Joshua Wiggins and colleagues discuss the work of a therapy group for young people with learning disabilities who have behaved inappropriately

Children and young people with learning disabilities are over-represented among perpetrators and victims of sexual offences. This article describes how a group approach was adopted for a series of complex and risky referrals of adolescents with learning disabilities and harmful sexual behaviours. The approach draws on a version of the Sex Offender Treatment South East Collaborative: Intellectual Disabilities, a treatment protocol for adults with learning disabilities, that has been adapted for teenagers. Successful aspects of the approach include the use of visual resources and multi-sensory activities, which led to improvements in sexual knowledge, and social and emotional skills. Areas that still need development include appropriate assessments for formulation and outcome measurement, and multi-agency commissioning and support for this vulnerable group.