The volume and nature of calls received by the new Home Office-funded Harmful Sexual Behaviour Support Service from primary school teachers and care-givers suggests that the signs of potentially harmful sexual behaviour are not being identified early or frequently enough to enable effective intervention.
By definition, harmful sexual behaviour is any sexual behaviour expressed by children that is developmentally inappropriate, may be harmful towards themselves or others, or abusive towards another child or adult (Hackett, 2014).
As children mature, it can be particularly difficult for teachers and staff working in primary schools to distinguish between behaviour that would be viewed as developmentally normal or not.
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