Best practice for parent-focused child sexual abuse prevention education in early childhood
Commissioned research
Amplifying the voices of victim-survivors: Advancing the harmful sexual behaviour evidence base – the Ava project
- Harmful sexual behaviours
- Therapeutic responses
- Victims & survivors
Project Length
24 months
Project Budget
$220,223
Funding Stream
Research
Project Lead
- Dr Gemma McKibbin, University of Melbourne
Project Team
- Professor Simon Hackett, Durham University
- Professor Cathy Humphreys, University of Melbourne
- Associate Professor Bridget Hamilton, University of Melbourne
- Dr Nick Halfpenny, MacKillop Family Services
- Matt Tyler, Jesuit Social Services
- Georgia Naldrett, Jesuit Social Services
Background and Aim
Harmful sexual behaviour has emerged as a relatively new, but important aspect of child sexual abuse, galvanising practitioners, policy makers and researchers. Much has been published about risk factors, aetiologies and therapeutic intervention for this cohort.
However, less attention has been paid to the experiences of victims and survivors of harmful sexual behaviours, and their unique service needs. This project aims to fill this gap through talking with victims and survivors to ascertain their perceptions about the impact of harmful sexual behaviours on their lives and their specific service needs.
Methods
The Ava project adopts an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to enable rich engagement with 10 harmful sexual behaviour victims and survivors aged 10-17 years, and 20 harmful sexual behaviour victims and survivors aged 18 years and over. Data will be collected through individual interviews, with knowledge translation occurring through a workshop, journal article and podcast.
Significance
It is likely that the current service system – universal, targeted and specialist – is not meeting the unique needs of harmful sexual behaviour victims and survivors. The Ava project will generate new knowledge, which will enable the service needs of victims and survivors to be better understood and met more fully.
Latest research outcomes
Research article: The child behind the victim: Survivor experiences of children's harmful sexual behaviour
Explores victim-survivors' experiences of children's harmful sexual behaviour and the impacts on safety, support and recovery
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Research article: “The victims become the scapegoats”: Victim-survivors’ experiences of children’s harmful sexual behaviour
Examines how victim-survivors experience responses to children's harmful sexual behaviour, highlighting challenges within families and service systems
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Webinar: Introduction to harmful sexual behaviours
Introduces key concepts, evidence and practice considerations relating to harmful sexual behaviours in children and young people
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