Improving safeguarding of children and young people through systemic cooperation in the prevention and intervention of harmful sexual behaviour

A significant proportion of sexual assaults against children are committed by other children and adolescents. The school system requires increased competence and closer collaboration with support services to prevent and address this growing societal challenge. This project aims to explore whether enhancing knowledge of sexual health among schools and support services can improve the protection of children and adolescents from sexual abuse. As part of the project, youth have been engaged in participatory processes to gain a better understanding of what children and adolescents themselves consider important for improving their protection. Furthermore, the study examines various cross-disciplinary and inter-agency collaboration methods within municipalities to further develop the cooperation between schools and support services in preventing and managing harmful sexual behavior (HSB). The development and research activities in this project lay the groundwork for creating a theoretical model that highlights the protective role of teachers and the collaboration between schools and support services.