About the SB-CaRT
Supporting workers to respond safely and confidently to sexual behaviours displayed by children and young people.
What is the SB-CaRT?
The NSW Sexual Behaviours Context and Response Tool (SB-CaRT) for Children and Young People is an online identification and response tool. It is designed to help anyone working with children and young people to work out whether a child or young person's sexual behaviour may be cause for concern. It supports the user to develop an initial response plan and helps guide decisions about whether further assessment or referrals to other services may be needed.
Who can use the SB-CaRT?
The SB-CaRT is designed for use by anyone working with children and young people, which may include:
- Government agencies
- Non-government organisations and services
- Community controlled and run organisations
- Private practitioners
No specialist skills or training are required to use the SB-CaRT. There is a user-guide and webinar on how to use the SB-CaRT on the Resources page of this website, and within the Tool itself.
What does the SB-CaRT do?
- Helps workers identify when to be concerned about a child or young person's sexual behaviour
- Supports the development of an initial response plan
- Provides access to relevant resources on a range of topics
- Provides consultation and service pathways
- Builds worker confidence in navigating complex situations
Why was it developed?
The SB-CaRT was developed as part of the NSW Government's commitment to preventing and responding to problematic and harmful sexual behaviours following the recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. It reflects best practice and is informed by research, consultation, and co-design.
Who developed the SB-CaRT
The SB-CaRT has been developed by the NSW Government. It is a collaborative, cross-agency project led by the NSW Ministry of Health and co-sponsored by the Department of Communities and Justice, Department of Education and NSW Police. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to supporting children and young people through coordinated, evidence-informed approaches that focus on health, safety and wellbeing outcomes.
The Consider section of the SB-CaRT is based on Professor Simon Hackett's model (Hackett, 2010) of sexual behaviour in childhood. Professor Hackett and NSW Health have worked together to simplify this model into 3 levels of sexual behaviour: expected, problematic and harmful.
The SB-CaRT was developed in collaboration with ORIMA Research and was co-designed with a diverse range of key stakeholders across NSW. These stakeholders participated in co-design workshops informing the content and design of the tool to help ensure alignment with local policies and procedures, NSW legislation, and usability in different community and cultural contexts. Click here for more information about the co-design process.
Contact us
NSW Health
For further information about the SB-CaRT please email : MOH-PARVAN@health.nsw.gov.au
External website link ↗ORIMA Research
Email: SBCart@orima.com
Contact ORIMA Research for any difficulties logging on or using the SB-CaRT.
External website link ↗Child Protection Helpline
Phone number: 13 21 11
Contact the Child Protection Helpline if you are worried that a child or young person is at risk of harm from abuse or neglect.
External website link ↗
Access the SB-CaRT
The NSW Sexual Behaviours Context and Response Tool for Children and Young People has feasibility testing planned for the second half of 2026. This is to evaluate the tool and make improvements before it is implemented more broadly. Access to the tool is only available for people who are part of the feasibility testing at this time. For more information contact:
