Breaking The Cycle is a programme is sexual educational intervention designed to improve a participant’s understanding of sexual harm, associated risks, signs and symptoms etc.   The original programme written by Chris Wilson who co-authored the Thames Valley Sex Offender Groupwork Programme’s Non-Offending Partner Programme, has now been extended to include delivery to any adult who has care of or access to a child where there is an identified person of concern and a risk of sexual harm.  Breaking The Cycle is delivered to potentially protective adults based on three key principles.  

Inform – To share with participants information relating to professional understanding of child sexual abuse and to help them begin to relate that information to their own particular circumstances.

Empower – To facilitate participants ability to contextualise the person of concern’s offending behaviour thereby ensuring that any future decisions they may make relating to their relationship and / or their children’s relationship with a person of concern, is an informed decision.

Support – To decrease the isolation felt by participants and to consider and facilitate support networks to strengthen the individual’s ability to protect.

Breaking The Cycle covers the following topics:

• Myths about sexual abuse
• Understanding what sexual abuse and sexually harmful behaviour is
• Understanding steps to offending, including motivation of the abuser
• Understanding the grooming process of the protective adults and the victim/potential victim
• Consider how contact and non-contact offending occurs
• Exploring the function of denial for all those affected by the situation
• Recognising signs and symptoms of abuse in children and also exploitation and manipulation of adults
• Talking to children about sexual matters
• Developing strengths and support network
• Development of a Keep Safe Plan

Participants receive a handbook which outlines the content of each session and provides reference material to support learning. A Response To Intervention Report is then provided with recommendations for future work if appropriate. The assessment may be used to inform statutory agency safeguarding decisions in a variety of settings.

Work can be delivered in a group or individual setting.

For more information or to make a referral please contact us on:

T: 01235 816050

E: hub@circlessoutheast.org.uk or Lesley.Martin@circlessoutheast.org.uk