A study from the University of South Australia into over a hundred Australian educators’ experiences and understandings of pre-pubescent children’s problematic sexual behaviours has found that individual knowledge among educators was not comprehensive and that over a third felt they had not been trained in identifying and responding to children’s problematic sexual behaviours. The results suggest that while educator training in Australia does cover mandatory reporting guidelines in cases of suspected abuse or neglect, training specific to children’s problematic sexual behaviours needs to be offered. The research contends there are clear gaps in educators’ knowledge of typical sexual behaviour, and that a lack of formal education for educators makes it more likely that children’s own understandings of appropriate sexual behaviour and knowledge of sexual organs and development could be impeded. Read the study here.
