Empowering Children to protect themselves
A seminar for school principles, teachers, etc
Thursday June 20th 2019
9am-12pm
The Heath Centre
St Andrew’s Cathedral School
Level 5, St Andrew’s House
Sydney Square
Bookings essential (no charge, morning tea provided)
presented by
Andrea Musulin
West Australian Child Protection Society
and Lachlan Bryant, Professional Standards Unit, Anglican Diocese of Sydney
It is a sobering reality that in Australia 1 in 4 children will be abused before they turn 18 and most of these children will never speak about it!
The recent Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Data project for the Anglican Church noted that the average age for a child to be abused was approximately 11 years old.
While there is no foolproof system for protecting children and young people, schools can contribute significantly to the personal safety of children and the empowerment needed to disclose abuse when it occurs.
This workshop will highlight how schools can develop protective mechanisms in children to prevent child abuse occurring and empower them to speak out.
These measures teach the child to seek appropriate help when they are not feeling safe.
The workshop will include the following topics.
- How the Royal Commission is shaping the child protection landscape for institutions and particularly schools.
- Why it is imperative for protective behaviours to be taught early, from pre-school years and throughout adolescence.
- Educational programs to assist children to be safe from all forms of unsafe and hostile situations in which they may find themselves.
Under the Education Act NSW 1990 all non-government schools are responsible for providing a safe and supportive environment for students. A key component of developing such an environment is educating all members of the school community about issues of personal safety including students. As such this workshop is a must for school principals and key staff in Primary and Secondary schools and should not be missed.
