Community survey to inform the development of the Second Action Plan under the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030

Overview

Introduction

All Australian governments want an effective and nationally coordinated approach to keep children safe and end family, domestic and sexual violence, including child sexual abuse. Governments are working together and with the wider community to respond to how these problems are evolving and act with urgency and care.

In 2026, the Australian Government is consulting on five new action plans that sit under four national frameworks. This includes the Second Action Plan for the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030 (National Strategy), as well as:

• The Second Action Plan for the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032
• The Second Action Plan and Second Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan for Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2021–2031
• The First Action Plan for Our Ways – Strong Ways – Our Voices: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2026–2036.

We are designing these action plans to work together. This is crucial, as people affected by violence often deal with many overlapping services at the same time – such as health, justice, housing and community services. They may have experienced multiple forms of abuse or be living with the lasting impacts of past abuse.

As part of this work, the National Office for Child Safety (National Office) within the Attorney-General's Department wants to better understand your views on preventing and responding to child sexual abuse in Australia. Your input will help us develop a Second Action Plan aimed at keeping children and young people safe from sexual abuse and supporting victims and survivors.

If you are interested in participating in consultations related to family, domestic and sexual violence action plans, please visit engage.dss.gov.au.

We value your responses and recognise that you may have your own lived experience of child sexual abuse. The purpose of this survey is to identify actions governments should take to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse. It does not seek personal details, nor can individual cases be addressed through this process. If you have concerns about a child's safety or wish to make a report, please visit the Make a report page on our website.

About the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021–2030

The National Strategy is an initiative of Australian, state and territory governments, and was a recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

The National Strategy has actions that sit under 5 themes. The themes help categorise the different ways governments can address child sexual abuse. The themes are:

• Theme 1: Awareness raising, education and building child safe cultures
• Theme 2: Supporting and empowering victims and survivors
• Theme 3: Enhancing national approaches to children who have displayed harmful sexual behaviours
• Theme 4: Offending prevention and intervention
• Theme 5: Improving the evidence base

For a more detailed summary of the National Strategy please read the Summary of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030 and its Action Plans. You can also find out what has been achieved under the First Action Plans under the National Strategy by reading our annual reports.

About the Second Action Plan

• Second Action Plan Consultation Paper [PDF 500KB]
• Second Action Plan Consultation Paper [DOCX 820KB]

The Second Action Plan is proposed to continue the work already started under the National Strategy and introduce new activities in recognition of the emerging issues and information identified since the commencement of the First Action Plans. We acknowledge the consultations, research and advocacy efforts that have already contributed to the development of the Second Action Plan so far.

Below is a summary of what participants, including victims and survivors and their advocates, identified as actions that are needed:

• Expand awareness raising initiatives to improve community attitudes and reduce stigma.
• Improve access to quality support for victims, survivors and their support networks. This includes funding for existing services and peer support.
• Strengthen the skills and capacity of workers across sectors to respond safely and effectively to child sexual abuse, and to support victims, survivors and their families.
• Address the growing problem of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, particularly in light of harms facilitated by emerging technologies including AI.  
• Explore harmful online content, including pornography, as a driver of harmful sexual behaviours and gender-based violence.
• Reform the Working with Children Check system and strengthen national information sharing, including relevant worker and child safety information.
• Strengthen responses to harmful sexual behaviours displayed by children and young people, including centring victims and survivors of harmful sexual behaviours into our responses.
• Explore options to improve access to legal pathways, including civil remedies, for victims and survivors.
• Continue to focus on preventing offending from occurring in the first place, to keep children safe now and into the future.

We want to make sure the Second Action Plan improves outcomes for everyone, and that people from all backgrounds are reflected in our approaches. This includes the following priority cohorts:

• victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and their advocates
• children and young people and their support networks
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• culturally and linguistically diverse communities
• people with disability
• LGBTQIA+ people
• people living in regional and remote communities.

Why we need a Second Action Plan

More than 1 in 3 girls and almost 1 in 5 boys have experienced child sexual abuse in Australia according to the Australian Child Maltreatment Study. This prevalence rate does not include online abuse, which indicates the abuse rates are likely to be even higher. We also know some parts of the problem are getting worse. Rates of online child sexual abuse are rapidly increasing, as are rates of harmful sexual behaviours displayed by children and young people.

The impacts of child sexual abuse are significant and can be lifelong. Victims and survivors may experience poorer physical and mental health, as well as educational, employment and economic outcomes. Victims and survivors of child sexual abuse are at an increased risk of experiencing sexual violence later in life. Child sexual abuse has far-reaching impacts that extend beyond the individual, affecting families and communities.

What we will do with the survey results

We want to make sure the recommendations to government for the Second Action Plan take into account the Australian community's priorities and concerns. We will be taking the information you and others provide and will publish a consultation report so you can see what we've been told. For details about what sort of information we are collecting, why we are collecting it and how it will be used you can read the Privacy Collection Notice. You must read the Privacy Collection Notice and confirm that you have read and understood it to commence this survey. Further information is also available in the Participant Information Sheet.

• Participant Information Sheet [PDF 452 KB]
• Participant Information Sheet [DOCX 103 MB]

How to share your views

You can share your views by completing the survey below.

If you are having difficulty completing the online survey or have questions about the National Strategy or the Second Action Plan, email NationalOfficeforChildSafety@ag.gov.au and we can help you.