All Posts in child protection

September 11, 2023 - No Comments!

Treehouses

 

 

The decision to make a treehouse both the centre and the starting point for our protective behaviours game, was intentional. In this game, the treehouse represents the secure-base or safe haven. It was chosen as an alternative to the participants beginning their journey from home or school. We know for many children home or school is the location where abuse, neglect, bullying or other negative experiences may have taken place.  

Treehouses signify freedom, playfulness, adventure and courage. As mentioned, perched up high in a tree, it is possible to gain a different perspective on life and the world around you. A treehouse also provides a space to process, decompress, relax and unwind - experiences we hope that children will have as they interact with this game.      

Children need safe people and safe spaces for their healthy emotional, psychological, and social development. And there are many reasons why these elements are essential.

 

In summary, safe people and safe spaces are essential for children's well-being and growth. They provide the necessary emotional support, security, and nurturing environment that children need to flourish emotionally, socially, and academically.

To find out more about our new protective behaviours program, The Treehouse Game, visit https://www.gozoe.org.au/treehouse-game/

September 6, 2023 - No Comments!

Child Protection Week 2023

More specifically looking into where we start our lives, where we start as a service sector, and where we start as decision makers

As a team, ZOE has had a presence in Australia for well over a decade, but the main focus has always been on supporting the prevention, rescue and restoration work in Thailand as well as raising awareness and bringing education in Australia. 

In terms of looking at the issue of domestic child trafficking, it’s only been the past two years that our attention has been drawn to what this crime looks like in our own country. 

“Where We Start Matters” 

In Australia ZOE is continuing to ask, “How can we assist in combating domestic child trafficking?” This is a very important question and one that we are exploring in depth. Now with an increased understanding of the problem in Australia, we are moving towards our goal of ‘rescuing every child’ and ensuring that no child is trapped in slavery and exploitative situations.  

Treehouse Game: The aim of this game is to help children build (or redefine) strategies around how to identify safe people and safe places. Safe people and places are imperative in children's lives in order to establish strong connections and find trustworthy people they can share with when situations concern them. The objective also includes strengthening protective behaviours, healthy boundaries in relationships, and the skills to identify positive role models. The game focuses on the thought processes and language around recognising and calling out unsafe behaviour (within the game and in real life). This game is targeted at children 10-12 years old (Grade 4-6). Find out more about the game here.


Bringing Up Great Kids (BUGK) Program: The family environment is key for the prevention of abuse in childhood. Parenting programs have been shown to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors associated with child maltreatment. To learn more about the Bringing Up Great Kids program click here.


Education and Awareness: We believe that creating a space for students to learn and ask questions from our team, will encourage them to think holistically about issues and embolden them to use their giftings and talents to become advocates for others. We offer a range of educational talks centered around child trafficking, Modern Slavery, ethical consumerism and exploitation. Each talk has been developed to be age-appropriate and can be modified to ensure that it meets the unique needs of your class. Find out more here.

Curriculum: We also have Year 9 and 10 curriculum. The Australian Curriculum gives teachers the opportunity to explore some of the big issues facing the globe today. These resources were developed to support Year 10, Unit 2: Geographies of Human Wellbeing and Year 9, Unit 2: Geographies of interconnections, with free downloadable versions available to comply with the Australian Curriculum Standards. The curriculum was written by Mark Easton who has written, co-written or contributed to more than forty textbooks for students and guides to support teachers in their use of these resources in the classroom. Find out more here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 2, 2022 - No Comments!

fair go

National Child Protection Week, 2022

“Every Child in Every Community Needs a Fair Go”

National Child Protection Week (4-10 September) is an annual event. This year’s theme ‘Every child, in every community, needs a fair go’ aims to spread the message that to treat all of Australia’s children fairly, we need to make sure every family and community has what kids need to grow up safe and supported. (www.napcan.org.au)

At ZOE we have come up with 8 ways that you can help keep children in your community safe. 

1. Educate yourself about the signs of child abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Ask yourself, would you know the signs of a child experiencing violence, neglect or abuse? Could you recognise behaviours associated with child sexual abuse such as grooming - whether it be online or in person? For anyone who has contact with children, it is important to be able to know the signs in order to recognise any one of these issues, if you see it.

It’s common to think that child abuse or exploitation is only perpetrated by a weird or scary stranger. However, research shows that children are mostly abused by someone they know (a relative, family friend, teacher, coach or community member) and it is often someone they trust. 

Child sexual abuse does not discriminate. It happens in all cultures and in all sorts of families. Both girls and boys, of any age, are at risk.

2. (Parents) Talk with your children. 

Not once. Not twice. All the time! Make it a natural and normal occurrence to chat about staying safe. Just like you are continually reinforcing to them how to stay on the road, near a fire, around water, and on the internet; make ‘staying safe’ from sexual abuse and exploitation just as much a part of your everyday conversations. 

Sadly, these issues are more common than you may think. The ACCCE received more than 36,000 reports of child sexual exploitation in the 2021-22 financial year.  (https://www.accce.gov.au/resources/research-and-statistics

And these are just the ones that were reported!

3. Raise awareness in your community.

We all have a responsibility to look out for the children in our community and speak up when we see behaviour that suggests a child could be unsafe. We must not ignore our concerns or red flags. There are many types of child abuse and neglect, but the six main subtypes are:

  1. physical child abuse
  2. emotional child abuse
  3. neglect
  4. child sexual abuse
  5. exposure to family violence
  6. grooming

Some instances of child abuse will fall across multiple categories. For instance, family violence may involve physical, sexual, and/or emotional child abuse (www.education.vic.gov.au/)

4. Support organisations that help.

There are many Australian organisations that are working towards keeping children safe. By supporting them, you are helping to strengthen their efforts. Support might look like sharing their resources, promoting them on your social media, engaging a speaker to come and share at your school, workplace or sports club, talking to others about the services they provide, or giving to them financially to enable them to continue their services.

5. Monitor your children's internet usage. 

Internet safety is a whole topic in and of itself, but again, just like you make it your job to get to know your children’s friends and community in real life, so too is it essential to know who your children are interacting with online. By being engaged and interested in what they’re doing on social media, in their games and chats, you are in a much better position to notice if something rings an alarm bell. Keep the line of communication open and let them know that nothing is too bad or serious to talk about and that they will not be in trouble by reporting to you if something doesn’t feel right.

6. Recognise the complexities faced by vulnerable children.

One group of children who are considered vulnerable are those in foster care. During 2020–21, more than 178,800 Australian children received child protection services. In June 2021, more than 46,200 children were in out-of-home care. (https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/child-protection/child-protection-australia-2020-21/contents/about)

Children in out-of-home care are already considered a “vulnerable population” who face additional medical, psychological, and social risks. A safe community is necessary to protect them from further harm and support them according to their immediate and future needs. Maybe you don’t feel cut out to be a foster carer yourself but what about offering other support to a family who is already helping a child in care? Sometimes just cooking a meal, delivering groceries, assisting with homework or helping tidy up their yard makes the world of difference! 

7. Share what you learn with others.

We can never raise too much awareness or overly discuss these issues. Do the people in your circle of influence know what you know about the signs of child abuse, neglect and exploitation? If not, how can you start having conversations with them? What about your mother’s group, book club, church friends, sports club or relatives? The more people who are informed, the more our communities can become supportive and safe environments for children to live in.   

8. Report any concerning behaviour to authorities.

“If physical or behavioural indicators lead you to suspect that a child has or is being abused, or is at risk of abuse, regardless of the type of abuse, you must respond as soon as practicable” (www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/health/childprotection)

“There is no information too small or insignificant. Something that may appear small or insignificant could prove vital to a police investigation.”  www.accce.gov.au/report

If you’re a parent seeking to know and understand more about the topics covered in this blog, please reach out to us so that we can help direct you to more resources or plan for a parenting/ community information session to help facilitate questions/concerns as well as further training on these topics. info@gozoe.org.au