Read NAPCAN's submission to the Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW. HERE
Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse Report Released.
The Inquiry was established in August last year and was Co-Chaired by Ms Patricia Anderson and Rex Wild QC. The report found that Aboriginal children as young as three are falling victim to widespread sex abuse fuelled by alcohol, pornography and ignorance. The inquiry made 97 recommendations including a shake-up of the education system, support from government agencies and the tightening of pornography laws. Read a summary of the Report HERE The entire Report (6.4 meg) can be accessed on the NT Govt. website HERE
Read NAPCAN's Submission
to the NT Board of Inquiry HERE
Despite statistics saying up to one in three males may have been targeted, sexual abuse is not a common topic for men to publicly admit to. Andrew Noble was once no exception to that rule. As a teenager, Andrew was subjected to repeated sexual abuse by a man working at his school. For more than a decade, Andrew remained silent. He felt isolated by his experiences and felt very much like a victim. When Andrew, now 27, finally found the courage to report his shocking treatment, he was stunned to discover that he was the first of many other youngsters to report suffering at the hands of the trusted school aide over a 10 year period. Until Andrew brought it to the attention of police, no one had been brave enough to speak out. Andrew, a successful photographer, has chosen to share his story with the aim of increasing community awareness and creating a more open and understanding environment for victims of sexual abuse to have a voice. He believes children should be able to speak out and not feel intimidated by doing so. Visit Andrew's website HERE
A report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare : the third national statistical report on young people in Australia . View the report HERE
The Australian Childhood Foundation, in conjunction with the National Research Centre for the Prevention of Child Abuse at Monash University , commissioned Quantum Market Research to undertake a comprehensive national survey of children. Read the report HERE
Research brief and author interview podcast highlight recent research from the FPG Child Development Institute's Abecedarian Project. HERE
First in the new Early Childhood in Focus series from the Bernard van Leer Foundation and the Child and Youth Studies Group at The Open University (UK) focuses on attachment relationships between infants and caregivers. HERE
The Australia Institute of Family Studies on how Australian Families spend their time HERE
Report from Australia's Work + Family Policy Roundtable documents a national workshop HERE
This report from the Brotherhood of St Laurence has found that an estimated 37,000 babies each year are being born into the 21 most disadvantaged communities in Australia. The report finds that the higher the poverty rate per electorate, the higher the birth rate. This means that more Australian children are being born in areas of social disadvantage. The explanation for this phenomenon is not an increase in birth rates in disadvantaged electorates, but rather a reduction in birth rates in more affluent electorates.
Download the report HERE
Read the research paper on the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect commissioned by NAPCAN Queensland.
Download the Paper(590 KB) HERE
Tony Vinson in Communities, Families and Children Australia, Volume 1, Number 1, May 2006 MORE
Read the article in the latest edition of PAT [Public Administration Today] ...MORE
Read the speech given by Dr Sue Packer (President NAPCAN ACT) at the opening of National Child Protection Week in the ACT MORE
Under the Commission for Children and Young People Act 1998 in relation to the Commission, the Committee is to inquire into:
- Trends, changes and issues for children and young people in the development, implementation and coordination of policy, design and planning for the built environment.
- The mechanisms available for monitoring and reporting on planning processes and decisions concerning the built environment, as they relate to and impact upon children and young people.
- Strategies to ensure that built environment issues affecting children and young people are readily identified and receive coordinated attention across portfolios and different levels of government.
- The role of the Commission for Children and Young People in giving input to the Government and non-Government sectors on inclusive and integrated planning and policy-making for children and young people in the built environment.
- Any other matter considered relevant to the inquiry by the Committee.
Read NAPCAN's submission HERE
Read NAPCAN's Research Report HERE
Paper presented by Dr Adam Tomison at the Parliamentarians Against Child Abuse National Child Protection Week 2005 lunch, Parliament House, Canberra. MORE
Funded by a NAPCAN Northern Territory grant in 2004, Marie Land undertook a research project exploring nurses' understanding of child abuse, perceptions of their contribution to child protection and any perceived barriers to that role. Nurses whose role specifically involved the care of children and their families were recruited as participants in this study MORE
For a full copy of the report, please contact Marian Land on (08) 8999 2566 or marie.land@nt.gov.au
Mudaly and Goddard promote the emerging child-centred approach to research, which provides children with an opportunity to talk about abuse and its effects on their lives, their views on the reasons for abuse, their opinions of abusers and non-offending parents and the dynamics of disclosing abuse. A section on children's perceptions of the professionals who intervened - to protect them, to prosecute the abuser, or to provide therapeutic counselling - sets the context for a discussion of how professionals can respond appropriately to individuals' needs. The authors also examine societal factors that increase children's vulnerability, and propose measures for preventing abuse. They outline the requirements of ethically sound research, including appropriate interviewing techniques, and conclude with suggestions for future research, drawing on feedback from abused children. The book can be ordered through the Australian Childhood Foundation HERE
Treading Lightly is a collaboration between Tex Skulthorpe, highly regarded Aboriginal painter, and Nhunggabarra man story teller, and Karl-Erik Sveiby, professor of knowledge management.
Excerpt from Introduction
Australian Aboriginal society's model for sustainability has the longest proven track record on earth. While societies outside Australia emerged, prospered and went under, Aboriginal society withstood and proved its sustainability over tens of thousands of years of dramatic events, until the Europeans' arrival in 1788. It is an extraordinary achievement, especially considering that this is something humanity is now struggling with: the way to build a truly sustainable society on this earth. How did the Aborigines do it? How did they organise for sustainability? What type of leadership did it require? They must have had a 'recipe for success'. What was it? Could we reconstruct it?
Treading Lightly is, as far as the authors know, the first serious attempt to use Aboriginal traditional stories for their original purpose: to convey knowledge from one generation to another, about the world, the law, society and the life and death of people. Visit the Treading Lightly Website HERE
Tex Skuthorpe has worked in partnership with NAPCAN conducting more than 200 Family and Community Workshops promoting child friendly communities and the wellbeing and resilience of children. MORE
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