Interventions to support children & young people who have experienced child sexual abuse

Child sexual abuse is defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children as “forcing or enticing a child or young person [under 18 years of age] to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving a high level of violence, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening.” Child sexual abuse is a significant concern across the UK (and globally) due to both its prevalence and its harmful impacts. Although exact prevalence is difficult to establish because of barriers to disclosure and limitations in available data, evidence suggests that at least one in ten children in the UK experience some form of child sexual abuse before the age of 16 years old.

Foundations have commissioned the Universities of Lancashire, Manchester Metropolitan and Bedfordshire to conduct a systematic review which aims to identify and describe:

• Interventions which have been shown to be effective in supporting and improving outcomes in children and young people aged between 0–25 years old who have experienced child sexual abuse
• Practice elements that are shared by effective interventions and observed to contribute to intervention effectiveness, covering both content and delivery characteristics
• Evidence about for whom, and in which contexts, circumstances and combinations the identified interventions and practices have the highest likelihood of being effective
• Information on barriers/enablers to intervention delivery and the views of intervention users and practitioners about the acceptability and usefulness of child sexual abuse interventions?

The review will focus on children and young people aged 0–25 years old who have experienced child sexual abuse. All efficacy-based studies will be either randomised controlled trials or quasi-experimental designs. Outcomes of interest include a child or young person’s wellbeing, social, psychological or physical health.

Included literature is not restricted by country, however, the review will place importance on the applicability of findings to the UK context, particularly in relation to whether interventions can be implemented in the UK.

Taking into account equality, diversity, inclusion and equity (EDIE) is crucial in this systematic review. To achieve this, EDIE characteristics will be mapped and coded as well as following guidelines set out by PRISMA-E.