Why a Strengths Based System Matters for Children Displaying HSB
Across the UK, Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB) among children and young people is often treated purely as a risk to be managed.
But evidence continues to show something practitioners have known for years - that children who display HSB are children who are often carrying trauma, navigating complex social pressures, or experiencing harm themselves.
Why this matters now
Recent national data paints a stark picture of rising disclosures and reporting. Proven sexual offences by children rose by 47% in 2023-2024, followed by a further 6% rise in the most recent year, alongside widely reported sexual harassment and image based abuse in peer contexts. This shift may partly reflect better identification and reporting, but it also highlights the influence of digital spaces, misogynistic online content and peer dynamics that normalise harmful behaviours. At the same time, figures show that around a third of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by other children.
Studies consistently demonstrate that young people who display HSB often have histories of abuse, neglect or other adversities. Many have additional needs such as learning disabilities, emotional dysregulation or social isolation. Boys are disproportionately represented, but girls also display and experience such behaviours. All are children which exist within systems and contexts - families, schools, peer groups and communities - which means their behaviours can't be understood or addressed in isolation.
What we are seeing in our PRSB service
In Safer London's Positive Relationships and Sexual Behaviours (PRSB) service, our caseworkers work closely with children and young people who have displayed harmful or inappropriate sexual behaviour. What they tell us is simple but fundamental - when we look beyond the behaviour and focus on the child, we see unmet need, confusion, trauma and a lack of accessible, trusted adults to help them navigate relationships, identity and boundaries.
Across the service, consistent themes emerge. Many young people have lived with instability, family breakdown or emotional needs that have gone unnoticed. As our PRSB caseworker explained, harmful sexual behaviour rarely happens in isolation because "HSB doesn't come from nowhere. There's normally some sort of underlying issue or issues that have more than likely led to it happening." A significant proportion of the children we support are neurodiverse or have unmet learning needs, often without the right scaffolding in school, with our PRSB caseworker sharing that, "At least a third of my caseload has neurodiversity issues within it."
Because relationships and sex education is inconsistent, young people often build their understanding from online spaces, algorithms and peer mythology - the unspoken ‘rules’ and inaccurate stories that circulate among peers. This is compounded by the normalisation of sexualised language and harmful norms in digital culture. As one caseworker observed, “Social media probably even more so than direct porn is where young people are seeing this stuff every day.”
These individual experiences sit within wider systemic gaps. Early responses from schools or professionals tend to focus solely on telling a child their behaviour is wrong, with little explanation. As one caseworker puts it, "The only message they've been given is that it's wrong. They've never had any explanation as to the why." Cases are also often passed quickly between agencies without a full understanding of context, leading to fragments support. As one caseworker reflected, "Social care will make the referral and then close the case immediately. There's no joined up thinking about the wider picture."
What our PRSB caseworkers see above all is that children displaying harmful sexual behaviour are still children. Children who are learning, experimenting, absorbing messages and trying to make sense of themselves without the pressures around them.
Why systems - not just services - must adapt
HSB doesn’t sit within one sector’s remit. A continuum of behaviours requires a continuum of responses - from early identification and education to specialist therapeutic support where needed. No single service can hold this alone.
As a sector, we must move away from approaches rooted only in surveillance, restrictions or fear. A punitive lens risks entrenching shame and missing opportunities for early intervention. With digital spaces accelerating the spread of harmful norms - particularly misogyny - prevention must start earlier, be more systemic and address the broader contexts children live in.
When systems respond with clarity, compassion and accountability, outcomes improve not only for the child but for everyone affected - and the impact is wider than one child. When a young person understands themselves, develops empathy and is supported to make different choices, the ripple of safety extends outward - to peers, siblings, future partners, classrooms and communities. A relational, strengths based approach doesn’t just interrupt one incident – it prevents cycles of harm from repeating.
One young person supported through our PRSB service described the impact of this approach in their own words: “Rob was easy to talk with and explained things I didn’t know. If I didn’t understand something, I found it easy to ask. I’ve learnt that I am resilient. I understand consent now and I understand how to keep myself safe. Rob listened to me when others didn’t.”
The central message cutting across research, our practice and national trends is this - children displaying harmful sexual behaviour are still children. Recognising their strengths, responding with empathy and supporting them to build healthier relationships is not just compassionate - it’s evidence based, effective and essential if we want safer outcomes for everyone.
If you're interested in learning more about how we support young Londoners displaying harmful sexual behaviours then sign up to our newsletter.
Subscribe now