Reducing offending and reoffending among individuals who perpetrate child sexual abuse is a critical challenge within the criminal justice system and within the broader context of public health. These offences have profound impacts on victims and society, making prevention and rehabilitation efforts imperative to protect children. It is increasingly accepted that a criminal justice response alone cannot effectively protect children from sexual harm, instead a public health response encompassing primary, secondary and tertiary prevention offers a promising opportunity to build on existing efforts to prevent abuse and exploitation effectively.

Stop It Now! Australia provides anonymous support and advice for people concerned about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts and behaviours towards children. It is a support and action-based service comprising telephone, chat and online resources that empowers individuals to take steps to protect children. Of those concerned about their own sexual thoughts and behaviours towards children, approximately 55% are unknown to law enforcement. Due to concerns related to anonymity, Stop It Now! is often the only service these individuals' access and is a cohort that most people know little about.

The presentation will focus on learnings from 2.5 years of Stop It Now! helpline operation including factors contributing to offending and reoffending, and motivations and actions that reduce recidivism. We will summarise findings from program research and evaluations and demonstrate how these can expand effective perpetrator prevention. The presentation will also focus on the 2024/2025 pilot study of the Get Help! Australia program, an anonymous, self-help psycho-educational resource for individuals concerned about their online behaviour. We will introduce key patterns and themes from user data to explore the utility of the Get Help! program. We will explore how to use these insights to increase innovative approaches to prevent initial offending and reduce recidivism, while promoting long-term behaviour change.