CARA  and ICENA are very proud to present a new series of animated videos to support professionals working with children and young people to understand the impacts of sexual violence.  The animations, Understanding Young People’s Experiences of Sexual Harm:  Supporting Students were created in collaboration with young survivors in Essex.

You can find the full set of animations, supporting resources and more information about our project by following this link to the CARA website

What resources are available?

There are five 90 second animations available for use. They cover the following topics:

• “They just fob it off.” Preventing Sexual Harm in Schools
• “It’s all about paperwork and box ticking.” Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence
• “I felt like a burden.” Providing Support After Sexual Violence
• “I lost all my friends.”  The Impact of Sexual Violence on Peer Groups
• From Disclosure to Closure: Supporting Young Survivors Throughout Their Journey

In addition, a set of supporting resources is available for Designated Safeguarding Leads and Senior Leaders to use during INSET and continuing professional development sessions with all staff.

The resources are:

• Understanding Young People’s Experiences of Sexual Harm PowerPoint and Facilitator’s Guide for use in training which guides participants through the main points of each animation and asks them to consider their own role in supporting young survivors of sexual violence
• Understanding Young People’s Experiences of Sexual Harm handout which gives an overview of the animations’ content and provides links to each animation
• Student Experience Scenarios, available as a powerpoint or a handout, which summarise the student experiences presented in each of the animations.

The animated videos and supporting resources will be shared with Essex schools at Essex County Council Safeguarding Forums in November 2022, and will be included in the Essex County Council guidance on sexually harmful behaviour.

We are aware that good work is already happening in many education settings to support young survivors and prevent sexual harm, and we hope these training materials will help support schools, teachers and other professionals in developing best practice.