In-house research

Towards a framework to prevent and respond to children with Harmful Sexual Behaviours

  • Harmful sexual behaviours

Project Team

Associate Professor Dominiek Coates

Cyra Fernandes

Dr Natalia Krzyzaniak

Alexandra Shriane

Dr Joe Tucci

Background and Aim

Funded by the National Office for Child Safety (NOCS), this study will contribute to the development of a theory or framework to prevent and respond to children with harmful sexual behaviours (HSB), that includes:

  • an understanding of the diversity of children and young people with HSB
  • emerging good or new practice for responding to and supporting children with HSB to inform future pilot and evaluation programs
  • an understanding of how best to tailor assessment tools, therapeutic interventions and clinical frameworks to meet the needs of all children and young people with HSB.

Methods

Since there is currently no existing theory or framework to prevent and respond to children with HSB, this study adopts exploratory and discovery-oriented approaches to develop a framework from ‘the ground up’.

Data collection and analysis phases will include:

  • service mapping
  • approximately 40 key informant interviews
  • a targeted systematic literature review.
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Community members’ attitudes towards, knowledge of, and capacity to respond to child sexual abuse, harmful sexual behaviours in children and the needs of adult survivors of child sexual abuse

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The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) respectfully acknowledges and celebrates the many Traditional Owners of the lands throughout Australia and pay our respects to ancestors of this country and Elders past and present. We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, culture and lore have existed within Australia continuously for over 65,000 years.

We acknowledge the ongoing leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia and those who have and continue to work tirelessly to address inequalities and improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice outcomes for children and young people. The National Centre is committed to ensuring that the voices of those whose lives are affected by the decisions governments make should fundamentally inform those decisions. First Nations voices must be heard, raised and amplified through a Voice to Parliament. It is time for genuine and significant reform to progress healing through the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

We seek to honour the lived and living expertise of all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, harnessing all ages, cultures, abilities and backgrounds, and commit to substantially addressing the harm of child sexual abuse, now and well into the future. We recognise that there are children and young people today who are experiencing sexual abuse and dedicate ourselves to doing all we can to promote their effective protection and care.

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