HSB/PSB consultation
Offering a space to support professionals and networks working with young people displaying HSB/PSB.
The consultation helped our team think differently about HSB and how we approach these cases. It’s changed how we work with families.
Practitioner, CAMHS
Case Consultation
Our specialist consultations offer clinical guidance, risk assessment, and tailored support for professionals, teams, and multi‑agency networks working with young people displaying Harmful or Problematic Sexual Behaviours, living within Derby City and Derbyshire.
We provide input around specific cases or families, offering resources, supervision, and structured advice to strengthen professional decision‑making.
- Available as one-off sessions or a series of consultations
- Led by Dr Ian Burke, Clinical & Forensic Psychologist
- Initial 90-minute consultation offered following referral screening by Practice Manager, Sam McAuley-Hall
- Includes the use of MEGA Risk Assessment tool for all referrals. The MEGA is an empirically based, state of the art actuarial risk assessment tool for assessing the risk level for problematic sexual behaviour in children and young people, males and females, ages 4-19 years including children with with low intellectual functioning.
Each consultation is tailor made to meet the referrers needs adheres to the Risk, Need, and Responsivity (RNR) principles (Andrews & Bonta, 2006), ensuring the support provided is matched to the level of need and associated risk the young person of concern is presenting with.
The consultation gave us a clear direction and helped us feel more confident in managing the case. The safeguarding advice was practical and immediately actionable.
Social Worker, Children's Service
Post-Consultation
Following the initial consultation, a detailed report is provided to the network, outlining:
- Individual, contextual, and situational risk factors
- Protective factors
- Safeguarding recommendations
- Intervention options
- Guidance on reunification where there has been sibling sexual behaviour
Recommendations may include:
- Therapeutic guidance and resource sharing
- Immediate safety planning
- Allocation for specialist assessment or further consultations
What is Harmful Sexual Behaviour?
Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB) refers to sexual behaviours displayed by children or young people under the age of 18 that are inappropriate or cause harm. Research shows that young people are responsible for 20 - 60% of harmful sexual behaviour in society (Malvaso et al., 2020; Campbell et al., 2020).
HSB can be linked to experiences of trauma, abuse, or other adverse childhood experiences. These factors can increase long‑term risks such as mental health difficulties, substance misuse, and suicide (Norman et al., 2012).
Professionals understand sexual behaviour as existing on a continuum -from developmentally expected sexual exploration to abusive or illegal behaviour. One example of this continuum is shown in Figure 1 (Hackett, 2010).
Ready to refer?
If you are ready to make a referral for a child or young person displaying concerns around HSB/PSB living in Derby City or Derbyshire, please complete our 'HSB Consultation Request Form' below.
If you need HSB support for a child or YP outside of Derbyshire, please visit Action for Children Therapeutic Services for more information.