From journal articles to Quick Guides and webinars, you will find tools and information to support.
Selected tags
This paper examines how parents, carers and professionals can respond courageously to children’s and young people’s disclosures of sexual abuse, outlining key actions to take and avoid.
This fact sheet provides an overview of child sexual abuse with a specific focus on child grooming. It details: information about the grooming process; how perpetrators groom parents, caregivers, co-workers or other adults; online grooming and child sexual abuse; what to do if you suspect grooming or child sexual abuse; and how to access specialist sexual assault services.
The Practice Guide for Workers and Organisations is an Australian Government resource that offers evidence-based guidance to support trauma-informed, culturally safe, and victim- and survivor-centred responses to child sexual abuse across all ages.
This report presents the perspectives of 59 children and young people from Tasmanian schools, out-of-home care, and youth detention on safety in government-run organisations. Valuable for practitioners seeking insights on child safety in institutional settings.
This article, published in the Australian Journal of Social Issues, analyses data from Family Court of Australia judgements containing allegations of child sexual abuse. The study found that judges expressed or implied a belief that the allegations were true in only 14 per cent of fully contested cases, and risk of sexual harm to a child was found in only 12 per cent of fully contested cases. The study also found that parenting time with the allegedly unsafe parent was increased in 63 per cent of fully contested cases.
This companion review to the above paper from Child Family Community Australia seeks to identify factors that may influence either engagement with therapy or the completion of therapy following a disclosure of child sexual abuse. The review found that parental attitudes about therapy affect engagement rates and parental involvement in therapy was a consistent factor in therapy completion. It also identified the need for more Australian research in this area.
Child Family Community Australia has released this paper presenting findings from a systematic literature review on the rates of therapy referral, engagement and completion following a disclosure of child sexual abuse to police or child protection. The review found that many children are not receiving the benefits of therapy due to non-referral, not engaging when they are referred or non-completion. It also identified the need for data collection and increased research attention in this area.
Anti-slavery Australia has released a report bringing together national data and case studies to provide a snapshot of online child exploitation in Australia. The report shows that new technologies and ease of access to the internet have resulted in the proliferation of child exploitation materials available online. The study emphasises the need for common language and streamlined national and international frameworks and cooperation to combat this challenge.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has released a new research report that suggests a strong connection to culture can help protect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from sexual abuse in institutions. The paper argues that culture can help children develop their identities, foster positive self-esteem and resilience, and strengthen family and community supports.
