New Bravehearts course helps educators respond to children’s sexual behaviours

A new eLearning course combines early childhood development knowledge with tools for documenting concerns, communicating with families and contributing to safety planning.

Bravehearts has launched an eLearning course to help early childhood professionals recognise, assess and respond to children’s sexual behaviours. Designed for those working with children from birth to five, it focuses on applying knowledge to situations educators may encounter in their services.

Announced on 15 October, Understanding Sexual Behaviours in Early Childhood is relevant to long day care, kindergarten, preschool and family day care. Its audience includes educators, educational leaders, service leaders, approved providers and child-safety contacts.

“Effective professional learning shouldn’t end when the course does,” Bravehearts Education Manager Kate McGill said.

“It should provide educators with the confidence, tools and practical support they need to translate learning into action.”

Recognising behaviours and deciding what happens next

The course examines developmentally expected sexual behaviours and those that may require additional support, assessment or intervention. Participants explore how to respond calmly and appropriately while protecting children’s dignity and avoiding shame or labels.

Bravehearts said the training responds to questions educators raise after completing broader safeguarding and child protection learning. Its emphasis is on what professionals can do when a situation arises in their own setting.

Learning activities include realistic scenarios, reflection and structured decision-making exercises. Topics cover objective documentation, recognising patterns of concern, communicating with families and colleagues, and understanding the importance of reporting, supervision and safety planning.

Downloadable tools support use within services

Participants receive a Child Sexual Behaviour Assessment and Professional Decision-Making Tool. The resource provides a structure for recording observations, considering context and identifying appropriate next steps.

A Safety Planning Template supports consideration of supervision strategies, environmental adjustments and review processes. Additional resources address reflective practice, prevention and family engagement, giving teams material they can adapt to their service context.

The course also includes an Educator Wellbeing and Self-Care Planner to help participants recognise stress and identify support strategies. Together, the resources are intended to extend the learning beyond course completion and into everyday professional practice.

Revised framework supports contextual judgement

The course introduces the Revised Hackett Continuum, a framework for understanding children’s sexual behaviours. Simon Hackett’s revised model, published in the Journal of Sexual Aggression on 30 August, groups behaviours within three overarching categories: developmentally expected, problematic and harmful.

The framework considers development and context, including relationships, power and the circumstances surrounding behaviour. It is intended to support proportionate professional judgement and initial decision-making, rather than operate as a diagnostic assessment or replace a fuller assessment where needed.

For services considering the training, the practical focus is building shared understanding about observations, responses and escalation. Course resources should be used alongside service procedures and applicable child-protection and reporting requirements, with specialist advice sought where appropriate.

The course is available through Bravehearts Learning. Further information about its content and resources is available in Bravehearts’ course announcement.