Grooming involves building a trusting relationship with a child or their family over time to lay the groundwork for future sexual abuse. The person may befriend the entire family to gain their trust and spend increasing amounts of time alone with the child. This can cause confusion and self-blame in the child, who may feel responsible and fear punishment if they disclose the abuse. Grooming preys on vulnerable children without supervision. Both children and other adults can be desensitized to risky behaviors that groomers use.

1. Module 6:
Grooming

2. Grooming
• When a person tries to build a trusting relationship with a
child or a child’s family so that they can sexually abuse the
child.
• Involves the person building connection and trust with a child
and family over days, weeks, months or years.
• The person might befriend a family and seem to have an
amazing connection with the child.
• TThey might gradually spend more and more time with the
child. This lays the groundwork for sexual abuse at a later
time.

3. What's happening
TO
the child
Remember.......
Grooming may cause a child to:
• think as though they have an important and special relationship
with the person who is harming them;
• experience confusion over the nature of their relationship;
• internalise the abuse as their fault, feeling responsibility for any
harm experienced and fearing they will be blamed, punished,
or not believed;
• fear that they will be separated from their family or home if they
speak out; and/or
• believe that disclosure will cause harm to someone or
something they love and care for, such as family members or
pets.

4. We need to be aware of grooming and concerning
adult behaviours .
Grooming is likely to target vulnerable children and those
lacking supervision. It is
• Predatory
• Opportunistic
• Situational

5. Just as children are groomed by adults to allow
them to perpetrate sexual acts, other adults are also
are also 'groomed' (or desensitised) to perceive
potentially risky behaviour as harmless” (van Dam,
2011).​
What's happening
AROUND
the child

6. Grooming
This short quiz will check your understanding of grooming and what
behaviours should be the cause for concern.
In the following situations decide whether the behaviour is acceptable
or unacceptable.

7. A team member who pays a lot of attention to one particular child,
to the point where they don't seem to pay attention to anyone else.
Acceptable Unacceptable

8. This is an UNACCEPTABLE situation - if you observe this
happening, discuss with the appropriate person in your
organisation, such as the Safeguarding Officer. Depending on the
context and other factors of concern, this may need to be
reported.

9. An adult guardian who calls their child pet names like 'sweetheart ' and
"love"
Acceptable Unacceptable

10. This is ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOUR - provided there are no
other factors or behaviours that raise concern.

11. A team member regularly play fights with a
child in a way that involves a lot of wrestling
and close contact.
Acceptable Unacceptable

12. This is UNACCEPTABLE - and a situation that
you should monitor and may need to report.

13. Checklist of grooming and concerning adult
behaviours
• paying particular interest to a child
• has a 'child friend'
• Isolating a child from others
• More interested in children than adults
• Suspicious behaviour towards children *eg giving gifts
• engages in inappropriate contact with a child
• Looks at child pornography
• Seems unclear about boundaries
• encourages secrets in children
• describes children in sexual words
• Manipulates opportunities to be alone with a child.

14. What can be put in place to reduce risks of grooming and abuse?
Clear policies and procedures
Child Safe Organisation
Standards
Vetting and Screening processes
Staff training
Code of Conduct
Assess the physical
environment
Prompt and thorough response to complaints