Seif Altaranissi

Responding effectively to youth sexual offending through restorative justice requires a coordinated, trauma-informed approach that engages the young person, their family, restorative justice practitioners, and broader service systems. This presentation presents a case study from Act for Kids, illustrating how multidisciplinary collaboration supports readiness, accountability, and safe participation in a restorative justice conference for sexual offences.

The presentation highlights the importance of a system-wide response when preparing a young person and their family for restorative justice. Collaboration across disciplines is essential to enhance treatment effectiveness, maintain accountability, and assess a young person's suitability to engage in restorative processes.

Using a case study methodology, the presentation maps the collaborative work required across referral agencies and service systems. At Act for Kids, collaboration is central to responding to harmful sexual behaviours. During the therapeutic process, this included consultation with restorative justice conveners, information sharing with key stakeholders, consideration of the needs of the person harmed, close engagement with the young person's family, access to external clinical guidance, and coordination with schools, child protection, and other supports. Therapeutic interventions focused on developing readiness, promoting accountability, and ensuring safe participation in the restorative justice conference.

Outcomes from this collaborative approach were consistent with evidence-based best practice. The young person received a comprehensive, holistic treatment response that increased accountability, reduced unnecessary secrecy, improved transparency across services, and created an opportunity to hear and understand the impacts of their behaviour. Importantly, the collaborative process contributed to the cessation of harmful sexual behaviour and supported sustained behaviour change.

This case demonstrates that meaningful change for young people who engage in harmful sexual behaviour is best achieved through coordinated, connected systems rather than isolated interventions. Collaboration enhances readiness for restorative justice, strengthens family and professional supports, and improves safety and accountability for all involved. Sustained behaviour change is achievable when services are responsive, integrated, and committed to working together.