Cedar Cottage - About the Program
Program Objectives
The Program’s objectives were:
- To help child victims and their families resolve the emotional and psychological trauma they have suffered;
- To help other members of the offender’s family avoid blaming themselves for the offender’s actions and to change the power balance within their family so the offender is less able to repeat the sexual assault;
- To stop child sexual assault offenders from repeating their offences.
The Program provided treatment to the victim and non-offending family members including family and individual support and counselling, as well as a support group and mother-daughter workshops. There was a focus on strengthening the bond between the child victim and their non-offending parent (typically the child’s mother).
Program Eligibility
In order to be eligible for the Program, offenders were required to:
- Satisfy an eligibility test based on strict criteria, including no previous convictions for sexual assault offences, and that the offender was in a parental relationship with the child victim;
- Plead guilty to all offences;
- Demonstrate suitability for treatment during a rigorous 8-week assessment process.
During their 2-3 year mandated treatment, Program Participants were required to adhere to strict conditions regarding their accommodation, employment, travel arrangements and contact with children.
Offenders were not permitted any form of direct or indirect contact with their victim or other children without the written permission of the Program Director, and only under very specific circumstances.
Throughout their participation in the Program, offenders were required to adhere to an ‘exclusion zone’, which meant that they were not permitted to enter any geographical area frequented by their victim or the victim’s family. The purpose of this condition was to provide the victim and their family with physical and emotional safety.