University College London Leading Edge Day - Harmful sexual behaviour in educational settings: theory and practice implications for EPs

University College London Leading Edge Day Tuesday 14th April 2026

Harmful sexual behaviour in educational settings: theory and practice implications for EPs

Venue: 26 Bedford Way, UCL, in the Lower Ground Lecture Theatre, and via a Zoom Webinar livestream

A recurring challenge for educational psychologists is supporting educational settings when staff have concerns about understanding and responding to incidents of harmful sexual behaviour. 

The aims of the day are:

• To provide educational psychologists with up-to-date knowledge and understanding of harmful sexual behaviour in educational settings
• To understand how that knowledge might transfer to a participant’s working context 

As usual we have a range of speakers with extensive research and practical understanding and experience of this topic.  Their purposes are to support EPs to understand definitions, consider relevant theory and concepts, understand ethical perspectives, and consider current responses.

Confirmed speakers and their provisional titles are:

Dr Emily Setty, Associate Professor of Criminology University of Surrey 

Beyond risk and blame: Towards relational and reflective responses to harmful sexual behaviour in schools

Emily will set the scene for the day draw on the work she and colleagues are doing on safe uncertainty and relational practice. 

Dr Sophie King Hill, Associate Professor in the Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham

Understanding and responding to young people's sexual behaviours: The Young People’s Sexual Behaviour’s Mapping Tool – YSB-MT

Sophie will talk about the research background to the Young People’s Sexual Behaviours Mapping Tool (YSB-MT), which will be launched soon and will be freely available for practitioners.

Carolyn Blake, Research Fellow (Public Health), University of Glasgow, School of Health and Well-being

Sexual harassment in secondary schools: prevalence, associated factors, and systems insights from the NIHR-funded ‘Equally Safe at School’ evaluation

Carolyn will focus on the Equally Safe at School programme she is evaluating, which focuses on reducing gender-based violence in schools. 

Dr Jerricah Holder, Educational Psychologist, West Sussex Educational Psychology Service

Restoring safety and connection: Insights from educational psychology practice with children who display harmful sexual behaviour

Jerricah’s presentation explores how educational psychologists can support children who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour, reflecting on approaches that foster safety, trust, and relational repair. 

Dr Emily Parks, Warwickshire Educational Psychology Service, Annemarie Moran, Rochdale Educational Psychology Service, Sian Jones (formerly Thomas), Wolverhampton Educational Psychology Service, and Debra Harland, Gateshead Psychology Service

Supporting educational psychologists with harmful sexual behaviour, insights from thesis research 

This group of EPs have formed a special interest group based on their respective thesis research, which among other things considers the prevalence, challenge, and discomfort relating to harmful sexual behaviour in EP casework and in schools. 

As you know, this will be our last Spring Leading Edge Day because of UCL’s unfathomable decision to close the initial training programme based in Psychology and Language Sciences, and our CPD doctorate. As in recent years this event will both be in person, at 26 Bedford Way, London and professionally streamed. (For at least another year, we are likely to continue an online Autumn event, along the lines of the recent one on language and diagnosis.)

Costs:

In-person: £85 (Lunch and morning refreshments will be provided for those attending in-person). There are a limited number of in-person places.

Online Zoom Webinar: £25 for EPs, free for trainee EPs (and for TEPs, please see the ‘More Information’ tab).

Booking is through the UCL online store: https://onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/faculty-of-brain-sciences-c07/clinical-educational-and-health-psychology-f66/f66-harmful-sexual-behaviour-in-educational-settings-theory-practice-implications-for-eps

If you have any queries about booking then please email: edadmin@ucl.ac.uk