Good practice in delivering and evaluating interventions for young people with harmful sexual behaviours.

BACKGROUND • Young people make up a significant proportion of individuals engaging in unwanted or harmful sexual behaviours against children. • Many young people who engage in harmful sexual behaviours have their own history of childhood trauma, including exposure to domestic and family violence. • These young people require holistic interventions that involve specialist services and multiple partner agencies. KEY FINDINGS • There are variations and gaps in services for young people engaging in harmful sexual behaviours, and information about service availability is not readily accessible. • Specialist services operate in a complex environment that may make service provision challenging. • Good practice in intervention is underpinned by conceptual, therapeutic and enabling principles. • Factors in the broader service system may help or hinder good practice. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY AND PRACTICE • A public repository of information about services available for young people with harmful sexual behaviours should be established. • Practitioners should apply the principles of good practice developed by the project to therapeutic work with young people with harmful sexual behaviours. • Funders should dedicate resources to collaborative research into tailoring therapeutic work to vulnerable young people. • Service systems design should support holistic interventions. Authors: Quadara, Antonia; O'Brien, Wendy; Ball, Olivia; Douglas, Will; Vu, Linna. This report was produced with funding from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety Limited (ANROWS).