Co-producing proportionate responses to adolescent sexual behaviours: The development of the Young People's Sexual Behaviours Mapping Tool (YSB-MT)

BACKGROUND: Sexual behaviours in adolescence are complex and exist within multiple socio-ecological domains, yet frontline assessment tools are often practitioner only, risk led and insufficiently participatory. The development of the Young People's Sexual Behaviours -Mapping Tool (YSB-MT), a socioecologically grounded, youth facing framework has been developed to support proportionate, rights based responses across public health services. METHODS: It draws together evidence generated across a multi-project research programme to articulate the conceptual foundations, methodological integration and applied design of the YSB-MT. Guided by a multi-project research programme led between 2021 and 2025, the YSB-MT was designed through synthesis of survey, helpline record analysis, scoping reviews, qualitative youth voice studies and prior tool building work on sibling sexual behaviours. The tool comprises three stages, practitioner only problem formulation and reflexivity; collaborative domain based mapping with young people across digital, relational, developmental, educational, family and community contexts and an integrated action plan. This paper presents a development and synthesis study rather than a conventional empirical research. FINDINGS: The YSB-MT provides a structured framework that moves beyond categorical labelling toward structured, shared understanding that centres adolescents' participation and minimizes shame. The YSB-MT's dual functionality allows both youth facing engagement and professional planning/supervision when direct participation is not possible. Its socioecological structure aligns individual behaviour with interpersonal, community and societal determinants, provides a structure to support multi-agency coordination and supports consideration of proportionality prior to escalation to statutory pathways. INTERPRETATION: Embedding reflective practice, children's rights and contextual safeguarding within a single structured framework intends to offer a pragmatic route to more consistent, compassionate and effective responses to sexual behaviours among 13-18 year olds.