The information in this program outline is provided by the program representative and edited by the CEBC staff. Sexual Abuse: Family Education and Treatment Program (SAFE-T) has been rated by the CEBC in the area of: Sexual Behavior Problems in Adolescents, Treatment of.

SAFE-T is a program of Thistletown Regional Centre, which is directly operated by the Government of Ontario, Ministry of Children and Youth Services. SAFE-T is a community-based clinic that provides specialized assessment and treatment services to children and families who have experienced intra-familial sexual abuse, children exhibiting concerning sexualized behavior, and youth who have offended sexually. Services at SAFE-T are offered at no cost.

The assessment and treatment services at SAFE-T focus on strengths and challenges so that individuals and families can make changes necessary for healthy futures. Training, supervision, and consultation to other professionals is offered by the SAFE-T program with the aim of helping to increase public awareness and understanding of child sexual abuse, children with concerning sexualized behavior, and youth who have offended sexually. In addition, SAFE-T is committed to conducting research in all three client areas.

Target Population: Adolescents who have offended sexually (intra- or extra- familial) and their families

For children/adolescents ages: 12 – 19

The philosophy behind SAFE-T is that

• Every individual has a right to live free from the fear of being abused.
• Each individual and family is unique and has the ability to make positive changes.
• All members of families affected by sexual abuse, including the child who was sexually abused, the youth who has offended sexually and other family members who may experience stress and/or trauma.
• When sexual contact has occurred, the person who offended is solely responsible for the decision(s) to engage in sexual activity.
• The welfare of an individual who was sexually abused is the most important factor in planning ways to support, help and protect that person.
• Each individual and family, given the opportunity and support, has the ability for healthy growth and development. The best support for children and families is achieved through coordinated services with other service providers.
• Given the strong reluctance of some individuals to take responsibility for their actions, and given the need to ensure the welfare of children, we support the appropriate use of Family and Criminal Court as a means of ensuring the safety of children and the participation of individuals and families in the counseling process.
• Inclusivity and diversity are principles that are respected and practiced within the SAFE-T program.

Since its inception, SAFE-T has been committed to both following and contributing to empirically-informed assessment and treatment approaches. The following treatment is for adolescents who sexually offend. Researchers at the SAFE-T Program have developed a specialized risk-assessment tool: The ERASOR (Estimate of Risk of Adolescent Sexual Offense Recidivism). Treatment is guided by the recommendations obtained from completing a compressive assessment, which include psychological and clinical evaluations. Information obtained during the assessment includes, but is not limited to the following topics:

• Family History & Functioning
• Developmental History
• Physical Health
• Intellectual, Academic and Cognitive Functioning and Expression
• Spiritual/Cultural Issues
• Self-Perception
• Nonsexual Delinquency
• Potential Traumatic Experiences & Impact
• Sexual Development & Sexual Behaviors
  
• Sexual Identity and Sexual Interest
• Non-offensive Sexual Relationships
• Knowledge of Consent Issues & Sexual Attitudes
• Sexual Offending
• Victim Impact Awareness
• Knowledge of Risk for Sexual Re-offending & Prevention Awareness
• Parental Perception of Strengths

Common Treatment Topics Include (not necessarily for all adolescents):

• Developing sexual-offense-prevention plans
• Enhancing parent-child communication/relationships
• Healing from childhood trauma
• Enhancing social relationships/intimacy
• Enhancing pro-social sexual attitudes
• Increasing accountability for sexual offenses
• Enhancing healthy sexual interests
• Developing a support network
• Enhancing affective expression/regulation
• Enhancing awareness of victim impact
• Enhancing self-esteem

Sexual Abuse: Family Education and Treatment Program (SAFE-T) was designed with a child/adolescent component that addresses the following presenting problems and symptoms for children/adolescents ages 12 – 19:

• Sexual behaviors and development
• Sexual offending behaviors
• Problems with cognitive functioning, social functioning, and/or emotional functioning
• Victimization history (if applicable)
• Sexual attitudes (if applicable)
• Nonsexual delinquency
• Self-concept
• Problems with family functioning

Services Involve Family/Support Structures:

This program involves the family or other support systems in the individual's treatment: At SAFE-T, families are valued as well as other individual’s support systems. Many of the important changes which take place for a child or youth occur at home and not in the therapy room. Family work does not always mean that the whole family must sit down together and talk. It means that the clinician considers the client’s relationships with others who are important to him/her. In many cases, where appropriate, family members/caregivers are invited to take an active role in the youth’s assessment and treatment. Caregivers are given the opportunity to be connected with an individual therapist and/or are offered attendance in group and/or family therapy. The SAFE-T program focuses on providing information and support to facilitate the processing of their own reactions to the sexual offense(s) and/or sexual victimization of their child/children. This supports their emotional and behavior healing thereby increasing caregiver’s readiness to participate in parent-child trauma or sexual offense specific sessions.

Sexual Abuse: Family Education and Treatment Program (SAFE-T) was not designed with a parent/caregiver component.

Sexual Abuse: Family Education and Treatment Program (SAFE-T) was designed to be conducted in a group setting; but has not been tested for use in a group setting.

Recommended group size:

8

Recommended Intensity:

Dependent on treatment needs, although individual sessions typically run approximately 1-hour. In addition to individual therapy, the clinicians work with dyads, families, and groups (typically run weekly, for 2 hours).

Recommended Duration:

Again, this is dependent on individual client needs. The average length of treatment is 18 months. The dyads, families, and groups typically run for 12-18 weeks.

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Community Agency

Sexual Abuse: Family Education and Treatment Program (SAFE-T) includes a homework component:

Homework is client and goal-specific, and is used in order to generalize skills learned in therapy (e.g., completing thought records, managing feelings, relaxation skills at bedtime).

Sexual Abuse: Family Education and Treatment Program (SAFE-T) has materials available in a language other than English:

French

For information on which materials are available in this language, please check on the program's website or contact the program representative (contact information is listed at the bottom of this page).

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Therapy rooms, a/v equipment for case conferences, televisions/laptops for movie clips and/or power point presentations for other psycho-educational materials, art room and art supplies for art focused interventions

Master's degree in Social Work, Master's in Psychology (psychometrists), PhD Psychologists with a mental health and/or clinical specialization

There is not a manual that describes how to implement this program; but there is training available for this program.

Training Contact:

• Tina Fridmann, Manager of Assessment, Consultation, and Training
  Tina.fridmann@ontario.ca
  phone: (416) 326-3502

Training is obtained:

Through workshops, conference presentations, publications, and teleconferencing and video-conferencing. Onsite training at SAFE-T is also available

Number of days/hours:

Variable, depending on need

This program is rated a "3 - Promising Research Evidence" on the Scientific Rating Scale based on the published, peer-reviewed research available. The practice must have at least one study utilizing some form of control (e.g., untreated group, placebo group, matched wait list study) establishing the practice's benefit over the placebo, or found it to be comparable to or better than an appropriate comparison practice. Please see the Scientific Rating Scale for more information.

Child Welfare Outcome: Child/Family Well-Being