5.3 Case formulation of AIM3 Assessment

Once each of the Domains have been analysed and the visual representation of the assessment is completed using the graph, applying a case formulation process of analysis to the information gathered will ensure a systematic and holistic understanding of the young person.

The formulation model used is based on the five ‘Ps framework initially developed by Weersasekera (1993) to enable practitioners to consider the information they were gathering about their clients systematically and holistically considering:

1. Presenting Problem
2. Predisposing Factors
3. Precipitating Factors
4. Perpetuating Factors
5. Protective Factors

This was further developed through practice by a range of practitioners leading to the addition of:

6. Predicting
7. Planning

1. Presenting Problem

Utilising the information gathered to provide the assessment of the factors in Domain One and Domain Two, practitioners should provide a brief description of the presenting problem behaviour/s.

Each different form of behaviour should be considered separately within the formulation. For example, if the young person has displayed ‘in person’ HSB and technology facilitated HSB, a formulation of each behaviour should be completed.

2. Predisposing Factors

Practitioners can use the information gathered from the assessment of the factors across all five Domains to consider experiences in the young person’s life which may have created an underlying vulnerability that is relevant to their behaviours, both harmful sexual behaviours and if relevant, non-sexual behaviours.

This part of the formulation considers:

• • Biological/neurodevelopmental factors, for example if the child or young person has learning disability, is neurodiverse, physical disabilities;
• Experiences during childhood for example, abuse experiences, lack of safety, instability, rejection, separation or loss;
• Experiences during adolescence for example, peer abuse, alcohol/drug use, bullying, pornography, criminality, online exploitation;
• Social factors such as their relationships with family/peers, school, employment, leisure and whether these are positive or negative for the individual.

Formulation asks the practitioner to not only record their presence in the young person’s life but to hypothesise as to the impact of these factors for the young person and how this may relate to their harmful sexual and non-sexual problem behaviour. For example, consider how they have impacted on:

• The individual’s view of themselves
• The individual’s view of others
• The individual’s view of the world

3. Precipitating Factors

The AIM: ‘My Life Journey’ exercise along with the analysis of all the Domains can be used by practitioners to consider what internal and external factors were present close in time to the problem behaviour(s) occurring and to question if they may be related to or a trigger for, the behaviours to happen.

Consider what was happening internally, psychologically and emotionally for the young person; externally in terms of siblings, peers, family and contextually in terms of their different environments such as school, employment, technology and leisure, just before and at the time, the harmful sexual and non-sexual behaviour happened.

Think about not only ‘why now’ but ‘why in this way’. Also address why protective factors might have been insufficient to buffer and protect at this time or in this situation (Creeden, 2026).

Possible factors may include:

• Abuse experiences which occurred in person or online close to the time of the behaviour
• Family disruption
• Difficulties or stressors within the living environment
• Difficulties within sibling relationships
• Difficulties in peer relationships such as rejection or bullying
• Alcohol/drug use
• Technology access/pornography
• The developmental stage of the young person such as the influence of puberty
• Opportunity, linked to low levels of supervision
• The general presentation of the young person such as impulsivity or compulsivity.

Consideration of the emotional state of the young person should explore how they may have been feeling around the time of behaviour. This may include feelings such as anger, loneliness, jealousy, sadness, emotional numbness or there may be a view that the behaviour was motivated by seeking positive feelings such as excitement, acceptance, sexual arousal.

4. Perpetuating Factors

The AIM assessment process of information gathering, pattern-mapping and the analysis of all the Domains can give an insight into what might be the internal and external factors which have maintained the behaviour. If the young person has only displayed the harmful sexual and non-sexual problem behaviour once, consider here what factors may increase the likelihood of it happening again. In some cases there may be a continuation of the precipitating factors, particularly if the behaviour continued undetected for some time.

Consider what enabled the young person to keep the problem behaviour going. Factors to consider include:

• what meaning the problem behaviour had for them
• the insight into the ‘harmful’ nature of the behaviour
• their perception of the victim’s response
• the family response
• the environment such as school/leisure response
• the role of technology
• Whether the young person received any support or intervention
• The role of the young person’s emotions

5. Protective Factors

The information to identify protective factors will be found across the five Domains and Factors of the AIM assessment model. Taking each Domain, the practitioners should consider the identified strengths and factors which may reduce the likelihood of the young person repeating/or escalating the problem behaviour(s).

Consider what is present or what could be strengthened to assist the young person in not repeating the problem behaviour/s, including:

• The young person and family’s insight and acceptance of the problem behaviour
• The young person and family’s attitude towards the problem behaviour
• Engagement in assessment/intervention
• Family support
• Peer support
• Involvement in prosocial/healthy activities/daily structure
• Criminal Justice processes
• Adherence to safety plan
• Motivation to address the harmful behaviour

6. Predicting Future Behaviour

The AIM assessment process of information gathering, pattern-mapping and the analysis of all the Domains and the information related to the precipitating and perpetuating factors, practitioners should consider what are the possible future risk scenarios and in what context would they occur. For example:

• Who might be at risk? Are gender, age relevant?
• What type of problem behaviour is likely?
• What situations/circumstances make risk more likely?
• What circumstances/situations make risk less likely?
• What environments make risk less or more likely?

Case formulations and graphs should be regularly reviewed in supervision so any changes which increase concern can be addressed quickly or changes which evidence development of strengths can be built on positively.

7. Planning

Based on the analysis of information within the formulation, the final stage is to identify what safety, support and interventions the young person needs. This is explored further within the next section but useful areas for practitioners to consider are:

• What interventions are required that would reduce the factors linked to risk?
• What interventions are required to address the young person’s vulnerabilities or any other areas of concern identified within the assessment?
• What support do parents/carers/wider family need?
• What guidance and support do the professional network need?
• Who is best placed to undertake the interventions?
• What should be the sequencing of interventions?
• What support will the young person/family need to maintain motivation and feel safe during interventions?
• What safety planning is required, who will be involved in this and when will reviews take place?

The Initial Safety Plan based on the AIM3 case formulation should address immediate risk management concerns in relation to the young person’s living environment and potential access to further victims. Consideration should be given to:

• The current living environment and whether the parent/carer can provide a safe place and adequate informed supervision of the young person. If the young person has sexually harmed a sibling or another person in their current living environment and the AIM3 assessment of parent/carer ability to supervise has identified areas for intervention to improve their supervision skills, then recommendations for an appropriate alternative living place should be considered.
• If the AIM3 graph profile provides evidence of Sexual, Non-Sexual, Environmental and Self-Regulation Domains all scoring amber/red, this informs the practitioner that at the point of the initial assessment the young person has minimal/ no control over their behaviour; is of significant risk of reoffending either sexually or non-sexually; their parent/carer cannot provide adequate supervision nor can the young person self-regulate, therefore external regulation and supervision is required. Consideration should be given to a 24-hour supervised living environment or potential secure accommodation.

• Any access the young person has to vulnerable individuals in line with the assessment of potential risk; what is the assessment of parent/carer ability to supervise and what is the young person’s ability to self-regulate alongside their motivation to address high-risk behaviors.
• It is important the Safety Plan is individualised, not overly punitive and takes into consideration the parent/carer’s role in assisting with the plan. The Safety Plan may have been put in place prior to the AIM3 assessment to manage any immediate risks present, however this should be reviewed in light of the analysis of the young person at the end of the AIM3 assessment process to see if the level of risk has changed. The Safety Plan should be bespoke to address all aspects of the young person’s life i.e. home, school, sport as well as to the different personnel in their life, such as siblings, peers, adult family members, and community contacts. It should also include not only creating safety in all these different environments but also facilitating engagement in these wider environments when the youth is largely isolated or disengaged (Creeden, 2026).

Developing Interventions

As well as addressing any immediate risk management concerns, the information generated by the AIM3 assessment will provide a comprehensive overview of all the areas of work that are required with the young person, their family/carers and their wider context, to assist the young person in desisting from the HSB and to protect any further victims. The risk profile graph will determine which areas need to be focused on immediately (red) and which may need medium to long term interventions (amber) and what the potential areas of strength are (green). It will also indicate any cultural, ability or gender issues which need to be understood by those providing the interventions, so that the work is adapted appropriately and sensitively.

This amount of work may feel overwhelming for the young person, their family/carers and indeed the professionals, so it is important to note that this is the starting point only and the work will need to be broken down into stages. AIM Intervention Model (Guilhermino & McCarlie 2019) outlined below provides a framework for graduating this work appropriately to the level of risk and the ability and willingness of the young person and their family/carers to engage.

A case vignette of Jack is given as an example of case formulation and developing effective safety planning and interventions is given at the end of this Chapter.

The AIM3 Model is complemented by the AIM Intervention Guidance (Guilhermino & McCarlie 2019) which sets out a framework of four stages for Interventions and Safety Plans. These stages complement the work on the young person’s AIM3 profile graph and the case formulation which will have identified areas for work with both the young person and the adults around them. It recognises that adults supporting the young person have a significant role in risk management and building the young person’s resilience.

The AIM Intervention Guidance (Guilhermino & McCarlie 2019) Framework has four stages:

Each of the four stages outlines specific goals and outcomes for change. A priority at the outset (Stage One) is that any immediate safety planning issues, highlighted within AIM3 are addressed. It is anticipated that a robust risk management process is in place throughout intervention, reflecting the dynamic nature of risk.

The AIM Intervention Framework is not a manualised approach with a series of sessions/exercises to be completed in linear order. Each safety and intervention plan should be made bespoke for that individual and their family context. The AIM Intervention Framework provides examples of exercises which can be used to address various needs and learning points, so the practitioners can select the exercises most relevant to each individual.

Practitioners will be using the information from the assessment to determine the level and type of intervention the young person and adults require to facilitate change. This may mean that the young person and the adults are each working on different stages, dependent on their needs, but that the work is undertaken concurrently

5.5 Reviewing AIM3

The AIM3 Assessment Model has been developed as a dynamic assessment model allowing for updates to be visually represented on the profile graph as the young person and their family work through the interventions or if there is a significant change to their circumstances. This dynamic aspect of AIM3 enables practitioners to utilise it as a progress review tool with the young person and their family as well as to guide reflective supervision of the case. The ultimate aim is to engage the young person and their family in interventions which assist in addressing the areas of concerns and for their progress to be visually represented in their graphs.

Embedded within the supervision of the AIM3 case work should be the review of the Case Formulation and how the additional insights gained through the review of AIM3 affects the formulation. It is important therefore to ensure any changes to the formulation are reflected in safety and intervention planning.

It is recommended that reviewing AIM3 and the Case Formulation is placed on the practitioner and line manager supervision agenda and it is used as a quality assurance tool to review work completed, engagement of the young person and future planning.

Reviewing the AIM3 Case Formulation should consider:

• Whether the interventions are targeting the immediate areas of concern
• If progress is being made/or not, by the young person and their parent/carer
• The effectiveness of the current Safety Plan and what amendments, if any, are required
• The next steps in interventions and quality assure their confidence and competence in providing these
• The impact of the information gathered in interventions on the Case Formulation and future planning

5.6 Case Vignette

This case vignette is given as an example of using the AIM3 model and case formulation to develop effective Safety Plans and Interventions which can be reviewed.

Although this case references an adolescent male who is displaying harmful sexual behaviours to pre-pubescent males, professionals should not assume that he is ‘exploring his homosexuality’. If this were the case, he would be experimenting with adolescent males, not abusing pre-pubescent males. His emerging sexuality is separate to his offending behaviours.

JACK

Jack is 15 years of age, he comes from a stable, secure family, both parents are employed, working full time and are very supportive of Jack and his younger brother. Jack would be deemed to be academically above average and with steady work he would hope to do well in his GCSEs. There are no developmental issues with Jack. He tends not to have many peer friends but would report an extensive online peer group, although many of these he would accept are significantly older than him. He has no interest in sports and apart from his online gaming/social media interest tends to not have any other interests. The family have strong links with their local church and would perceive themselves as being quite religious in their lifestyle and beliefs.

He has had no boyfriend/girlfriend relationships and would present as shy in approaching someone to have a relationship with. Jack would adamantly state he is heterosexual in orientation although he would get upset when his parents have questioned his orientation because of his sense of dress, interest in fashion which they feel are not what a ‘normal’ 15 year old boy would be interested in and the fact the victims of his HSB were male. Jack has been watching pornography online and acknowledges he would masturbate to pornography. He would accept he enjoys watching the male role in any pornography but states this was to understand what men are supposed to do when having sexual activity. He denies being sexually attracted to the men in the pornography and the male victims of his HSB although acknowledging masturbating when watching pornography and to the sexual abuse he made his victims engage in.

Jack has come to HSB services’ attention because he has engaged in sexual exploitation of numerous (at least seven are known), younger males through technology using mostly social media. This involved getting the young boys to masturbate, insert objects and demanding to meet them to engage in sexual activity. One of his victims informed his mother of the sexual abuse after he became withdrawn and had a serious life-threatening self-harm attempt due to his fear of the threats made by Jack towards him. All his known victims are known to Jack and are in first and second year at the same school.

The victims all report Jack directly threatening them at school, express fear of meeting him during the school day and one victim, the one who has attempted serious self-harm, reported Jack had followed him into the Junior boys toilets on two occasions but left when a teacher told him he should not be in the Junior boys toilets as a Senior boy. Jack has also filmed and posted online him performing sexual acts on himself, as well as live streaming to people whom he believes to be adult males. The sexual behaviour he has engaged in towards himself have included insertion of objects and homemade ‘sexual toys’ which have caused him significant pain, as well as bondage activity on himself. Jack accepts he should not have threatened the victims but does not perceive the sexual behaviour he asked them to engage in or which he engages in as wrong or harmful.

All the HSB was a shock to his parents and they have worked with the professionals but struggle to recognise the depth of the threats which the victims are disclosing as this would not have been their perception of their son. Jack has continued to seek to engage in extreme sexual behaviour towards himself and through technology despite a clear Safety Plan of restrictions to internet and mediums of social media such as his laptop, phone and gaming. He has accessed his parents’ laptops, his brother’s mobile phone and has bought another mobile phone during the period prior to and during the assessment process. Jack is currently suspended from school pending the outcome of the AIM3 assessment.

AIM3 Assessment Profile Jack

This case vignette evidences a dual technology abuse (TF-HSB) and contact sexual offending behaviour based on the number of victims: the fact the victims were all made to sexually abuse themselves whilst Jack watched; his direct attempts to access one of the victims at school; level of manipulation; direct threats at school; intimidation to others and the fact the victims are all known and accessible to Jack. This necessitates an AIM3 assessment, with reference to the AIM Technology Facilitated Harmful Sexual Behaviour (Allotey & Leonard, 2026).

Domain One: Sexual Behaviour

Jack is a 15 year old boy who has engaged in significant harmful sexual behaviour towards at least seven known prepubescent male children all of whom are known to him. He has used technology through social media to perpetrate the sexual abuse of his victims and has made two attempts in school to access one of the victims resulting in that victim attempting a serious life-threatening self-harm behaviour. Jack is also engaging in sexual behaviour towards himself which causes him pain some of which he videos and posts online to other males. Jack attends the same school as all his known victims and all report fear and threats from Jack whilst at school.

Jack’s sexual behaviour has progressed from him engaging in positive self-directed sexual behaviour which as an adolescent male would be deemed normal, to engaging in HSB towards seven male prepubescent children who are all known to him. Jack threatened the young victims to engage in sexual activity which included insertion of objects whilst he watched.

He admits being sexually aroused to watching the victims even though they were showing distress.

His own self-directed sexual behaviour now involves activity which causes him pain and he finds it exciting to share these activities online with other older males. He views pornography on a regular basis and is reaching a stage where he reports needing pornography for stimulation.

Jack’s sexual needs have reached a stage where he reports to needing pornography, needing the excitement of posting video material for his self-directed sexual behaviour online despite the chosen activity causing him pain. He has progressed from initially asking his victims to send photographs of their genitalia to threaten them to engage in sexual abuse of themselves through to the use of objects. So, elements of pain, excitement and arousal to distress are core features which are of significant concern and need immediate intervention.

Domain Two: Non-Sexual Behaviour

Jack has no history of engaging in any non-sexual criminal behaviour; he is not, in general antisocial and would normally abide by normal rules. However, he has expressed significant verbal threats towards his known victims which have resulted in one victim attempting serious self-harm. His ability to threaten to such a level would need to be addressed within interventions.

Their supervision of him is a challenge for them coming to terms with firstly having to supervise him, but also not always accepting he is being truthful that he is adhering to the Safety Plan initially developed with his social worker.

Although there are some concerns regarding Jack’s supervision, his parents’ engagement with professionals and Jack’s willingness to engage are strengths which can be further developed in interventions.

Domain Three: Developmental

Jack comes from a supportive, stable home, he has no experiences of child or adolescent adversities. He has no experiences of parental adversities such as substance misuse, domestic abuse or history of parental childhood abuse. Jack had no difficulties at primary school and had several friends. He did become more isolated from his peer group as he moved into his adolescent years as he began exploring his sexuality through pornography and sexually harming prepubescent males whom he had daily contact with.

Domain Four: Environmental/Family

Jack is loved by his parents and although shocked by his HSB, they are committed to working with professionals to address his behaviour and have made it clear to Jack they will support him in this work. Although Jack comes from a supportive, stable home, his parents have no sense of him as an adolescent with sexual thoughts and behaviours. They have tended to treat him as a child and did not see his emerging sexuality. Their struggle to accept Jack as an adolescent with sexual feelings and behaviours has affected their ability to effectively supervise Jack and to have initially questioned his isolating behaviours and lack of friends. Due to the fact Jack has not presented them with any previous concerning behaviours they have not felt the need to supervise him or question what he was spending his time doing nor querying his lack of peer group. Their strong religious beliefs have influenced how Jack perceives his sexuality and sexual orientation.

Domain Five: Self – Regulation

Jack has been able to accept responsibility for the HSB although still unable to fully accept the level of harm he has caused. Jack is a bright young man who is aware of the concerns raised by his HSB; he is prepared to work with professionals and engage in intervention. He is a warm, engaging young man who wants to succeed in life; he misses school and the routine of attending and as such sees this as the initial reason for engaging in interventions alongside the wish to reduce his parents’ anxiety and disappointment in him.

He has no issues with daily functioning and has a positive sense of self. The main concern in this Domain is his inability to currently manage his sexual feelings and behaviours however his general ability to self-regulate in life is a strength which will assist in his engagement in interventions.

Case Formulation

In considering the information gathered across the five Domains of the AIM3, the Case Formulation of Jack would be:

The following templates are available to download to support completion of the AIM3 assessment. They are designed to assist practitioners in scoring and analysing assessment information, visually representing the assessment profile and developing an evidence-informed case formulation. The downloadable resources include the AIM3 Scoring and Analysis Template, AIM3 Profile Graph and AIM3 Case Formulation Template. Select the links below to access each resource.

The AIM3 Assessment Report template is available to download to support the recording and presentation of assessment findings. It provides a structured format for summarising the assessment process, integrating analysis across all AIM3 Domains, presenting the case formulation and outlining evidence-informed conclusions and recommendations. The template is intended to promote consistency in reporting while allowing practitioners to exercise professional judgement in presenting the unique circumstances of each child or young person. Select the link below to download the AIM3 Assessment Report template.

Downloadable guidance and a supporting template are available to assist practitioners in using the AIM: My Life Journey within the AIM3 assessment process. The guidance outlines the purpose of the My Life Journey and provides practical advice on its use, while the accompanying template offers a structured framework for recording significant life events and developmental experiences to support analysis and case formulation. Select the links below to access the AIM: My Life Journey Guidance and Template.

Click on the link below to view the AIM3 Training Presentation

Family Composition

David- father
Jane – mother
Jake – young person subject of AIM3 - 16 years
Joel – brother - 13 years
Susie – sister - 9 years

Victim: Danielle - 15 years

Background:

Approximately 3 months ago Jake was referred to social services by his school after indecent images of children were found on his phone. The background was that he was telling his friends about his recent ‘conquest’ which was having semi-nude photographs of Danielle and he showed these to a couple of friends, one of whom was then over heard by a teacher, telling another pupil. Jake was brought to the Principal’s office and voluntarily opened his phone and showed two photographs to the Principal. The Principal was able to see 2 photographs of Danielle in semi- nude state. His parents were contacted and arrived at the school. Jake was then interviewed by the Principal with his father present.

Jake stated those were the only photographs and didn’t think there was anything wrong with having them because Danielle agreed to send them. Danielle is also a pupil at the school, and it was understood that she and Jake were friendly and Danielle had been wanting to make their friendship more intimate. Jake stated he had shared the photographs with one of his friends after being pressured and teased that they did not believe he had any photographs. This friend then sent them to another pupil and by the end of the day they were widely circulated around the school. A Principal of another school contacted Jake’s school to say they had just suspended two boys for sharing the images around their school.

Danielle was spoken to by the school safeguarding teacher and informed about the photographs circulating, her mother was contacted, and she left the school that day and has yet to return. She reported that although she had taken them of herself and sent them to Jake, she had felt under pressure by Jake as he said he would not become her boyfriend unless he got to see ‘what he would be getting’. She spoke about being upset and crying but then feeling she was being a ‘prude’ by not doing what he wanted because she did want to be his girlfriend. She knows her parents would have not approved of what she did. She is now receiving counselling but still has not felt ready to return to the school.

Jake was annoyed at the ‘big deal’ the Principal was making out of it all, he offered to apologise to Danielle, if that was what she wanted and thought that was enough. His father, David, was appropriately annoyed in his response to Jake, he felt Jake was not taking it seriously enough and was embarrassed at his actions. Although David was annoyed at Jake, he thought Jake would be suspended for the rest of the week and struggled to understand why Jake had to be referred to social services and his suspension was pending social services and police decision making. David and Jane are annoyed at the school involving the police and social services as they nor any of their families have ever had any involvement with statutory services. Jake has never displayed any antisocial / criminal behaviour and as such has had no previous involvement with criminal justice agencies. Neither parent reported any concerns about drugs or alcohol misuse, both are aware Jake has taken some ‘dope’ when out with his mates but do not see it as an issue. Jake would report having beers when out with friends but also in the company of his parents, he states he started drinking alcohol from aged 14 years and taking ‘dope’ occasionally since he turned 16 years. He reports not really having an interest in ‘harder’ drugs as he is a keen sportsman.

Jake comes from a very close, supportive family, both parents are employed in the successful family business which provides a range of health care such as physiotherapy, reflexology, chiropody and children’s nurseries. His parents would provide everything for their children and have a good standard of life, involving the children including Jake in many sports and arts activities. They believe in respecting Jake and his younger brother’s privacy once they became adolescent and did not feel they needed to have restrictions on their phones as they have been consistent in their messages about online safety and needing to protect themselves. They feel both Jake and Joel are mature for their years because of how they have raised them to be forward, assertive, apply themselves to their studies and sports. They have restrictions on their daughter’s phone and internet use due to her age. There is no evidence or reports of any domestic abuse in the home, and Jake reports no exposure to adversities / or childhood abuse in his life. He reports life as good, great parents and caring about his siblings.

Jane was keen to highlight they were proactive as parents in teaching Jake and his siblings sex education and are aware he has looked at pornography but sees this as normal teenage behaviour and that he is able to know the difference between pornography and reality. Jane describes Jake as a model son, that they are proud of the positive relationship they have with their children and that they have never given cause for concern. Jake was comfortable in his parents’ company and spoke of them and his siblings fondly.

Jake is a popular pupil, well liked though described as sometimes pushing the boundaries. He has a good group of friends who are all similar in nature in terms of pushing boundaries with teachers and they all play sport together. Due to the nature of why he is suspended, he has limited contact with two friends but only through social media on his mum’s phone, but no friends have taken up his requests to meet him in person since he left the school that day. He believes his friends are being told by their parents not to meet him and that his friends are all supporting him.

Prior to undertaking the AIM3 assessment interviews, police informed Jake’s parents that their forensic examination of his phone has shown evidence of other females in various sexual posing similar to Danielle, the police are stating these females appear to be aged approximately 12/13 years old and start from 2 years previously. There was evidence of text messages from Jake requesting the images but with more explicit threats to show their images if they did not send more. These females appear to be known to Jake through extended family, references in the texts are linking back to family social events and they all live locally. The most recent text messages and images of these females are within the last 2 months. He has numerous non-sexual photographs of Susie on his phone, none deemed indecent but questions being asked regarding quantity. There was evidence of Jake searching for sexual pictures / videos of children aged ranged from approximately 8-12 years of age again dating back a couple of years.

Since his suspension from school, his parents have employed a tutor to keep him on top of his schoolwork and he also helps in the family business to keep him busy. No-one in the extended family, or the younger sister know why Jake is not at school and a range of reasons have been provided to answer any queries. The family have employed a solicitor to attend police and social services meetings, and they are determined to prove the additional new IIOC material does not belong to Jake. They feel Jake has been a victim of a scam and/or other boys must have been using his phone when he was not watching. This is the information Jake has given his parents but refuses to say which of his friends used his phone. Jake refuses to discuss the additional new information in relation to his own alleged behaviour but has accepted through ‘third person’ work that it would be concerning if a person was to access indecent images of children.

Jake’s parents have agreed to the safeguarding plan in respect of Jake having no unsupervised contact with his sister Susie. A social worker met with Susie, and she reported no concerns in how Jake behaves with her.

Jake has admitted to asking Danielle for the photographs and doesn’t see anything wrong with that, he sees it as normal to ask a girl for nudes. He was vague when discussing whether he was intending to start a relationship with Danielle. He has expressed no feelings about the impact on Danielle.

He attends all the sessions to complete the assessment, he is keen to get back to his mates and sport and sees this assessment as something he must do, but he is not difficult to engage in the sessions. He intends to go to university to study physiotherapy as it is intended, he joins the family business on leaving university. He does not perceive the current concerns will affect his future. He is a socially competent young person, confident and feels this will all ‘blow over’ and he can get back to his normal life.

Family Composition

James - Father
Ann – Mother
Neal – young person subject of AIM3 - 14 years
Jack - step father/mums partner
Cindy - step mother/dads partner

Chloe - 12 years old, Neal's sister
Tara 6 years old, half-sister to Neal
Tom - 7 years old, half-brother to Neal

Background:

Neal was referred to the Youth Offending Team for an AIM3 assessment for pre-sentence following recent disclosures by two of his half siblings, one female and one male, that he had been sexually abusing them for a period of 6-12 months. The sexual behaviour against the male child (Tom aged 7 at the time) included attempted anal penetration, making the child orally and manually masturbate him. This had taken place on numerous occasions over a 6- month period of time.

The sexual behaviour against one of the female children (Tara aged 6 at the time) who is Tom’s sister, included attempted and digital penetration as well as oral sexual activity towards Tara. Tom and Tara shared a bedroom and slept in bunk beds with each overhearing what Neal was doing to the other. Tara reported the sexual abuse occurring over the same period as Tom. Tara told her mother (Cindy) about the abuse after her birthday party when Neal had said he was staying in their room again. Both children report crying, turning away from Neal and trying to get him to stop when he was sexually abusing them.

There has been no other allegations of HSB against Neal either prior to or after Tom and Tara’s disclosures but his mother recalled when he was 9 years of age there were several incidents when he made comments to older female peers at school about the size of their breasts.

Neal’s parents separated when he was 1 year old following a pattern of domestic abuse and violence committed by his father, James, towards his mother, Ann. James then went on to develop a relationship with Cindy and had Tom and Tara. Neal spent his childhood having sporadic contact with James, often waiting for him to call and bring him to his paternal grandparents for contact but often James did not turn up. James has a history of drug and alcohol abuse which has continued in his relationship with Cindy. When James met Cindy, contact with Neal (who was 9 at the time) become more frequent and consistent but Neal was exposed to further domestic abuse / violence, drug and alcohol abuse as well as exposure to extensive adult pornography and observing sexual behaviour between James and Cindy.

Cindy then became pregnant with Tom and quickly afterwards Tara. James appeared to take the birth of his children more positively and both his and Cindy’s behaviours significantly improved with no reported concerns regarding their care of Tom and Tara. Neal’s contact with his father became sporadic again and he was often left out of family events at his father and Cindy’s house.

Neal’s mother, Ann, has had a long term stable, secure, positive relationship with Jack since Neal was 5 years of age, whom Neal has a good relationship with. There is no history of domestic abuse / violence or adversity in the relationship between Ann and Jack. However, Ann reported Neal presenting with serious challenging behaviour from aged 9 years, he had numerous suspensions from primary school due to aggressive behaviour which was as a result of him being the victim of extensive bullying and this continued into his secondary school years.

Neal started taking drugs at 11 years of age and this became a constant source of disagreements between Neal and his mother / stepfather. His mother reports Neal returning from his father’s house under the influence of drugs, being aggressive and angry. She and Jack spent days addressing the behaviours and Neal would become settled and remained so for weeks until he would then return to his father. She reports this chaotic lifestyle existing until the disclosures occurred when all contact with his father has ceased and Neal has been permanently in her home. Both Neal and his mother report him to be content at home, although withdrawn from his peers, he is settled and showing no challenging behaviours.

Although Neal was engaging with significant drug misuse, there is no reported criminality / anti-sociality as a result of this, he has no criminal convictions and is not seen as impulsive.

He continues to rely on smoking cannabis to relax himself daily although is working with his mother towards reducing the quantity. Neal has no formal diagnosis of mental health but acknowledges the impact of the disclosures on his mental state, he is no longer at school due to both the disclosures and the outcome of the AIM3 assessment to determine if he poses a risk to his school peers and his younger sister. His sister, Chloe, is 12 years of age, has been fully informed by her mother and social worker of the allegations against Neal, she is above average intelligence and has been asking appropriate questions.

Neal’s mother and stepfather have informed all relevant family members who have young children and they are providing support to the family. Ann has a strong supportive family network whom she has always confided in and they are all prosocial. Ann is open with social services and working with the AIM3 assessment.

The home is deemed a safe place and Neal is content at home, his mother and stepfather have sought to find out as much as possible about the disclosures and immediately informed his sister and have maintained a safety plan. A couple of nights a week Neal stays with a family friend to allow the family to engage in activities which his sister enjoys. This family friend is helping him with some schoolwork and helping Neal with some life skills to build up his independence and also encouraging Neal to cope without using cannabis if feeling stressed. However, this is only in the last few weeks and Neal accepts his peers appear more confident in their life skills than him and this is an area he needs to work on.

Neal is small for his age, slight physique, and would be deemed low IQ but not to have a diagnosis of learning difficulty. He was bullied extensively for his height, size and low intellectual ability. He lacks confidence and would report feeling only being like his peers when he was taking drugs.

His peer group when he was at his father’s house have extensive antisocial histories, but he is now building up a few friends with peers who live near his mother’s as well as spending more time with older maternal cousins who have sports interests. He initially denied the allegations made by Tom and Tara but once he was told the police would be informed, he admitted everything, telling more than the victims.

He is showing appropriate remorse for his HSB but struggles to understand why he committed HSB this towards his half siblings. Neal is motivated to attend sessions, engages well, has no issues relating to professionals and has not breached any supervision / safety plans. He lacks a plan of the future as he is worried what will happen in court and is fearful of being sent to custody.

Family Composition

John - Father
Ana – Mother
Harry – young person subject of AIM3 - 16 years
Ted – Brother - 12 years
Amy – Sister - 9 years

Background:

Harry is 16 years of age, he has been referred for an AIM3 assessment following the disclosure by his young sister, Amy, who is 9 years of age, that Harry had been sexually abusing her for the past 2 years on a regular basis. Harry and Amy also have another brother, Ted who is 12 years of age. When Ted was interviewed after Amy made her allegations, he stated he had seen Harry touch Amy on several occasions, but Harry had told him to say nothing and had given him unlimited access to his PlayStation. Ted was adamant Harry had never touched him and Amy has denied Ted has ever touch her.

Harry’s parents, John and Ana, have been together for 16 years, having met and Ana becoming pregnant within one month of their initial meeting. Both decided they wanted to keep the baby and moved in together, initially living with Ana’s parents and after Harry was born, they moved into a home of their own. Ted and Amy then came along. Both John and Ana have family networks who are available to them but neither access these networks for support. Neither John or Ana have experienced any childhood adversities and reported positive experiences of their own childhoods.

John is a manual worker, working with a local construction company preparing and clearing sites. He has a low average educational ability and would tend to leave the household management of finances and the children to Ana. Ana is a stay at home mother and chooses not to work outside the home believing the man should be the breadwinner and she remains at home. Ana’s household skills are, at times, basic and at the initial disclosure and liaison with other agencies , social services would have had some cause for concern which included school reporting the children not having weather appropriate clothing, poor hygiene, children not having lunch or lunch money for school, and GP records indicating missed health appointments. Schools also raised concerns regarding the level of parental support for the children in terms of their homework and additional support which they feel the children need with their educational ability.

Harry presents as angry towards his mother and stating he does not care if he sees her again but is upset when she arrives early for her appointment as part of this assessment and verbally abuses him. He feels he has a good relationship with his father and that he is living with his father, he defends his father’s actions and tries to present him in a more positive light. He feels safe at home but also knows he can do what he wants as he is alone all day. Harry defends his parents’ care of him and his siblings and does not perceive he was a victim nor neglected in any way but feels both parents tried their best.

The disclosures in respect of the HSB came from Amy to her mother one evening. Amy came into the living room to find her mother being annoyed with Harry and him storming out of the room. Amy thought it was because of her so she apologised to her mother for the ‘things I do with Harry, it’s not all his fault’. Ana initially dismissed Amy’s comment but then after she calmed down, she went back and asked Amy further about her comment. Amy told her mother she thought she was annoyed because she had found out about the special touches she does with Harry. Ana contacted her sister, who is a health professional, who came and spoke with Amy.

Amy eventually disclosed that for the last 2 years, Harry had been sexually touching her with his hands and more recently with his genitalia under her nightwear. The HSB included digital penetrative activity, Amy had to perform oral sexual activity on Harry and he carried out oral sexual activity on Amy, on two occasions he also inserted objects into Amy, namely a pencil and the handle of Amy’s doll’s hairbrush. The insertion of the objects took place earlier in the HSB before digital or oral sexual activity. The HSB took place in Amy’s bedroom in the evening when she was in bed but more frequently when Harry was babysitting her and Ted when their parents were out socialising at the weekend. Harry has never threatened her, she disclosed he would have treated her with gifts and letting her stay up late and watch movies her parents would not allow her to watch. Amy did not perceive the touching by Harry as sexual nor as abuse and saw it as special touches they both did to each other. She was upset when she was questioned by social worker and police jointly believing she had got Harry into trouble and was worried what would happen to him.

Since the disclosure, Ana has also stated that Harry, on two occasions about 6 months ago, had face timed her from his phone and showed her his erect penis. Ana had scolded him for being ‘cheeky’ on both occasions and switched off the phone but did not discuss it any further with him.

Harry has admitted to touching Amy on a couple of occasions but always over her clothes, never penetration, denies the use of any objects and definitely no oral sexual activity. He denies showing his mother his erect penis on Face Time and feels his mother just said these things to make him look worse.

Since the disclosure, Ana has refused to have Harry in the family home resulting in John and Harry moving out initially to live in a hotel but eventually into a rented flat. Ana refuses to see Harry and communication between the couple has completely broke down and Ted has also moved to live with his father and Harry. Ana is now seeking a formal separation from John stating she feels they cannot live as a family. During the assessment, Ana stated as a couple they had regular, often weekly arguments and she reported being a victim by John of two incidents of domestic violence which she stated Harry would have witnessed and that he tried to intervene. These incidents were when Harry was 6 and 11 years old. The arguments tended to focus on Ana’s perception of John being ‘stupid’, ‘lazy’ and not earning enough money so they could have holidays and a better house. She acknowledged Harry frequently interrupted their arguments and would have, in her view, taken his father’s side by defending him.

Ana has started a new relationship since John and her sons moved out of the family home.

Ana described Harry as a loner, bit odd and that he spent most of his time in his room. She said he was good with his siblings and would have helped her look after them, helped her with housework and babysit. He never caused her any difficulties but she stated she always thought he was a bit odd and ‘too like his father’ and would never really achieve anything. Ted was a much more pleasant son who will do well at school and Amy is just a lovely daughter who is very talented.

Harry’s father, John has engaged in the assessment process, he accepts what Harry has admitted to but refuses to accept everything Amy has disclosed and does not believe Ana’s allegation of Harry exposing himself. John believes this was an adolescent boy being inquisitive and although he accepts it is not appropriate, he feels the main issue is what he perceives is Ana’s coaching of Amy to say more happened than what actually did. John confirmed the regular domestic arguments and admitted to hitting Ana twice which Harry saw and tried to intervene. He also admitted they regularly pushed each other when they were arguing but neither perceiving this as violence. John reported he lost his temper with Ana after she had verbally abused him for hours about being lazy, stupid and not earning enough money. He reported working as many hours as possible to earn enough to give Ana treats but felt he was never going to make her feel satisfied. John reported never feeling he was good enough for Ana and felt she wanted to end the relationship on several occasions.

Neither John or Ana spoke to Harry about sex as Ana felt this was John’s role and John felt it was best left to the school to give sex education.

Harry has been suspended from school due to the HSB allegations, he has no previous suspensions and had a positive relationship with the teachers. He has a keen interest in dogs and has volunteered at a local dog rescue shelter for several years, he had a good relationship with all the staff at the shelter but this was suspended because of the allegations because other children also volunteer there. His hope is to return to work at the shelter and would eventually like to own a kennel business. His father has affirmed his love of dogs and how well he worked at the rescue shelter before being suspended. Harry has no previous criminal or antisocial behaviours. Since the HSB disclosure Harry has had very limited contact with any person outside his father, brother and social worker and is becoming more socially withdrawn.

Harry would be seen as a loner, he has very few friends and those whom he does have contact with tend to be a few years younger than him and volunteer at the dog shelter. He is small in stature for his age and looks about 12 years of age, and also suffers from extreme acne. Harry’s father dismissed the acne as not a problem, but Harry is very conscious of his face and has grown long hair and fringe to cover it, he sits with his face down and rarely looks up, wears hoodies and tries to keep the hood up to cover his face. He has poor personal hygiene and acknowledged being the subject of bullying from his peers, including females, because of his acne and his hygiene. He struggles to take proactive action in respect of his personal appearance and how to make changes in his person routines to help himself.

Since the disclosures and his suspension from school and the dog shelter, Harry spends his days at home on his own while his father goes to work and his brother to school. He admits to watching adult pornography on his laptop since he was 12 years of age and masturbates to this, acknowledging he feels he now needs pornography to become aroused. He watches it daily and John is aware of this and does not see this as an issue as this is ‘better than touching his sister’. Harry acknowledged in assessment he had often heard his parents having sex when he was younger but did not know what it was at the time. He has not seen his mother since Amy disclosed and he is aware she does not want to see him. Harry presented in the assessment that he doesn’t care that his mother does not want to see him but his father reports him being upset when Ted visits their mother and Harry has on a few occasions, become angry by slamming doors and kicking furniture when Ted came back to their house with gifts from his mother. Harry has seen Amy under the supervision of social workers, Amy is upset at not having Harry and Ted at home and misses her father. Harry reports he misses his sister , he does not speak negatively about Amy and understands why she told but believes their mother has made her say it was worse than it was.

Harry has attended all assessment appointments and engaged well in the sessions; he is keen to take part in further work as he is worried about not being able to return to the dog shelter to work.

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Published by AIM, PO Box 778, Stockport, SK4 9QQ,
www.aim-hsb.com

AIM is a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity No. 1190930)

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-0683362-2-5

First published as AIM Initial Adolescent Assessment Model in 2002
Then published as AIM2, developed by G-Map in conjunction with AIM in 2007,
Revised AIM2 version published, developed by G-Map for AIM in 2012,
First edition of AIM3 published in 2019 by AIM,

The moral right of Marcella Leonard and Simon Hackett to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to extend their sincere thanks to the many individuals who contributed to the updating of AIM3. We are especially grateful to the global community of practitioners who so generously shared their experiences of applying the Model in practice (Leonard & Hackett, 2024). Their insight, reflection and commitment to the work have been invaluable in shaping this revision.

We also wish to acknowledge the thoughtful and constructive feedback provided by our national and international peer reviewers whose expertise and critical perspectives have strengthened and refined the AIM Assessment Model; Duncan Sheppard; Eva Mørch; Jacinta Guilhermino; Dr Jennifer Allotey; Karen Martin; Kevin Creedon; Kieran McGrath; Lindsey Dickenson; Noreen McBride; Sharron Wareham; Vance Moore.

Finally, and most importantly, we recognise the young people and families whose voices are woven throughout this Model. Their lived experiences continually remind us of the importance of holistic, trauma-informed assessment approaches that truly see, hear and reflect the realities of their lives.

About AIM

AIM (Assessment, Intervention and Moving On)

AIM originally began in 2000 as a short-term funded project called The AIM Project. More than 25 years on, AIM is an established charity that adopted a new name in 2026 to reflect the expanded scope of its work and its national and international recognition. The charitable remit of AIM is to support professionals to respond consistently and effectively to children and young people who display problematic or harmful sexual behaviour to themselves and others. AIM has developed models and frameworks to guide practice, including this assessment model, which provides agencies with a shared understanding of the pathways leading to harmful sexual behaviour and a structured framework for reporting and assessing concerns, and for identifying the interventions required to address them.

About The Authors

Marcella Leonard MBE:

BSc (HONS) C.Q.S.W., MSc AASW, PG Dip ATSO, ASW, ASI, PT

Marcella Leonard is the Director of Leonard Consultancy and Associates, Safe Sport International Associate and an AIM Associate. Marcella has been a qualified social worker, psychosexual therapist and humanistic trauma therapist for over 30 years and a specialist in assessment, management and interventions of children, adolescents, adults including persons with neurodiversity where sexual and violent risk is present. She is co-author of the CASP-R: Capacity and Ability to Supervise and Protect Risk framework. She assists governing agencies in developing strategic responses to sexual and violent risk management as well as undertaking case reviews to continue to inform practice in this area.

Marcella was awarded UK Child Protection Trainer of the Year 2019 by NSPCC and Association of Child Protection Professionals (AoCPP).

Marcella was awarded the MBE in the Kings Birthday Honours 2023 for her role as a Social Worker to the fields of child and public protection, nationally and internationally.

Professor Simon Hackett:

BA (Hons), CQSW, MA (Econ), PhD, AcSS

Simon Hackett is an internationally recognised expert in the field of child abuse and neglect, with over 30 years of experience in research, practice and policy. Based in Durham University’s Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse, he has led pioneering work on harmful sexual behaviour in childhood and adolescence and is lead author of the NSPCC’s operational framework for children displaying HSB.

His research has informed national and international policy, including expert reviews for the UK Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, a 2024 evidence review for the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on Violence against Children and contributions to the UK’s first NICE guidelines on HSB (2016). His continuum model of sexual behaviour in childhood is widely cited and used in practice.

A committed advocate for evidence-informed practice, Simon serves as President of ATSA (the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse) and is a past Chair of NOTA in the UK and Ireland. He sits on the Advisory Board of the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse.

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