Published case reviews since 2018 highlight that harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) should be recognised as a potential indicator of abuse and that sometimes this can be challenging for professionals to recognise and respond to.
Professionals such as practitioners or those who work in foster care or education, should work together to look for the reasons behind a child's behaviour, provide them with tailored support and consider appropriate safeguarding responses.
The learning emphasises the importance of:
Published: December 2021
Search the National case review repository and find serious case reviews by subject, year or area.
View our full list of thematic briefings. Our briefings focus on topics ranging from types of abuse, learning for specific sectors, children and families at risk and more.
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Find out how to respond to an incident of peer-on-peer sexual abuse, create a safe culture for all children and young people and develop a multi-agency response to HSB.
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Access guidance, resources and training to help you respond to and prevent incidents of problematic sexual behaviour and harmful sexual behaviour, including child-on-child and peer-on-peer sexual abuse.
Briefing on the data available about HSB, including scale of the issue, technology-assisted HSB and characteristics of young people who display HSB.
Read our series of thematic briefings highlighting the learning from case reviews. Each briefing focuses on a different topic, pulling together key risk factors and practice recommendations.
