Promotion of Healthy Sexual Development of Children Erasmus Project

Project Title

Promotion of Healthy Sexual Development of Children

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Health and wellbeing; Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy) ; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Context/background

From the 1980s, research – mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom – started to provide evidence of the extent of sexual abuse of children and young people in out-of-home care. While it is generally acknowledged that prevalence rates differ amongst studies because of the different formulation of questions, different definitions of sexual abuse, current figures are known to be underestimates and girls and disabled children and young people are at greater risk of being sexually abused in the general population as well as in care. Research has not only shown that sexual abuse in care occurs but that abuse can be perpetrated by other children and young people in care, children of foster carers, as well as by foster carers and residential staff members.

Over the last two decades, there has been increasing political attention on sexual abuse in care because of the testimonies of care leavers, and inquiries and truth commissions. An important conclusion of the inquiries and investigations is that professionals working in care settings often lack the competencies and skills to address sex and sexuality, assist young people’s healthy sexual development, and safeguard children and young people from abuse.

Objectives

As most professionals working in care in Europe graduate from schools of Social Work, social work education should prepare (future) professionals to address this issue. In general, social work education does not pay sufficient attention to the subject. This project aimed to help (future) professionals build competencies on this specific subject by providing the following products:

1. An international summer school for social work students
2. An online course for professionals working in residential care or working with foster
3. A website with materials for (European) lecturers who teach future social workers
4. A reflection instrument on the core competencies, as a tool for on-the-job training on the subject.

Participating organizations

The project has been conducted in a collaboration of four Universities – Absalon University of Applied Sciences (Denmark), Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (The Netherlands), Artesis Plantijn University of Applied Sciences (Belgium) and Strathclyde University (Scotland), and three organizations for Children’s services offering residential and/or foster care (along with other services): Clemens (Denmark), Spirit (The Netherlands) and Wingerdbloei (Belgium). Spirit participated in the project with a special department: Qpido, a sex specific center of expertise, involved in training professionals on the subject of sex and sexuality (https://www.qpido.nl/).

Main activities

The project consisted of three phases with distinct activities. As the goal of the project was to develop educational materials for (future) professionals the first step was to investigate the competencies professionals need to address sex and sexuality with young people in care and their carers. This was done by conducting two research projects on which all information can be found in reports and factsheets on the website.

The results of the research (O6) also gave input to a text on the background and framework (O1) of the project, to the definition of five main themes and to development a reflection tool, based on the core competencies (O2). All information on these products of phase one can be found at: http://www.amsterdamuas.com/safe.

In the second phase materials for lecturers (O3), the summer school (O4) and an online course were developed (O5). All can be found at www.amsterdamuas.com/safe.
In June 2018 a closing conference has been organized in Amsterdam. The program and evaluation of the conference can be found at: http://www.amsterdamuas.com/safe/about/conference/conference-lets-talk-about.html

Results and impact

• All products are available online line at: www.amsterdamuas.com/safe and the link to the online course will be added to the child protection hub for Eastern Europe. This is due before the end of 2018.
• The partners are working with the materials in their own organization and many activities have been undertaken to disseminate the information on the project (see implementation and dissemination plan).
• In the participating countries a reference group was formed, which has been an important vehicle for dissemination of the project, as were the pilots conducted.
• Partners agreed on keeping the products online and update them for the upcoming 5 years. Also partners agreed on exchange on further development of the products (see letter of intent enclosed).

With the introduction of the website the name of the project has changed from ‘Promotion of Healthy Sexual Development of Children’ to ‘Safeguarding Young People in Care’, since this was more suitable in relation to both content and language.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 363982,61 Eur

Project Coordinator

STICHTING HOGESCHOOL VAN AMSTERDAM & Country: NL

Project Partners

• SPIRIT
• Fonden Clemens
• UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE
• PROFESSIONHOJSKOLEN I REGION SJAELLAND
• Vereniging tot Jeugdbescherming ‘Wingerdbloei’
• ARTESIS – PLANTIJN HOGESCHOOL ANTWERPEN