Tracey Sagar

Anti-Social Powers and the Regulation of Street Sex Work

This article focuses on the use of anti-social behavior powers in relation to a group of vulnerable women – street sex workers. It illustrates how the use of legal tools – anti-social behavior orders and public nuisance injunctions – against sex workers has been both misplaced and ineffective. The article also considers the use of anti-social powers in light of the governments leaning towards the coercive (or some might argue the compulsory) rehabilitation of sex workers. In doing so, it draws attention to the lack of research on the impact of both exclusion orders and rehabilitation orders for sex workers. Whilst it is important to fill this knowledge gap, it is argued that future investigations in this area would benefit from social network research approaches.

Student involvement in the UK sex industry: motivations and experiences

The Student Sex Work Project was set up in 2012 in the United Kingdom (UK) to locate students who are involved in the sex industry, to discover their motivations and needs, and in doing so provide an evidence base to consider the development of policy and practice within Higher Education. As part of this initiative, a large survey was undertaken comprising students from throughout the UK. Reporting on the findings from this survey, the article sheds some light on what occupations students take up in the sex industry, what motivates their participation and how they experience the work. The study also offers a much-needed empirical input to the ongoing academic debates on the nature of sex work. The results suggest that there can be little doubt of a student presence within the sex industry in the UK. The motivations and experiences of student sex workers cover elements of agency and choice as well as of force and exploitation and it is suggested that student sex work is best understood from a polymorphous framework which leaves room for a wide variety of experiences and challenges.

New Localism: Implications for the Governance of Street Sex Work in England and Wales.

This article focuses on the escalating shift in power from the centre to ‘community’ with specific regard to the local governance of street sex work. With reference to reforms in local governance and sex work policy, we question what localism may mean for street sex workers as both vulnerable members of the community and also anti-social subjects. Our critical examination suggests that street sex workers are susceptible to increasing marginalisation and social exclusion. To counter this, it is argued that there needs to be greater attention and investment towards improving community cohesion and democracy for ‘all’ within the localist agenda.

Priorities for the minority? Street-based sex work and Partnerships and Communities Together (PACT)

The 2006 Co-ordinated Prostitution Strategy recommended local ‘needs’-based responses to target street sex work, and to this end consultation with members of the wider community – an approach that has also been more recently recommended by the current Coalition government in 2011. This article draws on empirical data collated over two years in the city of Cardiff, Wales. It focuses on Partnerships and Communities Together (PACT) meetings as a primary pathway for police/public consultation, and highlights how despite a lack of community representation at PACT, street sex work can become a community priority to be addressed with a punitive response. However, a public opinion survey carried out with 205 Cardiff residents suggests the wider community are more tolerant and very concerned about the safety of street workers. In conclusion we suggest that PACT priorities can misinterpret and misrepresent the views and opinions of the community.

Student participation in the sex industry: higher education responses and staff experiences and perceptions

This article discusses student sex workers in higher education in Wales from an institutional perspective. It investigates how student sex work is dealt with within higher education and in doing so highlights the lack of higher education policies/guidance/training to assist staff members who have experiences with students working in the sex industry. Drawing on data from The Student Sex Work Project, the research found that staff members’ knowledge on the legalities of sex work and on appropriate referral pathways is inadequate. While some institutions and some of their staff deem that student sex work would bring the reputation of the university and/or the profession for which the student is training into disrepute (necessitating disciplinary action), other institutions and staff indicated that student sex work requires an individualised approach, which can offer support in different areas. The article argues that steps need to be undertaken to make the higher education environment inclusive for all students, including those who work in the sex industry.

The Local Governance of Street Sex Work in the United Kingdom Views from the Shop Floor

The 2006 Coordinated Prostitution Strategy set out the aim of the then New Labour government to eradicate sex work from the streets of England and Wales. Towards achieving this Utopia, localized consultation with the community was demanded to ascertain community need to facilitate the development of evidence-based policies that would reside within existing local community safety frameworks. This article draws on an empirical study that considered “community perspectives” of street sex work in the Capital of Wales, Cardiff, in 2010. Adopting a mixed methodology, the study engaged with community members most affected by street sex work to develop realistic evidence-based policy. Our findings deconstruct central perceptions regarding the “inevitability” of sex work and offer potential solutions from the community perspective. This raises questions about how community opinion is incorporated within local policy-making processes, where that opinion differs substantially from central policy. We argue that community consultation must be ethical in the sense that consultation findings must be capable of having some impact on policy decision making/development. In conclusion, we urge local partnerships and central governments to listen to the views from the “shop floor” and consider carefully the strategies suggested by communities—however bold they might be.

‘More Adoptions, More Quickly’: A Study of Social Workers' Responses to the Adoption and Children Act 2002

This article draws on findings from a small pilot study seeking an early indication, from the social worker perspective, of the impact of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 on the adoption process. The article discusses several issues. These issues include government targets, recruitment drives, training, disruptions and post‐adoption support. We found that some social workers in the field of adoption harbour grave concerns regarding New Labours ‘more adoptions more quickly’ approach. The findings suggest that it can be very difficult for social workers to communicate effectively to prospective adopters the type of child that is available for adoption. This difficulty may be exacerbated by the new, quicker approach to adoption approval. Furthermore, whilst social workers may welcome the provision of increased post‐adoption support, the article points to the importance that social workers attach to post‐qualifying training for tackling communication problems between social workers and prospective adopters. They also attach importance to the provision of improved training for prospective adopters, in order that such adopters are appropriately prepared to parent a looked after child.