The recent surge in media coverage of alleged child sexual abuse within Australian early childhood services has starkly highlighted the vulnerability of children in settings where trusted adults are absent or have been manipulated into desensitisation by perpetrators. While these incidents occurred in highly regulated Early Learning Centres, they raise pressing questions about children and young people living in Out of Home Care (OOHC), where structural, relational, and developmental vulnerabilities may be compounded and relational continuity compromised.

 

Children do tell – adults must listen

Contrary to long-standing assumptions, research consistently shows that children do attempt to disclose abuse, even when their age, developmental stage, or language skills limit clarity. Our recent study involving 51 victim survivors found that almost all had tried to communicate their experiences, yet only eight reported a trusted adult who both heard and acted to ensure safety (Canosa et al., 2025; McPherson et al., 2025).

OOHC systems, often shaped by adult-centric statutory and criminal justice processes, can unintentionally retraumatise children, making child-centred reporting mechanisms critical. Children must experience adults as reliable, ethical, protective, able to listen, validate, and act on disclosures.

Practice implications:

• Train caregivers and staff in trauma-informed communication, active listening, and recognising both verbal and non-verbal disclosure cues.
• Establish child-friendly, accessible reporting pathways with rapid and transparent follow-up.
• Ensure reflective supervision and peer support for staff to manage the emotional impact of exposure to disclosure-related trauma.

OOHC children are especially vulnerable to targeted abuse

Children in OOHC often carry histories of betrayal or harm from the adults responsible for their care. For many, prior experiences have taught them that adults cannot always be trusted, inhibiting disclosure and increasing vulnerability. Offenders exploit children’s unmet attachment needs and past trauma to gain compliance and secrecy. This can create confusion and manipulate children into believing they are the only person who “understands” them or can protect them. Trust in safe adults has to be rebuilt, and this process takes time, consistency, and relational safety.

Practice implications:

• Create consistent, safe, and predictable environments to foster relational stability.
• Prioritise continuity of caregivers and key workers to build and maintain trust.
• Engage children actively in co-designing safety planning and decision-making, ensuring their voices guide protective measures.

Understanding offending patterns supports prevention

Offender behaviour is frequently deliberate, strategic, and manipulative, exploiting the vulnerabilities of children as well as structural complexities of care environments. Offenders often use secrecy, authority, or the child’s unmet needs to gain compliance or conceal abuse.

Critically, grooming in OOHC can extend beyond the child to staff and the system itself. Offenders may:

• Groom the child by building trust, meeting emotional needs, or normalising inappropriate behaviour to reduce resistance and delay disclosure.
• Groom staff by presenting as credible, charming, or authoritative, encouraging misplaced trust and reducing scrutiny.
• Exploit system vulnerabilities such as high staff turnover, inconsistent supervision, or fragmented reporting procedures to avoid detection and maintain access to children.

Developing a nuanced understanding of offender motivations, grooming strategies, and behavioural patterns is essential for informed prevention and risk reduction. This knowledge enables caregivers, residential staff, and child protection workers to:

• Identify early warning signs of grooming in children, staff interactions, and systemic weaknesses.
• Implement protective environmental measures, including structured routines, adequate supervision ratios, and robust reporting processes.
• Strengthen risk assessments by considering situational vulnerabilities unique to OOHC.
• Balance prevention education with systemic responsibility, avoiding over-reliance on children’s capacity to self-protect.

Practice implication: Integrating insights into offender behaviour with trauma-informed and relational approaches allows OOHC staff to proactively safeguard children, disrupt exploitative dynamics, and create environments where trust, safety, and accountability are consistently experienced.

Recognition, relationship, and irauma-informed care

Trust, recognition, and authentic relationships are central to both reducing risk and supporting healing for children in OOHC. Caregivers and professionals should:

• Be trustworthy adults: Honour commitments, maintain consistency, and create predictable care environments that foster relational safety.
• Validate children’s experiences: Listen without judgement, acknowledge emotions, and empower children to participate in decisions affecting their safety and wellbeing.
• Be vigilant and responsive: Maintain awareness of behavioural, emotional, or relational cues that may indicate grooming or abuse, and act promptly on concerns. This includes escalating observations through appropriate reporting channels, seeking guidance from supervisors, and advocating for protective measures without delay.
• Act proactively: Respond promptly to disclosures, report concerns, and advocate for protective and preventative interventions.

By foregrounding relational safety and recognising children as active participants, OOHC systems can shift from reactive to preventative practice. Children should experience adults not only as protectors, but as allies who respect their voice, agency, and identity, and who act decisively when concerns arise.

Practice implications:

• Embed trauma-informed supervision and reflective practice to support staff in recognising and ethically responding to potential abuse or grooming.
• Co-design safety and care plans with children, carers, and multi-agency teams to ensure holistic protection and accountability.
• Apply culturally safe practices, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, acknowledging intergenerational trauma and the importance of community connection.
• Foster a culture of vigilance and accountability, where concerns are noticed, discussed, and acted upon promptly, reinforcing a proactive stance on safeguarding.

Conclusion

Preventing and responding to child sexual abuse in Out of Home Care requires more than policy, it demands a deeply trauma-informed, vigilant, and relational approach. It relies on:

• Trusting relationships between children and adults, where children experience consistency, reliability, and genuine care.
• Responsive systems that not only hear children’s voices but act decisively on what is shared, recognising the urgency and complexity of disclosures.
• Well-supported, trained, and reflective caregivers who understand trauma, recognise grooming behaviours, and are prepared to intervene ethically and effectively.

Children in OOHC are among our most vulnerable. Their safety cannot be assumed; it must be actively created and sustained. By valuing their disclosures, understanding offender strategies, and prioritising both relational and structural safety, OOHC services can move beyond reactive responses, toward a proactive, protective, and empowering environment where children are genuinely heard, respected, and safeguarded.

Key Message:

As a community, we will only truly hear and act when we value the words of children and create systems that respond in a child-centred manner.

Click here to read a publication featuring the voices of young people in residential care.