Children and Teenagers: Sexual Behaviour — What’s Normal and What’s Not

When it comes to children and teenagers, their behaviour around bodies, boundaries, and sexuality can be complex — and often misunderstood.

- What’s normal curiosity?

- What’s problematic?

- And where does it cross into being harmful or even violent?

In this episode, I sit down with Dr Jennifer Allotey, forensic psychologist and social worker, to unpack these difficult questions. We discuss:

- The Hackett Continuum: a framework used in schools and safeguarding to assess behaviour.

- Why some behaviours should be seen as developmentally expected, while others require intervention.

- The role of consent, power, and context in understanding young people’s actions.

- The influence of the internet and technology on today’s behaviour.

- How schools, parents, and communities can respond without overreacting or labelling young people unfairly.

This is a vital conversation for anyone who cares about safeguarding, prevention, and helping young people navigate healthy development.

Resources mentioned in the podcast are below.

Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse - https://www.csacentre.org.uk

The AIM Project - https://aimproject.org.uk

Shore - https://shorespace.org.uk

Dr Jennifer Allotey information

Website - http://polaris-associates.co.uk/

Dr Jennifer Allotey is a Chartered Forensic Psychologist, Social Worker and Assistant Professor in Forensic Psychology. Jennifer's career began in children and families social work, including working within the family court arena, and time spent in fostering and adoption. Within her social work career, Jennifer specialised in assessment of risk and she went on to work in specialist services including NSPCC, Lucy Faithfull Foundation, and Safer Lives. Jennifer's specialist expertise in assessment and therapeutic interventions with children led to a role as the Clinical Lead for Harmful Sexual Behaviour within a Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (FCAMHS). Jennifer is now dual registered as a Social Worker and Forensic Psychologist, and she continues to work with both children and adults who have dispalyed harmful / offending behaviours, with a focus on sexual harm.

Jennifer's doctoral thesis explores experiences of adversity and trauma in children who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour and the focus throughout is sexual abuse prevention. Jennifer's research make recommendations for practice to support all professionals in their role in the prevention of child sexual abuse. Alongside her clinical practice, Jennifer provides consultation, supervision and training to professionals and delivers teaching as an Assistant Professor in Forensic Psychology at the University of Nottingham.

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