Children's Safety Australia Inc. | Non-profit organisation

Children's Safety Australia Inc.

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25.01.2022 'NOTHING BAD WOULD EVER HAPPEN TO MY FAMILY' 'HE/SHE WOULD NEVER HARM MY CHILD' 'THINGS WILL TURN OUT FOR THE BEST' These are common examples of our 'positivity bias'. While we certainly hope for all good things, we also need an awareness of risks so that we can consider the best and worst possibilities. We can certainly hope for the best but we need to take steps to prepare for and reduce the risk of the worst. In terms of children's safety, considering a third of Australian children are impacted by child sexual abuse, one of the best ways to prepare for the risk of people safety is to teach our children what do do when they don't feel safe, rules about body ownership (particularly about private parts) and how to develop a Safety Network. Visit our website for more information: www.childsafety.org.au.

18.01.2022 WHAT DO IF I SUSPECT, OR MY CHILD TELLS ME, THEY HAVE BEEN ABUSED? How we handle suspicions and disclosures of abuse is absolutely critical to a child's future wellbeing. Children can be psychologically harmed by the poor reaction of significant adults upon disclosure. We must consider the tremendous courage it often takes for a child to disclose abuse. It is vitally important adults remain calm, be seen to believe the child (even if you have some doubt) and reassure them the...y have done the right thing by telling. Key steps on receiving a disclosure include: - Remain calm - do not express shock, panic, disbelief or anger - Listen without interrupting - Believe the child - Reassure the child they have done the right thing by telling and that the abuse was not their fault - Avoid leading questions - question to confirm the need to report, don't investigate -Do not confront the perpetrator - this is best left in the hands of proper authorities - Don't make promises you can't keep - Let the child know what will happen next - Make detailed notes - Report the abuse (to police or your local child safety dept) and seek support for the child

16.01.2022 DESPITE ITS PREVALENCE, INDICATORS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE ARE OFTEN MISSED Research indicates up to 30% of Australian children experience child sexual abuse, most commonly by a person known to them. Offenders often adopt a grooming process to not only groom the child, but also their parents and work hard to keep their victim silent. As a result children are often very reluctant to report for reasons of fear, shame, confusion and guilt. When children do eventually tell a trus...t adult (if they ever do), it is usually indirectly through disguised hints. If you sense something is going on with your child, assuring them that you will listen to them, believe them and help to keep them safe no matter what, is a great place to start. You may also want to refer to our info sheet 'Recognising Child Sexual Abuse' via this link: https://childsafety.org.au/infosheets/

16.01.2022 HAVE YOU EVER LOST A CHILD IN A PUBLIC PLACE? Parents and carers can minimise this common safety risk by being prepared and offering children some simple steps to follow should they ever find themselves in this predicament... When you arrive at a busy public location it’s a good idea to work out a meeting place in case you are separated.... If they do become lost children should first stop, stand tall and look around for their parent or carer, calling out their name. If the parent or carer isn’t found after a couple of minutes, the child should go to the prearranged meeting place. If they can’t find it, the time has come to seek help. Children are encouraged to approach a shop assistant, security guard, police officer or a parent or grandparent with children who makes them feel safe. Children should know their parents' full names to assist in summonsing them. They should also be encouraged to stay in the public space rather than go to a private area to wait.

08.01.2022 FIVE THINGS ALL PARENTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHILD SEX OFFENDERS 1. The vast majority (over 90%) are known to the child, including parents, relatives, family friends and care providers. They look like and behave, in public, like most other people. They come in all ages, professions, races, religions and family statuses. They rarely have a criminal history (less than 5%). 2. They often begin offending in childhood and adolesence. About a third of abuse is perpetrated by other ch...ildren or young people. 3. They work hard at being like and accepted and actively seek access to children, placing themselves in positions where they can obtain legitimate, unrestricted, unsupervised access to children. 4. They target vulnerability, such as children with a low self esteem or those who have received little or no sex education, and adopt a grooming process to not only groom the child but the child's parents. 5. They silence children with gifts, threats, emotional blackmail and/or violence. Secrecy is one of their greatest weapons. WHAT TO DO: Teach your child: 1. Rules about their private parts, i.e. NO ONE is allowed to look at or touch their private parts, make them look at or touch someone else's private parts or to show them rude pictures. 2. Secrets that make them feel sad, angry or upset should always be told to a trusted adult. 3. To have a network of trusted adults they can approach if they feel unsafe. Nurture your child's self esteem. Children with a healthy self esteem are less likely to be targeted and more likely to report abuse. Be alert to people spending time with your child and to indicators that something might be amiss. Having an open and trusting relationship with your child where you can talk about "embarrassing topics" if needed is a great source of protection.