New programme to help young people displaying sexually inappropriate behaviour

Independent mental health provider the Priory Group has launched a programme aimed at young people displaying sexually inappropriate behaviour.

The service is designed for 12- to 18-year-olds who are “unmanageable” at school or care settings because of their behaviour.

The programme is led by a consultant psychiatrist and aims to address issues that cause the behaviour such as dealing with trauma following sexual abuse.

Other symptoms the team will deal with include obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance misuse and attachment difficulties.

Inappropriate behaviour by young people with disabilities will also be addressed.

A spokeswoman for the Priory Ticehurst House, the East Sussex-based hospital that is running the programme, said: “Children and adolescents who have a learning disability, a physical disability, who have been abused or have experienced other disruptions to their social and physical development, are at increased risk of developing inappropriate sexual behaviours.

“For example, children and young people with Asperger’s syndrome and similar conditions are not always aware that their behaviour is inappropriate.”