Engaging with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse: A practice guide for workers and organisations
For a full list of the terminology we use, see our Glossary of terms page
Content warning
Child sexual abuse is a challenging issue. Reading this document may create strong feelings for some people. Please take care of yourself and ask for help if you need it. You might want to talk to your family and friends, or your counsellor, doctor, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health service.
Introduction
Reporting child sexual abuse
Help is available if you have experienced, are experiencing, or are at risk of child sexual abuse. If you are worried that you, your child, or a child or young person you know is at risk, it is important to act on it and report it.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero on 000.
If you want to report a crime, contact your local police on 131 444.
If you want to report a crime anonymously, you can visit Crime Stoppers or call their toll-free number on 1800 333 000.
You can report online child sexual abuse, including online grooming, to the Australian Federal Police’s Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation.
If you want to report illegal or harmful online content, including photos or videos, you can contact the eSafety Commissioner.
If you suspect a child or young person is at risk, contact your relevant state or territory child protection organisation. This includes children at risk of:
- harm
- sexual abuse
- physical or emotional abuse
- family violence
- neglect.
The contact details for your state or territory can be found on the child protection agency page.
Finding help and support
24-hour telephone assistance is available through:
Lifeline: 13 11 14
1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732
MensLine Australia: 1300 789 978
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
13YARN Australia: 13 92 76
National Relay Service (NRS): 1800 184 527
Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National)
A further list of national support services, including child sexual abuse specialist services, and links to state and territory services is available on the Key referrals page.
The project
In 2022, the National Office for Child Safety (National Office) engaged the National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence (NASASV) in partnership with the Gendered Violence Research Network (GVRN), UNSW Sydney to develop a practice guide for workers and organisations engaging with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. The guide, Engaging with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse: A practice guide for workers and organisations, represents the collective wisdom from national consultations, including with the service sector, government, First Nations Australians, those with lived experience of child sexual abuse, and experts in the field.
The National Office for Child Safety was established on 1 July 2018 in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Royal Commission). The role of the National Office is to provide national leadership for policies which enhance children’s safety and prevent future harm, with a particular focus on child sexual abuse.
The National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence (NASASV) is the key expert peak body in Australia for sexual violence and has been in operation as a national group since 1987. NASASV is comprised of sexual assault services in each Australian state and territory and works to implement the shared aims of sexual assault services for those who are impacted by sexual violence in all its forms, with the ultimate goal of eliminating sexual violence in our communities.
The Gendered Violence Research Network (GVRN), UNSW Sydney unites significant domestic and international research expertise to respond to, prevent and end gendered violence in Australia and beyond.
Project team and contributions
- Professor Jan Breckenridge
Co-Convenor, GVRN - Mailin Suchting
Manager GVRN - Dr Sally Hanna-Osborne
Research Associate, GVRN - Julie Porteous
Former Senior Associate, GVRN - Nicole Lambert
Chairperson, NASASV and Chief Executive Officer, Allambee - Kathryn Fordyce
Executive Board Member, NASASV and Chief Executive Officer, Laurel House - Chrystina Stanford
Executive Board Member, NASASV and Chief Executive Officer, Canberra Rape Crisis Centre - Joanne Sheehan-Paterson OAM
Former Chairperson, NASASV
Suggested Citation
Breckenridge, J., Suchting, M., Hanna-Osborne, S., Porteous, J. (2024) Engaging with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse: A practice guide for workers and organisations, prepared by the Gendered Violence Research Network and the National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence for the National Office for Child Safety, Canberra.
Acknowledgements
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s Traditional Owners and custodians of Country. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ continuing connection to land, waters, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and thank them for their wisdom, guidance, and support in this project.
We acknowledge that child sexual abuse can impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, children and young people, and the effects can be amplified by the impacts of colonisation, removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and some subsequent government policies.
We acknowledge the dedicated work of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over many decades in Australia to both align with and challenge governments and services about the relationship between colonisation, intergenerational trauma and current high rates of sexual and gendered violence affecting children, young people and adults in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
We recognise the strength of culture in responding to child sexual abuse and the capacity of cultural practices to offer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people healing and recovery.
People with lived and living experience
We recognise that there is a real person impacted by each act of violence and abuse represented in any research evidence used in this guide. We value the lived and living experiences of children, young people and adults who have experienced child sexual abuse as the foundation of best-practice responses.
We acknowledge that victims and survivors have different life experiences and may have been subjected to multiple experiences of victimisation and discrimination. Responses to children, young people and adults need to listen and attend to this range of lived experiences. This may also include practitioners with lived experience of child sexual abuse.
We note that statistics are an important tool for understanding; however, the figures can seem depersonalised and do not always convey the pain and suffering experienced by victims and survivors and the families, friends, workplaces and communities who have supported them.
We recognise the tragedy of those who have lost their lives. We equally recognise the strength and courage of victims and survivors and their stories of survival, hope and resistance.
Language used in this Guide
We recognise that not everyone agrees on terminology. The terms we have used in this Guide are based on the opinions of many victims and survivors, practitioners and researchers. Language can and does change, and the way we think and talk about child sexual abuse is continuously informed by the lived and living experience and expertise of victims and survivors.
For a full glossary of the key terms we use across the National Office for Child Safety website, visit the Glossary of terms page.