welfare

Dealing with past child abuse

How do you respond to an adult who tells you they were abused as a child? While we are well rehearsed in child protection, there is little guidance available for when a colleague or parent makes a disclosure. Child protection trainer Karen Roberts shares her story.

Listening to the truth of someone’s life is a privilege and an honour. When you tell someone your history, they should receive it as such.’ (Bass & Davis, 1997, p.100).

The first part of this quote is something I say frequently, as a trainer in child protection. As educators within children’s services, it is important that we learn how to respond to a child’s disclosure of abuse, and this is a vital component of child protection training. Continue Reading →

Are staff keeping children safe?

Children’s services staff play a vital role in child protection, but do we have the skills and resources to properly fulfil our role as mandatory reporters under Keep Them Safe? Ingrid Maack reports.

While Keep Them Safe (KTS) has been welcomed as the necessary first step to better child protection, there are calls for clarity on the role children’s services are expected to now play. Continue Reading →