The rise in the number of children identifying a female as their sexual abuser is worrying. However, it is not surprising.

As a professional working with both male and female sexual abusers, I have often been faced with male sexual abusers who report having been sexually abused by a female when they were children. Yet there are very few women in prison for sexual offences against children. So where are all the female sexual abusers?

Historically it has been hard for society to accept that women abuse children: we believe women are nurturers. Because society has got stuck in the mindset that only men abuse children, victims of female abusers fear telling anyone in case they are disbelieved. Boys, in particular, appear reluctant to tell others that they are being abused by a woman.

The figures released by the NSPCC challenge the idea that sexual abuse is a male-perpetrated crime. Female sexual abuse has begun to receive more attention in society as the result of several recent high-profile cases – such as that of the nursery worker Vanessa George.

Despite the increase in the number of children identifying a female as their sexual abuser, very few children have officially reported this abuse. Where, then, do we go from here? Are we doing all we can to protect and safeguard children from sexual abuse? What should we be watching out for?

Recently I interviewed convicted female sexual abusers in England to understand more about how they abuse children. The results shed some light on how we can further protect children.

First, like male sexual abusers, all women who abused children knew their victims well. However, unlike their male counterparts, female abusers tended to offend alongside a man – in fact, well over half did.

Being female also seemed to have advantages for keeping the victim "quiet". Sometimes women used the very fact they were female to dissuade the victim from "telling" ("who would believe you?"). What can we take from this?

The first step towards protecting children from abuse is to be aware of the various forms it can take. It would be a sad state of affairs if we felt unable to trust anyone with our children, but we should not accept that they are automatically safeguarded from abuse just because a female is present. . Parents should remain vigilant.

We may already tell children they shouldn't "keep secrets" with adult males. Children may also be told to report any inappropriate touching from males. But are children aware that an abuser may be female? Are we taking the trouble to make it clear to children that women may also touch inappropriately and ask children to "keep secrets"? I am not suggesting we become hyper-vigilant to the point of ridiculousness. But it is our responsibility to ensure that we protect children from all types of sexual abuse.