The theme for this years National Child Protection Week is "Where we start matters".
There's a few different ways we can consider this theme. We can think about it in terms of:
Where we start our lives-where we live and the opportunities available to us
Where we start as a service sector-how we support children and families
Where we start as decision makers-how we address complex issues such as child abuse and neglect.
The Australian Child Maltreatment Study found that 62% of Australians surveyed experienced one or more types of maltreatment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and exposure to domestic violence)
Growing Futures provides engaging and accessible training to professionals and volunteers working with children. This National Child Protection Week here are some questions to consider.
As staff or volunteers working with children:
Do you know how to recognise a child that may be at risk?
Do you know who to escalate concerns about child safety to?
Do you understand your role in implementing the National Principles/Child Safe Standards?
Can you recognise signs of grooming?
As managers of teams working with children:
Have you implemented the National Principles/Child Safe Standards in your organisation?
Are you confident that all staff and volunteers understand their obligations in regards to child safety and child protection?
Does your organisation prioritise the wellbeing and safety of children above its own reputation?
Does your organisation have a culture of transparency and continuous improvement?
If the answer to any of these questions is no please reach out to Growing Futures today to discuss how we can help.
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