Amanda Paton
From Understanding to Action: Developing and Applying the Layered Continuum and Response Mapping Tools for HSB Practice
Workshop Abstract
Responding effectively to sexual behaviours displayed by children and young people requires contemporary, developmentally informed tools that support both understanding and action.
This workshop presents two interconnected bodies of work undertaken by the Australian Centre for Child Protection: the development and validation of the Layered Continuum for Understanding Harmful Sexual Behaviours, and the co-design of Response Mapping Tools for identifying risk and enhancing safety, particularly within Out of Home Care (OOHC).
The Layered Continuum emerged in response to limitations in existing models, including outdated terminology, challenges for non-specialist practitioners, and insufficient attention to constructs such as consent, reciprocity, mutuality, emotional responses, and behavioural patterns.
Through extensive expert interviews, exploration of contemporary constructs, and a validation study involving frontline practitioners, the Continuum was refined into a practical, step-by-step framework that supports practitioners to accurately determine the level of concern associated with a child’s sexual behaviour. This structured tool acknowledges that sexual behaviours exist on a spectrum of severity and impact, guiding practitioners toward clearer, more consistent decision-making.
Building on this foundation, the Response Mapping Tools were developed to help practitioners translate understanding into action. Using a robust co-design methodology, frontline workers, managers, cultural advisors, and subject matter experts collaborated to design tools that are usable, context-specific, and aligned with the complex realities of OOHC.
These tools assist practitioners in recognising risk, mapping protective strategies, and enhancing safety for children and young people who have displayed HSB. A comprehensive training and implementation package, including videos, practice guidance, and validation with experts, ensures the tools can be applied consistently across government and non-government services. This workshop will describe the development, validation, and practical application of both frameworks, demonstrating how they work together to strengthen assessment, response, and safety planning for children and young people across diverse service environments.
About the Speaker
Amanda Paton is an executive leader and Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years’ experience working with child abuse and trauma. She is the Deputy Director, Practice for the Australian Centre for Child Protection at the University of South Australia, and the Program Director for the Graduate Certificate in Childhood Trauma.
She oversees the Solutions Project for Understanding and Responding to Harmful Sexual Behaviours and the Child Sexual Abuse Workforce Capacity Building projects for WA, including the research, development and implementation of evidence-based models and workforce development trainings for responding to child abuse, neglect, trauma and harmful sexual behaviours across the WA context.
Amanda is also the Co-Chief Investigator leading the development of the National Clinical and Therapeutic Framework Responding to Children and Young People who have Displayed Harmful Sexual Behaviours and was Chief Investigator developing the National Minimum Practice Standards for Specialist and Community Support Services Responding to Child Sexual Abuse. Amanda is Chair of the National Clinical Reference Group for Harmful Sexual Behaviours and is a member of the Care Plan Review Panel for WA Department of Communities.