Female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) struggle with every aspect of relationships because their body, trust and boundaries were violated at a formative age which can result in ongoing trauma/abuse. A staggering 37.3% of Australian women report CSA (ACMA, 2023) and they are 23% more likely to have experienced sexual, physical and/or domestic violence ...
Stepping Out Program
Circle of Security Parenting Program for Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
GOAL
$10,000
Australia > NSW > Metro and Regional
Field of Interest
- Health/wellbeing and medical research
- Individual/family services and support
Target Population
- Women and girls
- People experiencing socio-economic disadvantage or vulnerability
Stepping Out Program
Stepping Out has been supporting female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) since 1986 through programs, advocacy and referrals, social inclusion programs, workshops and case management of survivors experiencing homelessness.
CSA survivors experience complex mental health issues due to the impacts of their childhood trauma, with social isolation and socio-economic disadvantage preventing them from seeking support. Stepping Out Program focuses on improving survivors’ capacity to live productive, healthy lives encouraging them to engage in the wider community. Without support they have a substantially reduced capacity to take part in activities of daily living and effectively participate in the community.
Our trauma informed approach will enable the women to build confidence to move beyond childhood sexual abuse (CSA) trauma and towards healing and independence.
Project Summary
Female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) struggle with every aspect of relationships because their body, trust and boundaries were violated at a formative age which can result in ongoing trauma/abuse.
A staggering 37.3% of Australian women report CSA (ACMA, 2023) and they are 23% more likely to have experienced sexual, physical and/or domestic violence in the past twelve months. CSA survivors are particularly vulnerable to coercive control due to their familiarity with the grooming process.
We run workshops on understanding and managing impacts of CSA with a parenting component and commonly hear concerns of self-doubt, anxiety, attachment, hypervigilance, social isolation, emotional dysregulation and struggling with a sense of identity.
We firmly believe that a specialised program, specifically for mothers who identify as CSA survivors, will provide emotional support and practical assistance as well as break the cycle of intergenerational trauma.
Project Outcomes
Circle of Security is a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, evidence-based intervention program which provides outcomes including:
- Improved secure attachment between mother and children.
- Increase parent’s empathy and ability to read child’s cues
- Decrease negative attributions of the parent regarding the child’s motivations
- Increase parent’s capacity to self-reflect and self-regulate
- Increase parent’s capacity to pause, reflect, and chose security-promoting caregiving behaviours
- Increase parent’s capacity to regulate stressful emotional states
- Increase parent’s ability to recognise ruptures in the relationship and facilitate repairs
- Increase parent’s capacity to provide comfort when their child is in distress.
- Reduce probability of later psychopathology in child by developing secure attachment in infancy
Additional outcomes include:
- Connection to Stepping Out community for ongoing support e.g., living skills, financial literacy, social inclusion.
- Referrals for case management or counselling to promote self-sufficiency.
- Break the cycle of trauma and reduce potential for intergenerational trauma.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $15,000
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Stepping Out Program | $5,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Program facilitators | $7,680 |
| Childcare | $960 |
| Venue Hire | $960 |
| Catering | $400 |
| Marketing | $1,400 |
| Administration | $3,600 |
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