Mental Health and Wellbeing

SAFER-TECH

The development of a multi-agency, victim-centred framework for responding to and supporting individuals who have experienced technology-assisted child sexual abuse (TA-CSA)

Over the past decade, offences involving the sexual exploitation and abuse of children and young people via internet technologies have increased exponentially. As a result, victim-survivors often experience significant and wide-ranging mental health difficulties (e.g., depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidality, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, difficulties with trust and relationships), indicating the importance of appropriate support following victimisation in order to aid healing and recovery. Support networks, practitioners and professional services therefore play a key role in this process.

This project aims to develop a Survivor-Aligned Framework for Effective Responses to TECHnology-Assisted Child Sexual Abuse (SAFER-TECH) in recognition of the growing complexity around TA-CSA, and the fragmented responses victim-survivors experience and encounter across professional services. The framework is designed to provide a coherent and trauma-informed structure for anyone working in law enforcement, social care and health, education, and criminal justice, that aligns with victim-survivors’ needs, and ensures that their safety, recovery and voices are placed at the heart of practice.

The project will be delivered through three work packages:

1. A national, population-based online survey to establish the nature, prevalence, impact and associated mental health outcomes of TA-CSA.
2. Qualitative interviews with victim-survivors, members of their support networks, and professionals who have supported and/or worked with them.
3. Co-production workshops with victim-survivors, practitioners, key stakeholders and researchers, to collaboratively develop SAFER-TECH.

The resulting framework will translate generated evidence into best-practice recommendations to support overall responses to victim-survivors, strengthen inter-agency coordination and collaboration, and enhance safety, recovery, and overall outcomes for children and young people who have experienced TA-CSA.

The project is funded by Safe Online.