Australia 's leading advocate for the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
It is a national, independent, charitable organisation with a clear purpose ..
to prevent child abuse and neglect before it starts.
In the last year there were over 50,000 substantiated notifications to statutory authorities of children being abused or neglected in this country. Children died, children were seriously injured and tens of thousands of children were physically, psychologically and emotionally damaged.
This number is growing every year.
it is time to draw a line in the sand and
break this cycle of abuse
within a public health conceptual framework focussing its expertise and energies on primary and secondary prevention strategies.
NAPCAN develops its prevention strategies on the basis of sound evidence, expert advice and consultation across its extensive national network.
- working directly with children and young people to strengthen their protective behaviours and to build their resilience and life skills
"KiDS CAN", and its projects of significance such as "LoveBites" & "Rosies' Place" are key examples of NAPCAN's work in this area, as are "Stomp It", which focuses specifically on Indigenous young people, and "Smart Online, Safe Offline" which works within the cyber community to raise awareness and strengthen protective behaviours.
- assisting "at risk" parents via face-to-face programs and through other professionals, providing practical support and guidance
Examples include NAPCAN's Positive Parenting Workshops in Vic & NT & Positive Parenting resources distributed nationally
- working in communities to strengthen and co-ordinate the resources available to support families and children at risk and to build social capital
Community development principles underpin the "Play a Part" program in Queensland and the "Child Friendly Community" initiatives in NT, NSW, SA & Tas.
- raising public awareness that what "children see, children do" and promoting behaviour change which will provide positive modelling for children
The multi-award winning "Children see, Children do" advertisement, developed by DDB on behalf of NAPCAN, will become the centrepiece of a national social marketing campaign relevant to the whole population but specifically focussed on those parents whose behaviours are most likely to maintain the cycle of abuse.
t his is just a start.and that....
to break the cycle of abuse and neglect a national, multi-facetted and well-resourced prevention strategy is essential.
Currently in Australia for every $300 spent on remedial statutory intervention for children who have already been armed, only $1 is spent on prevention of child abuse and neglect.
continue to advocate to the Federal and State and Territory governments for the allocation of public resources for prevention and NAPCAN will work with government on the design and implementation of evidenced-based prevention strategies which impact on the whole community whilst targeting those at greatest risk.
corporate and individual financial and practical assistance to support and extend its programs and continue its advocacy work.
