Preventing and responding to child-on-child abuse
Governmental guidance:
- KCSiE (Part 5)
- Behaviour in schools
- Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people
- Searching, screening and confiscation at school
- Use of reasonable force in schools
Other regional/national guidance:
- National Police Chief Council Guidance: when-to-call-the-police--guidance-for-schools-and-colleges
- Children and the law | NSPCC Learning
- Regional Guidance: Bullying
- Regional Guidance: Harmful Sexual Behaviour
Template child-on-child abuse procedure: Available as an Appendix in the Local Authority Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy template; available here.
Risk assessment/safety plan templates:
There are national templates available for free to specifically support schools in their response to child-on-child harmful sexual behaviour.
Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse: Safety Planning in Education Guide: supporting children following incidents of harmful sexual behaviour . A webinar outlining how to use the guide is here.
Lucy Faithfull Foundation also provides safety plan templates and contacts to seek further advice at: Help for schools - Lucy Faithfull Foundation
Harmful Sexual Behaviour in School Resources | SWGfL (including policy template and safety plans)
Local services, tools and Pathways
Child-on-child abuse & exploitation
Where child-on-child abuse concerns arise; please also consider whether the children involved (whether they've harmed or have been harmed) may also be at risk of or experiencing Child Exploitation (including radicalisation). Please ensure you are familiar with:
- Shropshire's approach to Child exploitation | Shropshire Council / Shropshire's Child Exploitation Pathway (including completing local Child Exploitation Pathway training)
- The Prevent Duty in Shropshire (Preventing Terrorism)
Local services
- West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre. Including training and educational/intervention programmes including harmful/problematic sexual behaviour assessments/interventions as part of Purple Leaf.*
- Axis Counselling (for children who have experienced sexual harm)
- Steer Clear* (delivered by the Children's Society and commissioned by West Mercia Police Crime Commissioner. An initiative aimed to reduce serious youth violence and tackle knife crime amongst children aged 10-17).
- STEPS (Support Through Exploitation Service)* | Shropshire Together Community Directory (delivered by Catch 22: for children aged 8-18 who are at risk of child sexual/criminal exploitation. Further information on the service at STEPS (Support Through Exploitation and Prevention Service) | Catch22)
- With You (Drug and Alcohol Support Service*. (Please use the Shropshire Schools Drug Alcohol and Vaping Toolkit which includes referral information)
- Information for Professionals | West Mercia Youth Justice Service
- Preventing cybercrime by children (Cyberchoices)
- BeeU :: Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
*You can refer to many of the above services if you have need to complete a Child Exploitation Risk assessment.
Whole School Approach: Tools and Guidance
- Farrer & Co: Addressing child-on-child abuse: a resource for schools and colleges
- Contextual Safeguarding Network: Beyond Referrals (Harmful sexual behaviour)
- Anti-Bullying Alliance: A whole-school and setting approach
- Help for schools - Lucy Faithfull Foundation
Further specific training:
- Brook Traffic Light Tool: Sexual Behaviours Traffic Light Tool – Brook .
- Harmful Sexual Behaviour Online Video Training | South West Grid for Learning
- Harmful sexual behaviour in schools training | NSPCC Learning
- Purple Leaf (Local): Managing child-on-child problematic sexual behaviour in schools
- Anti-Bullying Alliance: Free CPD online training