I am writing here as I have struggled to find anyone to speak to in person and feeling sick and unable to process what happened at the weekend, or where to find the right support and advice.
On Sunday our 2 young children (7) were playing at the park - the park is on a field attached to the front garden of our house, while my Husband was in the garden cutting the hedge ect - so he could see them but they were out playing with other children from the other houses that face onto the playground / field.
At one point during the day there were with an 11 year old boy, who it looked like they were playing with and he has taken them into the alley between 2 houses out of view of anyone for around 5 minutes and inappropriately assaulted them.
The police came to our house late Sunday night and took the clothes of our 2 children and asked if we could take them in to hospital for swabs ect - we didn't and they have since been interviewed by the police and we have been told that due to the boys age and circumstances this will not be prosecuted through the police but instead through social services involvement. They said there was no disagreement on either side as to whether this happened.
I can't sleep or eat and feel so sick - i'm so worried about them and how to support them to be ok longer term but finding it so hard to knowhow to get support, the police were doing there job but were focused on getting evidence/information ect, they put us in touch with a social worker that came briefly to an interview with the children and then left, and we have been told it's the other family that will need support of the social worker, but I just feel so overwhelmed with how best to support my kids going forward from this.
My husband is feeling so guilty too as he was around, and I feel a massive sense of guilt thinking things like should I have notices this child was strange, I could have taken them out with me and my elder daughter that day.
This isn't something I want to talk about with people who know my kids for their own privacy, I don't want anyone to look at the differently or treat them differently - but I feel so isolated and hoping there are some support services people can suggest. This family lives 6 doors down from us and the child will still be able to come and go to the park and playing with other kids ect as far as we are aware. I feel totally broken and scared for their future but trying to hold it together for everyone in real life.