- Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council of NSW (AHMRC)
- Aboriginal Housing Office, Services Our Way
- AbSec – NSW Child, Family and Community Peak Aboriginal Corporation
- Burrun Dalai Out of Home Care
- Department of Communities and Justice, Transforming Aboriginal Outcomes Division
- Kari Aboriginal Resources Inc.
- NSW Health:
- Aboriginal Family Wellbeing and Violence Prevention Coordinators
- Sydney Children's Hospital Network Children and Young People's Sexual Safety Team Aboriginal Advisors
- Riverina Medical and Dental Aboriginal Corporation
- Waminda – South Coast Women's Health and Welfare Aboriginal Corporation
- Waranwarin Early Learning Centre
- Yamurrah
- Yerin Eleanor Duncan Aboriginal Health Centre
Co-design and collaborations
The NSW Sexual Behaviours Context and Response Tool (SB-CaRT) for Children and Young People was developed through a collaborative and inclusive co-design process to ensure it is practical, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and accessible for anyone working with children and young people.
Why co-design was important
Engaging a wide range of stakeholders from policy, legal services, service delivery, graphic and technical design has been essential to ensure the SB-CaRT is relevant, practical and applicable in different settings and for workers in a range of roles. The engagements have brought together diverse perspectives and experiences to support an innovative and effective tool.
Stakeholders from across the sector and a range of policy and service settings have been involved from the earliest stages, shaping the tool's purpose, structure, and content. They provided critical input on how the tool should look, feel, and function to ensure it is intuitive, inclusive, and fit for purpose. This included preferences for visual identity, culturally appropriate imagery, and the tone and clarity of language used throughout the tool.
The Consider section of the SB-CaRT is based on Hackett's model (2010) of sexual behaviour in childhood. Professor Hackett and NSW Health have simplified this model into 3 levels of sexual behaviour: expected, problematic and harmful.
About the co-design process
Consultations and user testing was conducted through multiple workshops involving over 50 participants from community-based services, private practitioners, health, education and police organisations.
Participants reviewed documents, supported the mapping of navigation pathways, provided information to be included as guidance notes, advised on design ideas and concepts and used real-world case studies to test the tool. Feedback was varied and insightful, covering:
- Cultural safety and relevance
- Language
- Accessibility for users with disability
- Look and feel of the designs
- Navigational pathways
- Clarity of information
- Usefulness of guidance
- Resources for inclusion in the Tool including help-seeking and consultation pathways
Feedback was used to improve and refine key aspects of the Tool.
Working in partnership with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Stakeholders
We would like to thank all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people working across the various Countries in NSW who have played a vital role in shaping this Tool. They have generously shared their cultural knowledge, skills, lived experiences and professional expertise, to ensure that it is grounded in a Child Rights Framework and promotes culturally responsive and inclusive practice.
The design of this Tool has taken time and has been an iterative process. Participants have generously contributed to this project, over and above their already busy workloads. We have worked together, in partnership and a commitment to meaningful and sustainable benefits for Aboriginal children, young people, families and communities.
The co-design approach with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders included:
- Being guided by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders across policy, practice and service design from the start of the project through its implementation and beyond.
- Implementing an Aboriginal-led consultation process to ensure a culturally grounded process for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants.
- Inviting participation and contributions from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from a range of backgrounds and circumstances, roles and organisations relevant to the topic area.
- Valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing, ensuring this is reflected not just in the design process but in the information and guidance provided through the Tool.
- Recognising the continuing impacts of colonisation and racism and embedding strategies within the Tool to address this, for example encouraging users to take time out for reflection and provide resources to support culturally responsive practice.
This work reflects a shared commitment to ensuring the SB-CaRT supports better outcomes for Aboriginal children, young people, families, and communities. The voices and leadership of Aboriginal stakeholders remain central to the tool's development, implementation, and future use.
Stakeholder List
The following stakeholders have generously participated at various points in the co-design, collaboration and consultation process, such as through participation in workshops, user testing, advisory and governance groups, and review of documents and online materials:
Organisations (listed alphabetically)
Aboriginal organisations, programs and teams
NGO
- Association of Children's Welfare Agencies (ACWA)
- Arab Council Australia
- Barnardos Australia
- Benevolent Society
- Catholic Schools NSW
- Catholic Care
- Community Migrant Resource Centre
- Early Childhood Australia
- Early Start
- Full Stop Australia
- Headspace
- Independent Schools Association
- Key Assets Australia (Representing: Children in Care Collective representative)
- Life Without Barriers
- MacKillop Family Services
- My Forever Family NSW
- NAPCAN (NSW) – National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
- National Disability Services
- National Zakat Foundation
- NSW Ethnic Communities Council
- People With Disability Australia (PWDA)
- Rosie's Place
- STARTTS – Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (NSW)
- Settlement Services International
- The Disability Trust
NSW Government
- NSW Department of Communities and Justice
- Assessment Practice and NSW Helpline Referral Project
- Child & Family – Family Preservation and Child Protection
- Child Protection & Permanency Psychological and Specialist Services
- FACSIAR – Families and Communities Services and Community Inclusion
- Funded Services Team – Strategy & Engagement, Youth Justice
- Intensive Support Services, State-wide Services
- Office of Senior Practitioner (OSP)
- Transforming Aboriginal Outcomes Division
- Youth Justice, Psychology & Allied Health Services
- NSW Department of Education
- Child Wellbeing Unit
- PHSB Advisory Unit
- Student Participation
- NSW Health
- Child and Family Health
- Child Wellbeing Unit
- Education Centre Against Violence (ECAV)
- eHealth
- Mental Health – Children and Young People
- New Street Services
- Safe Wayz
- Violence, Abuse and Neglect (VAN) Services
- Youth Health
- NSW Police Force
Other stakeholders (including private practice)
- Professor Simon Hackett, Durham University, UK
- Sal Consulting
- Sunny Steps Psychology – Newcastle
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:
