Message from Adam Blakester, EO		In This Edition
What would your community look like if it was child friendly? What would Australia look like if every community was child friendly? These are the questions NAPCAN is working to answer this year. NAPCAN seeks your support to ask the kids in your community what they would like the community to be like in 100 years time for their grandkids. What is their vision for a child friendly community? By letting NAPCAN know your stories, we will build a picture and vision of what a child friendly Australia looks like – which will give strength and direction to our shared work of inspiring every Australian to take responsibility for the wellbeing of our children and their freedom from harm. Take a moment to read about our new ‘Capture a Child Friendly Moment’ campaign – and our quest to find inspirational images and stories. Will you take up this child friendly challenge?		Australia’s National Shame - Child Abuse Dramatically Worsens Again Playing a Part How involved are children in your community? How can your community be more child friendly? Capture a Child Friendly Moment UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Child-friendly communities and environments Ad It Last, Make It Last YouthSPEAK Media Watch: Community Monitoring and Analysis Attention all Parents and Carers – Raising Children Network Website What’s New on the NAPCAN Website Across Australia SUPPORT NAPCAN

Australia’s National Shame - Child Abuse Dramatically Worsens Again

The number of Australian children suffering abuse continues to dramatically worsen.*

Every indicator of abuse has increased every year for six years:

• child abuse notifications;
• substantiated abuse cases;
• children on care and protection orders; and
• the number of children in out-of-home care.

Indigenous children continue to be significantly over represented in every one of these areas.

Adam Blakester, Executive Officer of the NAPCAN Foundation, says “These findings confirm that child abuse and neglect continues to be Australia’s most serious social problem bar none – and it’s getting worse.”

“Not only are the numbers of children harmed increasing, the complexity and seriousness of the causes and circumstances associated with child abuse continue to worsen – particularly substance abuse, mental health and family violence. Then there is the long term and inter-generational nature of the consequences and costs of child abuse and neglect.”

“Even so, these figures are the tip of the iceberg,” warns Blakester. “For every child reported abused, countless others are unknown and remain vulnerable.”

Solving this complex and massive problem requires every Australian to get involved. Every one of us can and must play a part in preventing child abuse – before it starts.

“You CAN make a difference,” explains Blakester. “Even simple things like cooking a meal for parents with a newborn child can help reduce stress and isolation, while creating a friendlier community too.”

For more ideas of simple things that can make a difference, go to the NAPCAN Child Friendly Challenge.

* Child Protection Australia 2004-05 Report, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Playing a Part
How involved are children in your community?
How can your community be more child friendly?

Children and young people’s involvement in their community shows respect and builds resilience – which are protective factors from abuse and neglect.

The NSW Commission for Children and Young People identifies the benefits of involving children and young people in decisions that affect their lives, include:

• Increased sense of being part of the community;
• Increased ownership of solutions to problems and issues;
• More able to make decisions;
• Connections with other young people and adults;
• Helps young people learn.

In what ways do children and young people play a part in your community? How might they be involved to play a greater part?

1. Listen to children and involve them in matters that affect them

In decisions which concern young people, their views and best interests should always be considered.

2. Ensure children have freedom to get together with others

Children and young people benefit from spending time with others, being involved, and/or starting their own groups.
The responsibility that comes with this freedom is being respectful of other people’s rights and wellbeing too.

3. Ensure children have the freedom to express themselves

Children and young people have the right to express themselves and to receive or send information through any media, including print, art or word of mouth.

Again, with such freedom comes the responsibility of children and young people to express their views and opinions in ways that are respectful of others.

4. Provide children with a range of information?

Children are entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and faith.

Governments, businesses, workplaces, families and communities can assist children’s development by providing a range of information from many sources.

Go to the NAPCAN Child Friendly Communities to find out how you can help make your community more child friendly.

Capture a Child Friendly Moment

Across Australia, every day people are working together to help make their communities child-friendly, usually in simple yet extraordinarily beautiful ways, and so often experienced in the ‘moment’. NAPCAN wants to share these inspirational stories with the wider community; we want to capture these child friendly moments – in images and words, and we need your help.

Do you have a photo that captures that special moment? For example, do you know someone who offered to cook a meal for parents with a newborn baby? Have you seen a person let a mum or dad with children move ahead of them in the supermarket queue? Do you have a great photo of your kids happily engaged in their child-friendly community?

We’d love to hear from you. If you have an inspiring story or image to share please email us.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Child-friendly communities and environments

Demonstrating a commitment to child friendly spaces, NAPCAN Foundation (NAPCAN) and Streetwize Communications (Streetwize) have prepared a joint submission for the inquiry into Children, Young People and the Built Environment in partnership.

The NSW Commission for Children and Young People encouraged NAPCAN to make this submission.

The submission emphasises the importance of the built environment on children’s wellbeing. Relationships and community cohesion are vital to the quality of children and young people’s lives, thus built environments that enable and foster community are one of the keys to the health, wellbeing and safety of children and young people.

A key finding of the report is that children and young people have genuine needs for independence and freedom to explore their environments. While adult-directed activity, such as sport, cultural and academic activities, television and electronic games are important to children, they must also have time and space for independent outdoor play. Ideally, such space needs to be local and easily accessible for children and young people. Traffic, for example, can be a major inhibitor of children’s free play range.

When asked how urban planners could best meet their needs, kids usually requested simple and obvious things like parks, safe paths and streets and places to ride bicycles and skateboards.

The fact is that children of this age are rarely consulted about urban planning issues that affect them and this is something that must change. Direct participation of children and young people in creation of their community and built environments is essential for ensuring these will provide the critically important ingredients for healthy development.

For a copy of the submission and report please contact NAPCAN on contact@napcan.org.au.

Ad It Last, Make It Last

NAPCAN is proud to announce its partnership with Ad It Last, a new business initiative selling last minute advertising online to small and medium businesses.

Ad It Last is also launching its business model as a Community Conscious Company and has donated a percentage of the company to the NAPCAN Foundation. The objective of the Community Conscious Foundation is to give back to the community. As Ad It Last grows, NAPCAN grows. Find out more on the Ad It Last website.

YouthSPEAK

It is on again! Students (years 8-12) are invited to enter the second annual YouthSPEAKER of the Year Public Speaking Competition in conjunction with National Youth Week.

The competition will be held on April 8th-9th 2006, at the University of Queensland.

YouthSPEAK provides students with the opportunity to voice their views on the issues which affect them as well as gain experience and new skills in public speaking. Perhaps you could discuss the importance of children’s participation in child friendly communities?

Applications close Friday 24th March 2006. For more information visit www.theyouthspeaks.org.

Media Watch: Community Monitoring and Analysis

Have you seen, read or heard something constructive about children in the media? Perhaps you have been upset by a media article that wasn’t constructive or respectful of children.

The media can shape and lead public opinions and attitudes.

Because of the media’s influential and important role, NAPCAN has launched Media Watch – a way for you to help us monitor the media’s portrayal of children.

Share your views about what you’ve been reading in the media recently. Visit Media Watch.

NAPCAN will use Media Watch to improve the constructiveness and effectiveness of media. NAPCAN believes the media can play an important role is creating a child friendly Australia by professional and ethical representation of children.

Attention all Parents and Carers – Raising Children Network Website

From Friday 17 March, parents and carers are invited to "test-drive" an exciting new parenting website and provide feedback and suggestions on what can be done to make the site the best possible resource for Australian parents, professionals and others caring for children. Find out more on the Raising Children Network website.

What’s New on the NAPCAN Website

Downloadable PDF versions of all our current parenting brochures.

Child Friendly Community Initiatives - New stories from across Australia are added all the time.

Downloadable PDF version of "Visions of a Child Friendly Community" Book - A thought provoking, inspiring, challenging and touching document where children, university students, academics, professionals, government officials and others share their visions of a child friendly community.

The Value of Nurses’ Contribution to Child Protection - Funded by a NAPCAN NT grant this research project explores nurses' understanding of child abuse, perceptions of their contribution to child protection and any perceived barriers to that role.

NAPCAN in the News – A selection of recent media articles.

Across Australia

NAPCAN’S First Child Friendly Community Action Group in the Whitsundays, Queensland

The Whitsunday community has actively participated in National Child Protection Week for many years. Inspired by the Child Friendly Challenges in NCPW 2005 they decided they wanted to keep preventing child abuse on their agenda all year round. In NCPW 2005 the action group was formed.

They hold monthly meetings and their profile and support is increasing with word of mouth promotion across the Whitsunday community.

Their focus for 2006 is:

1. Child Protection; community education through out the year about the prevention of child abuse and neglect, including National Child Protection Week;
2. Access to recreation; affordable recreation for disadvantaged children through scholarships and a sport expo at which children and young people can try different sport activities.

Find out more on the NAPCAN website.

Are you passionate about and committed to preventing child abuse and neglect? Find out more about establishing your own child friendly community action group.

‘Kids Doin’ It Tough’ – A Series of Six Community Forums in Western Australia – NAPCAN WA, the Centre for Vulnerable Children at the University of Western Australia, and the Ministerial Advisory Council on Child Protection co-hosted a series of six community forums about children and young people in adversity.

These forums sought to raise public awareness of the contemporary challenges facing all those involved in the care and protection of children, as we strive to achieve child friendly communities. Find out more on the NAPCAN WA page on our website.

Innovative new program launched by NAPCAN South Australia – In July 2006 NAPCAN SA are launching a new program called Young Families Educational Support (YFES). This program supports young families on a single income where one or more of the parents haven’t completed secondary school. Working with the local high school, participants will complete their SACE (year 11 & 12 requirements) whilst also doing two subjects with NAPCAN: fundraising and parenting support. The fundraising aspect pays for their school fees and associated costs, and the parenting topic supports the development of parenting skills, as well as increasing support within the community. Find out more on the NAPCAN SA page on our website.

National Child Protection Summit - The Australian Government will convene a National Summit to develop a national approach to child protection in Australia. The Summit will be held in Melbourne in the first half of 2006. The Summit was announced as part of the Australian Government response to the Forgotten Australian and Protecting Vulnerable Children Report.

A second National Summit on children in out of home care is also planned for 2006.