Sexualised violence: prevention and intervention in the school context

School, child sexual abuse, protection concepts, risk analyses, prevention

01.01.2023-31.12.2025

Sexualised violence against children and young people encompasses a broad spectrum of different sexual or sexualised experiences of violence, which often represent traumatising life events for those affected. Many of those affected dare to talk about their experiences and seek support for the first time in a school environment.

However, school is not only a safe space for children and young people, it can also be a place where sexualised violence takes place. Dealing with the issue of sexualised violence and child protection in schools is a major challenge for everyone involved.

In order to support schools in dealing professionally with the issue of sexualised violence, the Lower Saxony Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs is funding the development and evaluation of the online course "Sexualised Violence: Prevention and Intervention in the School Context" by the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy at Ulm University Hospital.

The aim of the online course is to offer in-depth training on the topic of sexualised violence and child protection in the school context based on the latest scientific findings. Employees of schools in Lower Saxony, for example teachers and employees of school administration, school psychological services and school social work, should be encouraged and professionally supported to deal with the complex and very emotional topic of child sexual abuse in a professional manner. Furthermore, this online course provides information and impetus for the (further) development of concepts for protection against sexualised violence in schools.

The online course has a modular structure and consists of three basic modules. In addition, after successfully completing the basic modules, an additional module on specific contexts of child sexual abuse (e.g. peer violence) and a module with content aimed specifically at school administrators and staff can be completed optionally. The course content is taught using text materials, video clips and practical case studies, among other things.

Participation in the course is free of charge during the development phase from October 2023 to the end of 2025. If you are interested in taking part in the online course, you can register at the following link:

Lower Saxony Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs

Lower Saxony State Institute for School Quality Development (NLQ)