Identifying and responding to child sexual abuse: Supporting the mental health of children and young people

According to the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (2023), 28.5% of children experience sexual abuse before the age of 18. The impacts are well known and can include immediate, short- and long-term negative effects on a child’s mental, physical and social health and wellbeing.

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2017) found that many people do not disclose child sexual abuse until adulthood, with others choosing to never disclose. There are many reasons why children may not disclose including feelings of fear, shame, embarrassment and not recognising the behaviours as abusive.

This webinar, produced in partnership with Emerging Minds, will bring together practice and lived experience to explore how we as a sector can better identify and respond to child sexual abuse and support victims and survivors to heal and recover.

It is intended to complement ‘Trauma prevention and early intervention approaches with children and young people’ which was broadcast in September 2025.

This webinar will help you:

• identify the signs of child sexual abuse and support children and young people to move beyond secrecy
• develop practice strategies to navigate conversations with children and young people about sexual abuse and respond confidently and effectively to disclosures
• develop practice strategies that support children, young people and parents to describe their experiences of abuse and support them to move beyond shame and self-blame.