Championing Child Safety and Empowerment

As a mother of three, I recognise the crucial need to equip children with the tools to identify safety concerns. I firmly believe our duty as educators, parents, and guardians to empower them with essential knowledge. For ten years, my goal has remained steadfast: to provide families and educators with the resources to foster open dialogue, ensuring the safety and well-being of our children.

My teaching journey has taken me across a diverse range of socio-economic groups, from the eastern to western suburbs of Sydney and as far north as Cairns, where I had the privilege of working closely with Indigenous communities. This rich experience has deepened my understanding of the varied needs and challenges faced by children from different backgrounds.

As parents, we may assume that certain aspects of child safety are obvious, but children often need this critical information explicitly taught to them. It's crucial to deliver this information in a way that children can comprehend, using appropriate language and age-specific activities such as games, scenarios, and worksheets.

Empowering children with the knowledge of body autonomy and how to recognise unsafe situations is paramount. Without this understanding, children may not realise their rights or know what to do when faced with a concerning situation. Shockingly, evidence across Australian schools indicates that many children believe that people they know and trust are allowed to make them feel unsafe if they are considered "friends" or "family."