Best practice for parent-focused child sexual abuse prevention education in early childhood
Commissioned research
Improving legal, policy and practice responses to the intersection of domestic violence perpetration and child sexual abuse offending
- Justice
- Victims & survivors
Project Length
24 months
Project Budget
$195,651
Funding Stream
Research
Project Lead
- Scientia Associate Professor Michael Salter, University of New South Wales
Project Team
- Associate Professor Molly Dragiewicz, Griffith University
- Dr Delanie Woodlock, Monash University
- Angela Lynch, Queensland Sexual Assault Network
- Dr Lenka OlejnÃková, National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse
- Dr Cate Banks, Monash University
- Kathleen Maltzahn, Sexual Assault Services Victoria
- Professor Jan Breckenridge, University of New South Wales
- Di McLeod, Gold Coast Centre against Sexual Violence
Background and Aim
This project will provide essential insights into the challenges of responding effectively to the intersections of domestic and family violence and familial child sexual abuse. Domestic and family violence perpetrators are at increased risk of sexually abusing their children, however, responses to both are siloed and lack coordination.
This project aims to investigate how legal systems respond when child sexual abuse is reported in the context of domestic and family violence, explore how the co-occurrence of child sexual abuse and domestic and family violence is managed by services, and examine the lived experience of the intersection of domestic and family violence and child sexual abuse from the perspective of survivors.
Methods
This mixed methods project will include a content analysis of Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia cases, interviews and focus groups with up to 30 practitioners, and interviews with up to 10 adult victims and survivors whose mother or stepmother was subjected to domestic and family violence, and 10 domestic and family violence survivors whose children were sexually abused by the perpetrator.
Significance
This project will create new knowledge about cases in which child sexual abuse occurs in the context of domestic and family violence, how legal systems respond, and how services manage these cases. The project will document the complexities faced by victims and survivors, as well as the professionals involved in their cases, and will make evidence-based recommendations to improve outcomes.
Latest research outcomes
Research article: Co-occurrence of child sexual abuse and domestic violence: A scoping review
Reviews evidence on the co-occurrence of child sexual abuse and domestic violence, highlighting implications for prevention, policy and service responses
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Webinar: Online child sexual abuse complexities, impacts and how to assist victim-survivors
Explores the impacts of online child sexual abuse and practical approaches to supporting victim-survivors
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Research report: Improving legal, policy and practice responses at the intersection of domestic violence perpetration and child sexual abuse offending
Examines the intersection of domestic violence and child sexual abuse and provides recommendations to strengthen legal, policy and practice responses
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Policy and practice recommendations
Provides practical recommendations to strengthen legal, policy and service responses to the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child sexual abuse
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