KCSIE 2025 · Brook Traffic Light · Dual Victim-Perpetrator Status

Sexually Harmful Behaviour in Children

A practitioner guide for schools and multi-agency professionals on identifying, responding to, and referring sexually harmful behaviour (SHB) by children and young people — covering the Brook Traffic Light framework, KCSIE 2025 duties, and dual victim-perpetrator considerations.

ℹ️ Why This Matters

Research consistently shows that a significant proportion of sexual offences are committed by children and young people — one study suggests up to 30–40% of sexual abuse against children is perpetrated by other young people. The response must balance safeguarding the victim while also recognising that the child displaying SHB is likely themselves a victim of abuse or harm.

KCSIE 2025: All sexual behaviour between children must be taken seriously and never dismissed as "just experimentation." Where a child's behaviour causes harm to another, it must be treated as a safeguarding concern for both children — the child who was harmed AND the child displaying the behaviour.

🚦 Brook Traffic Light Tool — Categorising Sexual Behaviour

The Brook Traffic Light Tool is the widely used framework in England for categorising children's sexual behaviours as green (healthy/normal), amber (requires attention), or red (harmful/abusive). It is age- and developmentally graded.

🟢 GREEN — Normal
  • Age-appropriate curiosity about bodies
  • Age-appropriate consensual exploration with peers
  • Questions about sex/relationships appropriate to development
Respond with: age-appropriate education and openness
🟡 AMBER — Requires Attention
  • Behaviour that is not developmentally typical
  • Preoccupation with sexual themes beyond what is expected
  • Behaviour involving a power imbalance but stopping short of coercion
Respond with: further assessment, consider whether abuse is driving the behaviour
🔴 RED — Harmful/Abusive
  • Coercive, threatening, or manipulative sexual behaviour
  • Significant age or power disparity
  • Behaviour that causes harm or distress to another
  • Penetrative acts, sexualised violence
Respond with: immediate safeguarding response for both children

Brook Traffic Light Tool © Brook. Available free at brook.org.uk/training/traffic-light-tool. Must be used in conjunction with professional judgement and knowledge of the individual child's developmental stage.

👥 Dual Victim-Perpetrator Status

Children and young people who display sexually harmful behaviour are overwhelmingly themselves victims of abuse. Research indicates that between 40–80% of children referred to specialist SHB services have themselves been sexually abused. This is the concept of "dual victim-perpetrator" status — the child needs safeguarding and therapeutic support, not simply punishment.

Practitioners must:
  • Open a safeguarding referral for BOTH children
  • Conduct a holistic assessment of the child displaying SHB — explore their own abuse history
  • Not label a child as a "sex offender" — this causes harm and is rarely appropriate
  • Involve specialist services (e.g. SAFE! project, Stop It Now, NWG Network)
School DSL response:
  • Never investigate alone — refer to MASH and police (if a crime has occurred)
  • Manage both children in school while investigation proceeds — risk assessment required
  • Consider whether a Child Protection Conference is appropriate for the child displaying SHB
  • Do not share details between families without legal advice or MASH guidance

💻 Online Sexually Harmful Behaviour

Online SHB is increasingly common and presents specific challenges for schools and practitioners. It includes: sharing of nude or semi-nude images (NSNI), online sexual harassment, pressure to share sexual images, and group chats used to share exploitative content.

Nude/semi-nude image sharing (sexting): The sharing of nude or semi-nude images of under-18s is technically a criminal offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978. However, UKCIS guidance (2019) makes clear that schools should not automatically involve the police — the primary response is safeguarding. Report the concern to the DSL; the DSL decides whether a police referral is needed. Do NOT look at the images yourself.

What to Do & Referral Pathways

MASH referral
All RED behaviour — refer both the victim and the child displaying SHB to children's social care under s.47 without delay.
Police
Where a crime may have been committed, the DSL should consult with police before deciding on referral. Joint investigation may be needed.
CEOP
ceop.police.uk — for online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Schools can report directly.
Stop It Now!
0808 1000 900
Free helpline for adults concerned about a child's sexual behaviour. Confidential, not a reporting line.
Brook Traffic Light
brook.org.uk — free tool and training for practitioners to categorise sexual behaviour and identify appropriate responses.
NSPCC
0808 800 5000
For professionals concerned about a child. nspcc.org.uk also has specialist SHB guidance.
Related resources
→ Peer-on-Peer Abuse hub → CSE hub → Online Grooming → Voice of the Child

Statutory references: KCSIE 2025 Part 5 (child-on-child sexual violence and harassment) · Children Act 1989/2004 · Sexual Offences Act 2003 · Protection of Children Act 1978 · Working Together 2026
Guidance: UKCIS (2019) Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings · Brook Traffic Light Tool · NWG Network