News

National Child Protection Week

22 September 14

Imagine Education Australia staff attend child protection seminar as part of  National Child Protection Week

Sadly, child abuse is an all too common occurrence in Australia. Last year alone, over 35,000 Australian children were proven to have been abused or neglected1. The term “child abuse” encompasses multiple forms of abuse, including physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, neglect, and the exposure of a child to family violence.

National Child Protection Week is an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Social Services to raise awareness of the prevalence of child abuse in Australia, and how we can help reduce its implications. This year, the pertinent message was “protecting children is everyone’s business: play your part”.

In an effort to play our part in the fight against child abuse, key child care staff at Imagine Education Australia attended a child protection workshop presented by In Safe Hands to learn the practical application of child protection and safety in education and care.

Rebecca Gunn, Margie James, and Kirsty McGuire were present at the workshop and found it to be valuable in learning to identify the signs of child abuse and practical strategies for keeping children safe. They are excited to pass on this valuable knowledge to our child care students to use in their future careers and throughout their lifetimes.

For more information on National Child Protection Week or In Safe Hands, please visit the following links:

References:
1 NAPCAN 2014, The Issue: Child Abuse & Neglect in Australia, viewed 15 September 2014,