Child Protection Education Professional Development Training for Agencies

Safe4Kids is currently contracted as a member of two panels to deliver child abuse prevention education training to Australian state and territory government departments. We also provide training to foster caring groups, child protection agencies, police, youth workers, various health and mental health professional groups, other government and non-government departments and not-for-profit organisations all over Australia.

It is essential that agency staff who work with children or come in contact with children through their client base have an understanding of child abuse prevention education. We can tailor the training to suit your needs. If your staff need an update on protective behaviours and body safety education, or they have had no training in this area, we can provide you with a training solution.

The Safe4Kids Protective Behaviours program is a school-based program. Children are taught age-appropriate body safety education and given the opportunity to practise these new skills in a safe controlled environment. It is unrealistic to expect children to protect themselves against abuse. It is the job of parents and adults in our community to protect children; however, a trusted adult cannot be with a child all of the time, and that is why children need to understand the concepts of child abuse prevention education to try and help keep them safe.

One of the concepts children are taught is how to identify people to include on their Safety Team. The child’s safety team consists of five adults they trust who will listen to them, believe them, and take action if they feel unsafe. If you work with children and have developed a close rapport, it is possible you may be one of the five trusted adults they have on their safety team, and it is important that you understand what is required in case a child confides in you that they feel unsafe.

Holly-ann Martin delivers all the training for Safe4Kids and has over 30 years experience in teaching child abuse prevention education. Holly will explain the concepts, strategies and language of protective behaviours and provide your staff with the knowledge and skills they need to assist their clients and help keep the children they work with safe.

The training will also include what to say to a child if they disclose they have been sexually abused. Disclosure of abuse from a child can be a very confronting situation, and the simple script that Holly provides will help both the child and you through this challenging situation.

The professional development training for agency and government staff takes two hours. At the end of the two hours,  your team will feel more confident and walk away with tools and strategies they need to enable them to help their clients and their children.

We also offer a whole day training where participants have the chance to delve deeper into the concepts and strategies of child abuse prevention education and develop a thorough understanding of the program and how to use it.

For more detailed information and to discuss your specific training requirements, please don’t hesitate to contact us. – We are here to help you!