Understanding children’s sexual behaviours – NSPCC Courses

The NSPCC have published a blog and created two e-learning courses for primary and secondary schools about understanding children’s sexual behaviours. These look at what is ‘normal’, how to assess and manage children displaying sexualised behaviour, and how to respond.

 

Schools have a responsibility for keeping children safe, managing risk and promoting wellbeing and healthy sexual development. It is important that teachers have the practical tools they need to help understand and respond to sexual behaviour in an informed and appropriate way.

What is normal?

Context is key for understanding if sexual behaviour is ‘normal’ – what’s normal for one person might be strange for another. Some sexual behaviours can have lasting negative consequences and some could be completely ‘normal’ or ‘healthy’ for the child’s development.

Developing a nationwide response

The NSPCC have created two e-learning courses for primary and secondary schools that can be used by education professionals wherever they are. The learning takes around 2 hours so is ideal for fitting into teachers’ busy schedules.

The Managing sexualised behaviours in schools courses are a practical resource, combining tools to support objective decision making, scenario-based activities, videos highlighting teachers’ own experiences and documents to download, that fits into a school policy. The resource also supports understanding of the contributing factors and potential safeguarding needs of any children displaying problematic or harmful sexual behaviour.

These courses were also developed in consultation with teachers and secondary school students and embedded in the learning is feedback received from the face-to-face workshops. They give teachers the knowledge, skills and confidence you need to recognise, respond to and report any concerns – helping you to better understand what is healthy or ‘normal’ behaviour and effectively safeguard the children in your care.

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      Good attendance (above 90%)

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      Good attendance (above 90%)

    • Meeting developmental & learning milestones
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      Meeting developmental & learning milestones

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      Meeting developmental & learning milestones

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    • Underage sexual activity    
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      Early signs of drug/alcohol misuse

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      Poor self-esteem

    • Low level emotional & behavioural issues that may be linked to attachment and/or emotional development delay    
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      Low level emotional & behavioural issues that may be linked to attachment and/or emotional development delay

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      Young carers

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      Bullying

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      Bullying

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      Children who have previously been in Care, and children living away from their birth parents e.g adopted children, Special Guardianship Orders, Kinship Care.

      ×

      Children who have previously been in Care, and children living away from their birth parents e.g adopted children, Special Guardianship Orders, Kinship Care.

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    Despite intervention at 2, there is evidence of continuing and escalating need:
    • Persistent absence from school    
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      Persistent absence from school

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      Persistent absence from school

    • Missing from school/ home regularly with no explanation    
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      Missing from school/ home regularly with no explanation

    • Fixed Term exclusions/no school place  
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      Fixed Term exclusions/no school place

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      Fixed Term exclusions/no school place

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      Social exclusion

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      Social exclusion

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      Poor relationships

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      Poor relationships

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      No access to universal services / “Hidden Children”

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      No access to universal services / “Hidden Children”

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      NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)

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      NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)

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      Developmental milestones not being met due to persistent parental failure/inability

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      Chronic/recurring health problems

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      Chronic/recurring health problems

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      Regular missed appointments affecting developmental progress

      ×

      Regular missed appointments affecting developmental progress

    • Teenage pregnancy    
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      Teenage pregnancy

    • Drug/alcohol misuse impacting negatively    
    • ×

      Drug/alcohol misuse impacting negatively

    • Risky sexual behaviour (e.g. unprotected sex)    
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      Risky sexual behaviour (e.g. unprotected sex)

    • Offending / anti-social behaviour resulting in risk of entering Youth Justice System  
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      Offending / anti-social behaviour resulting in risk of entering Youth Justice System

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      Offending / anti-social behaviour resulting in risk of entering Youth Justice System

    • Emotional / mental health issues    
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      Emotional / mental health issues

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      Emotional / mental health issues

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      Persistent social exclusion

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      Persistent social exclusion

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      Complex mental health issues affecting development needs, including self harm

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      High level emotional health issues and very low self-esteem

    • Non-organic failure to thrive  
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      Non-organic failure to thrive

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      Non-organic failure to thrive

    • Inappropriate sexual knowledge / sexualised behaviour for age.    
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      Inappropriate sexual knowledge / sexualised behaviour for age.

      ×

      Inappropriate sexual knowledge / sexualised behaviour for age.

    • Harmful Sexual Behaviour / Peer on Peer Abuse    
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      Harmful Sexual Behaviour / Peer on Peer Abuse

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      Concerns about exploitation (including sexual exploitation/ abuse, radicalisation; criminal exploitation; gang affiliation)

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      Child victims of modern slavery or human trafficking

      ×

      Child victims of modern slavery or human trafficking

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      Unaccompanied minors

    • Drug/alcohol use severely impairing development    
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      Drug/alcohol use severely impairing development

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    • ×

      Frequently missing from home resulting in self-neglect

    • Relationship breakdown between child & parent    
    • ×

      Relationship breakdown between child & parent

    • Offending and in the criminal justice system    
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      Offending and in the criminal justice system

      ×

      Offending and in the criminal justice system

    • Unexplained / suspicious injury    
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      Unexplained / suspicious injury

  • Family & Environment
    • Positive relationship between parents
    • ×

      Positive relationship between parents

      ×

      Positive relationship between parents

    • Stable & affectionate relationships with caregivers
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      Stable & affectionate relationships with caregivers

      ×

      Stable & affectionate relationships with caregivers

    • Housed, good diet and kept healthy
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      Housed, good diet and kept healthy

      ×

      Housed, good diet and kept healthy

    • Supportive networks
    • ×

      Supportive networks

      ×

      Supportive networks

    • Access to positive activities
    • ×

      Access to positive activities

      ×

      Access to positive activities

    • Positive sense of self and abilities
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      Positive sense of self and abilities

      ×

      Positive sense of self and abilities

  • Family & Environment
    • Children of prisoners/ parents subject to community orders    
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      Children of prisoners/ parents subject to community orders

    • Low income affects achievement    
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      Low income affects achievement

    • Parental conflict and risk of relationship breakdown    
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      Parental conflict and risk of relationship breakdown

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      Concerns about possible domestic abuse

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    • Housing tenancy at risk    
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      Housing tenancy at risk

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      Housing tenancy at risk

    • Harmful parental conflict and/or relationship breakdown    
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      Harmful parental conflict and/or relationship breakdown

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      Harmful parental conflict and/or relationship breakdown

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      Transient families

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      Domestic abuse & coercive control

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      No recourse to public funds

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    • Significantly harmful parental conflict and/or relationship breakdown    
    • ×

      Significantly harmful parental conflict and/or relationship breakdown

      ×

      Significantly harmful parental conflict and/or relationship breakdown

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    • ×

      Suspicion of physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect

      ×

      Suspicion of physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect

    • Domestic abuse resulting in child being at risk of significant harm    
    • ×

      Domestic abuse resulting in child being at risk of significant harm

    • Homeless Child/Young Person    
    • ×

      Homeless Child/Young Person

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    • ×

      Family intentionally homeless

    • Extreme poverty affecting child well-being    
    • ×

      Extreme poverty affecting child well-being

      ×

      Extreme poverty affecting child well-being

    • Forced Marriage, Honour Based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation    
    • ×

      Forced Marriage, Honour Based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation

  • Parents & Carers
    • Protected by carers
    • ×

      Protected by carers

      ×

      Protected by carers

    • Secure and caring home
    • ×

      Secure and caring home

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      Secure and caring home

    • Receive and act on information, advice and guidance
    • ×

      Receive and act on information, advice and guidance

      ×

      Receive and act on information, advice and guidance

    • Appropriate boundaries maintained
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      Appropriate boundaries maintained

      ×

      Appropriate boundaries maintained

  • Parents & Carers
    • Inconsistent care arrangements  
    • ×

      Inconsistent care arrangements

      ×

      Inconsistent care arrangements

    • Poor supervision by parent/carer    
    • ×

      Poor supervision by parent/carer

      ×

      Poor supervision by parent/carer

    • Poor response to child’s physical, emotional or health needs    
    • ×

      Poor response to child’s physical, emotional or health needs

      ×

      Poor response to child’s physical, emotional or health needs

    • Historic context of parents/carers own childhood, i.e Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)  
    • ×

      Historic context of parents/carers own childhood, i.e Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

      ×

      Historic context of parents/carers own childhood, i.e Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

  • Parents & Carers
    • Parental learning or physical disability, substance misuse, or mental health impacts on parenting    
    • ×

      Parental learning or physical disability, substance misuse, or mental health impacts on parenting

    • Inconsistent care arrangements  
    • ×

      Inconsistent care arrangements

      ×

      Inconsistent care arrangements

    • Poor supervision by parent/carer  
    • ×

      Poor supervision by parent/carer

      ×

      Poor supervision by parent/carer

    • Poor response to identified needs    
    • ×

      Poor response to identified needs

      ×

      Poor response to identified needs

    • Historic context of parents/carers own childhood, i.e Adverse Childhood Experiences  
    • ×

      Historic context of parents/carers own childhood, i.e Adverse Childhood Experiences

      ×

      Historic context of parents/carers own childhood, i.e Adverse Childhood Experiences

  • Parents & Carers
    • Edge of care  
    • ×

      Edge of care

      ×

      Edge of care

    • Parental encouragement of abusive/offending behaviour
    • ×

      Parental encouragement of abusive/offending behaviour

      ×

      Parental encouragement of abusive/offending behaviour

    • Continuing poor supervision in the home    
    • ×

      Continuing poor supervision in the home

    • Parental non-compliance / superficial co-operation    
    • ×

      Parental non-compliance / superficial co-operation

    • Inconsistent parenting affects child’s developmental progress  
    • ×

      Inconsistent parenting affects child’s developmental progress

      ×

      Inconsistent parenting affects child’s developmental progress

    • Private fostering    
    • ×

      Private fostering

  • Level of assessment
    No formal assessment
  • Level of assessment
    Consider commencement of Early Help Assessment / Pastoral Support Plan
  • Level of assessment
    Strengthening Families Early Help Assessment and Plan
  • Level of assessment
    Strengthening Families > Child in Need Plan or Child Protection Conference
  • Go direct to Service or search the Family Service Directory for the Local Offer, or call the Family Information Service on 01273 293545
  • Early Help Strengthening Families Assessment & Plan. If you require advice or guidance in respect of the child needs contact the Front Door For Families on 01273 290400
  • Contact Front Door For Families on 01273 290400 or if the child is at immediate risk call the Police on 999