing bodies as well as consultancy and direct services in relation to young abusers. He was also a professional member of the multi-agency Diocesan Safeguarding Commission in the Catholic Diocese of Lancaster advising on safeguarding and risk management issues. He is frequently called upon to act as expert risk assessment witness in the Family Court.
He has experience in ‘value-based interviewing’, which he uses to assess suitability of professional people in a position of trust (PiPoT) when allegations of misconduct have been made or doubts exist about their professional suitability. He also has experience of working with violent males in a variety of settings.
Paul has, for many years, been a regular staff trainer for a range of professional agencies involved in protecting children from the risk of sexual harm - including Local Authorities, Health Services, Police, Probation, and faith and sports orgainsations.
Paul is a member of the National Organisation for the Treatment of Abusers (NOTA) through which he receives regular information and access to training in order to update his knowledge and practice base.
He is a member of the National Association of Guardians Ad Litem and Reporting Officers (NAGALRO), through which he has professional and public liability insurance.
He is registered with Social Work England and as a Data Controller under the Data Protection Act 1998.
Summary of experience
1983–85
DipSW (CQSW) postgraduate training at Lancaster University.
1985 – 91
Probation Officer, Greater Manchester Probation Service (Rochdale).
Generic offender supervision, throughcare and Court Officer work.
Specialist work with adult sex offenders and their families
Working with violent offenders.
Involved in establishing and running the joint agency (Probation/NSPCC) groupwork sex offender programme.
1991- 94
Child Protection Officer, NSPCC, Rochdale, Bury & Oldham Child Protection Team
Maintaining and developing the sex offender group programme as well as providing assessment and treatment services for partners, family members and young abusers.
Providing consultancy to the Stockport multi-agency groupwork programme for adolescent males displaying harmful sexual behaviour.
1994 – 2009
Children’s Services Manager, Meadow House Team, Preston, Lancashire.
Established adult sex offender team with Probation Service in Lancashire (LPS). As LPS established their own specialist groupwork team, the Meadow House team widened its remit to include working across the North West providing accredited groupwork and risk assessment and intervention services.
Risk assessments regularly provided to Social Services Child Protection decision-making fora, Family Courts, MAPPA Boards, sports governing bodies, and Police applications for Sexual Offences Prevention Orders.
Provision of consultancy and direct services to Lancashire Youth Offending Teams supervising children and young people displaying harmful sexual behaviour.
Recruiting to team and provision of regular supervision and support to staff.
Trained to provide ‘value based’ interviews in selecting staff.
2007 - 2009
Professional member of the Lancaster Diocesan Safeguarding Board advising on safeguarding and risk management cases with the Catholic Church.
2007 – 2009
Involved in setting up and managing the Blackpool LSCB Safeguarding in Leisure project, piloting safeguarding across Local Authority and private leisure facilities in Blackpool.
1991 -
Regular provider of training and consultancy re adult sex offenders and their families for NSPCC and external agencies.
July 2009 -
Working as an independent sexual abuse risk assessment expert, also providing assessments in relation to domestic violence perpetrators and adolescents displaying harmful sexual behaviour.
August 2011 to current day
Working as NWSAC with Co-Director Jacqueline Toro. Providing risk and capacity to protect assessments for Courts and other agencies.
March 2015 - Appointed as member of Sport Resolutions Arbitration Panel – Risk Assessment.
January 2023
Associates
In order to offer a wider range of services, some referrals to NWSAC are undertaken on our behalf by other registered professionals. All NWSAC Associates have extensive qualifications and experience, and we retain oversight in order to ensure that the quality of service provided is consistent with our own high standards.
Current Associates
Dr Geraint Lewis - Consultant Clinical Psychologist (Download CV)
Dr Keith Whittle - Consultant Clinical Psychologist (Download CV)
Links
NOTA - National Organisation for the Treatment of Abusers - Professional multi-disciplinary organisation dedicated to work with sexual abusers.
NAGALRO - professional association for social work practitioners who work in the children and families field and represent children in public and private court proceedings. It has a reputation for excellence in the services it provides: its training, journal, and the influence of its campaigning and responses.
