Supporting and empowering victims and survivors
The impacts of child sexual abuse are often pervasive and lifelong, and can affect all aspects of life including mental and physical health, relationships, education and employment. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse heard from thousands of victims and survivors of child sexual abuse who described difficulties in seeking help and support. These difficulties included gaps in services, navigating a complex system, inadequate service responses, and inconsistent service provision within and across jurisdictions.
Under Theme 2 of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-3030, we are working to empower victims and survivors by promoting and supporting safe and responsive services that are accessible, trauma-informed and culturally safe. More information on our work is below.
Minimum Practice Standards: Specialist and community support for services responding to child sexual abuse
The Minimum Practice Standards provide a set of principles and benchmarks to promote safe and effective service provision that supports individuals who have experienced or been impacted by child sexual abuse.
Engaging with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse: A practice guide for workers and organisations
The practice guide is for workers and organisations engaging with victims and survivors and intends to promote and support accessible, high-quality, trauma-informed services that support all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse of all ages and as their needs change over time.
Reporting on child sexual abuse – guidance for media and victims and survivors
We commissioned the University of Canberra News and Media Research Centre to develop evidence based media guides to encourage responsible reporting on child sexual abuse, and to support victims and survivors when engaging with the media.
Supporting services responding to victims and survivors and children who have displayed harmful sexual behaviours
We are providing grant funding to services that support victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and children who have displayed concerning or harmful sexual behaviours.
National information and referral service to assist victims and survivors of child sexual abuse
We are establishing a national information and referral service to assist victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, practitioners and the general public to navigate the service system and access help and information (under the National Strategy’s First National Action Plan Measure 7). We are currently procuring a service provider for this service.
Legal support for children and young people at risk of harm, and victims and survivors of child sexual abuse
We provide funding to Knowmore to provide high quality, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive legal advice for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse outside the institutional context about their legal options. We also provide funding to Youth Law Australia to establish and maintain a national online chat service to deliver trauma-informed support and legal information, advice and referrals to children and youth experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, harm, including sexual abuse.