Workshops not currently scheduled but available for delivery on request
Playing It Safe – child safety risk management for educators (two hours)
Every school and childcare service has a duty of care and legal obligations around ensuring the safety of children and young people from abuse. The educators and others involved will be aware of the child protection policy – but is this enough? It needs to be acknowledged that sexual abuse and other harm can and does occur in school and childcare settings. And then there is the responsibility of being alert to the needs of children and young people who may be at risk at home. This short workshop goes beyond the basics and assists your key people – teachers, group leaders, in-home educators – to not only recognise child protection issues, but also to respond appropriately to the children and young people relying upon their vigilance.
Who should attend? This workshop is aimed at schools and childcare services, of all types and across the P-12 spectrum. Contact us to arrange a suitable time for us to come to you, including evenings.
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Building the Picture for educators – identifying and responding to harm and sexual behaviour (half-day)
This half-day workshop equips educators with knowledge and skills to meet mandatory training requirements for identifying and responding to harm. It considers concepts of abuse/neglect and likely harm to children, within the context of legal requirements and duty of care. It explores children’s sexual development and distinguishes between normal and problem sexual behaviour, providing a framework that guides educators in responding to all types of sexual behaviour including problematic behaviour. There is opportunity for participants to discuss behaviour and concerns encountered in work settings so that they leave the workshop with more confidence and potential solutions.
Who should attend? Child care educators, child care directors, family day care educators, outside school hours (OSHC) educators and directors.
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Child Sexual Abuse – dilemmas and decisions
Judgments about the safety needs of children in families where sexual abuse is alleged, or has occurred outside the family, can be extraordinarily difficult to make. This one-day workshop considers the many factors to be assessed in arriving at a defensible decision, within a framework which integrates both knowledge of the dynamics of families affected by sexual abuse and the sometimes conflicting needs of children and young people.
Who should attend? Child protection workers in government and community agencies, including investigation and assessment, intensive family support, statutory intervention services, alternative care and reunification services.
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For The Record – effective report-writing for child and youth work (half day)
Report writing ranges from assessment reports, internal accounting for actions taken (such as incident reports), summaries of work done with a family or young person(progress reports and final reports), advocacy and referral reports and court reports (including affidavits). All family and youth workers will at some time have to produce a well-argued report that gets your message across, either presenting a case on behalf of the client or presenting a well-articulated set of conclusions and recommendations. This workshop takes a highly practical approach to examining the structure and elements of any good report.
Who should attend? Government and community agency workers, family support workers, youth workers, alternative care workers, intervention service workers.
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Building Bridges – child protection practice for educators (one day)
This workshop is specifically designed for teachers and school personnel. The concept of ‘building bridges’ acknowledges the roles of educators as conduits between home and school in promoting student wellbeing. This workshop covers legislative requirements for identifying and responding to harm to students, along with core concepts of effective child protection practice. Case scenarios guide participants to consider child protection risk and protective factors, to determine risk of significant harm and to decide the most appropriate course of action. We consider contemporary research about how best to support families within the school community to help prevent child protection crises.
Who should attend? Teachers, principals, school counsellors, school nurses and designated student protection officers.
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