A systematic review of interventions for children and young people displaying harmful sexual behaviour

Child-on-child sexual abuse is commonly referred to as ‘harmful sexual behaviour’, defined as behaviour which is developmentally inappropriate, may be harmful towards self or others and/or be abusive towards another child, young person or adult. Harmful sexual behaviour exists within a continuum/spectrum, ranging from behaviours considered inappropriate to those more violent and harmful.

To date, less is known about what works for those at the ‘inappropriate’ end of the spectrum. There is, however, acknowledgement that these interventions should be holistic, whole-family, and child-focused. It is the aim of this systematic review to capture evidence at both ends of this spectrum.

We have commissioned the University of Central Lancashire, University of Birmingham, and Durham University to conduct a systematic review which aims to identify and describe:

1. Interventions with strong evidence of improving outcomes for children and young people exhibiting inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviour
2. The types of support available which can help improve these outcomes for children and young people. This includes components of intervention delivery and population characteristics which may influence effectiveness
3. The enablers and barriers to successful implementation of interventions for children and young people who exhibit inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviour
4. The views of intervention users and practitioners about the acceptability and usefulness of interventions.

The review will focus on children aged 0–18 years old who have undertaken an intervention designed to prevent harmful sexual behaviour from occurring. All included efficacy-based studies will be randomised controlled trials or quasi-experimental designs. Outcomes will include child mental health, child behaviour, recidivism, and a longer list of other outcomes.