As an agency with a focus on the prevention of child sexual abuse, Bravehearts acknowledges the importance of Dr Julia Rudolph’s work in the area of protective parenting. Parents and primary caregivers play a primary role in developing resiliency in children and Julia’s research provides us, and other organisations working within this space, with an applied approach to engaging parents and primary caregivers in bridging the gap between prevention knowledge and parenting practices that better guard children and young people from sexual harm.
Carol Ronken (Director of Research, Bravehearts)
The Daniel Morcombe Foundation is proud to have funded Protective Pathways - a prevention program that I believe is not just timely, but essential. This program empowers parents, carers and professionals with the knowledge, tools and confidence to create truly safe spaces for children - in homes, schools, community settings and online. What makes Protective Pathways especially compelling is that it is evidence-informed and grounded in rigorous research. The underlying framework - Dr Julia Rudolph’s Two Pathways Model - draws on peer-reviewed studies and a strong theoretical foundation to offer practical, research-backed strategies. I firmly believe that while traditional prevention approaches have often focused narrowly on educating children, prevention should - and must - begin with adults. Protective Pathways is precisely that future of prevention. I wholeheartedly endorse this work.
Beth McNamara (National Education Manager, Daniel Morecombe Foundation)
I have worked in the field of child sexual abuse for the last 17 years and have a particular interest in intrafamilial child sexual abuse, in particular working with non-abusing parents and carers of sexually abused children. I attended a teaching session with Julia and was delighted to hear of her situational approach to parents as protectors, and her acknowledgement that teaching children to protect themselves is mostly ineffective. She presented research in this session that enabled me to talk about the reasons why ‘protective behaviours’ or ‘keep safe’ work with children has limited worth – previously I had talked about this, but without knowledge of the research base that Julia presented. This has significantly improved this part of the training that we at the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse deliver – and as a key provider of training on intrafamilial child sexual abuse to professionals working in both the statutory and voluntary sector across England and Wales, the impact of this has been, and will continue to be broad.
Anna Glinski (Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse, UK)
Julia has inspired the academic field in Poland with her innovative and robust approach to designing prevention measures of child sexual abuse. In 2022 Julia was one of the key note speakers at the 19th conference “Assistance to child survivors of abuse” - the most popular thematic event for Polish professionals interested in child abuse: psychologists & psychotherapists, pedagogues, teachers, judges, prosecutors, attorneys, police and healthcare. Julia’s research articles on child sexual abuse prevention were also published in the Polish quarterly for professionals “Child abuse”. As the Empowering Children Foundation, the biggest NGO in Poland dealing with child abuse, we really appreciate Julia’s findings, proposed solutions and the way she inspires and cooperates with our environment.
Marta Skierkowska (Empowering Children Froundation, Poland)
Julia’s work has significantly increased our empirical understanding of positive protectors factors within families that contribute to the prevention of child sexual abuse. Her presentations of her research to practitioners and researchers within organisations such as the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and NOTA (the National Organisation of the Treatment of Abuse) have been positively received and are influencing the direction of travel in the prevention of child sexual both in the UK and beyond.
Stuart Allardyce (Director, Lucy Faithfull Foundation | Stop It Now! UK and Ireland)
I can confirm that I have used the work of Dr Julia Rudolph in my research and policy work, in particular the need to work closely with parents in relation to prevention of child sexual abuse. As my research has focused predominantly on informal disclosure and parents are important disclosure recipients, particularly for young children, Dr Randolph’s work has informed my own disclosure research that focuses on helping children tell.
Rosaleen McElvaney (Clinical Psychologist, Ireland)
Education for children is often the 'default' position in CSA prevention and whilst there is some understanding that 'involving parents' is helpful, my impression is that it rarely goes beyond the superficial. The presentation was particularly powerful in identifying the need not to 'ditch' education approaches but to move beyond education only. The two pathways model combining the evidence base around situational prevention and the role of attuned parenting in increasing children's resilience offers a much needed focus on evidence based approaches.
Participant and Policy Officer at NSPCC
Thank you for your insightful session yesterday; it was incredibly helpful and has given me much to reflect on.
Participant and Student at Queens University, Belfast
We love the two pathway model and some of us have attended an online webinar where you talked about your parenting programme and this model with our clients. I also facilitate workshops for social work students and we mention your two pathway model and signpost students to your research/work.
Midwife, Together for Childhood, UK