Community-based therapeutic programme for harmful sexual behaviour: the role of parents and carers

Harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) is a significant public health concern. Community-based, non-mandatory programmes provide an important pathway for non-adjudicated young people to receive therapeutic support to desist from the behaviour, address the harm it has caused, and meet their developmental needs. Parent and carer participation is widely recognised as integral to achieving more positive outcomes, yet they are not always actively involved. This mixed-methods study investigates the role of parent and carer participation in programme completion and their perceived impacts of participation. Using logistic regression, we found that parent and carer participation significantly predicts programme completion, even after controlling for demographic and contextual variables (e.g. HSB type and victim characteristics). Former programme clients and parents reported multiple impacts associated with participation. These findings highlight the importance and value of engaging parents and carers as partners in HSB interventions.Practice Impact Statement Parents and carers of children who have displayed harmful sexual behaviours, when appropriately supported, can act as key agents of change. Limitied parent or carer involvement should not preclude children and young people‘s access to therapeutic services. Instead, services should provide therapeutic support to parents and carers, to address barriers to participation and strengthen their capacity to promote safety within the family.