Risk of Sexual Abuse of Children (ROSAC)
Structured Professional Guideline for Assessing the Risk a Sexual Abuser Poses to a Child and Making Contact Decisions
by Robert J. McGrath, Heather M. Allin & Georgia F. Cumming

The ROSAC is a structured professional guide to help professionals assess the risk a sexual abuser poses to a particular child and under what circumstances the abuser might safely be allowed contact with the child.

It is designed to be used by:

• child protection services professionals
• probation and parole officers
• mental health professionals
• victim advocates

Typical situations in which the ROSAC may be helpful are:

• A child protective services (CPS) agency is investigating a report that a sexual abuser is now living with a family with children. The agency must determine the risk of sexual harm to the child and develop an intervention plan.
• A probation officer must determine whether to grant a probationer’s request to live in a home with children. The probationer was previously convicted of committing a sexual offense.
• A mental health professional, CPS agency, probation department, and victim advocate are collaborating to determine whether to reunite a family where the father sexually abused one of his children.

The ROSAC is composed of 30 items that are empirically or theoretically linked to sexual reoffending and are each coded on a 3-point scale. The items focus on key considerations about the sexual abuser, child at potential risk, and primary caregiver.

The ROSAC Manual includes a step-by-step method for helping professionals make these important risk of sexual harm decisions. The manual consists of worksheets for documenting the decision making process. These worksheets may be downloaded after you purchase the manual and reprinted at no cost by individuals and organizations who have purchased the manual.

Train with the Author!

Conducting Sexual Abuser Risk of Sexual Harm to Children Assessments Using the ROSAC

This on-demand training This one-day reviews the theory and research basis for the ROSAC and focuses on using case studies to assist participants in practicing how to score and use the instrument to make risk determinations and develop safety plans. Click here to learn more.

Click here to visit Robert McGrath's website - McGrath Psychological Services, PC

Full quote from Dr. Leibowitz:

"The ROSAC is an indispensable research-based measure for evaluators, caseworkers, and supervisors for use in complex risk of sexual abuse [harm] cases. It is a structured decision making tool that can significantly advance the way social workers, probation officers, and other professionals think about risk assessment and sexual recidivism in their practice, such that they can effectively engage in safety planning to target known static and dynamic factors.  In Vermont, and nationally, the ROSAC is beginning to be used consistently as part of case consultation."