Media Kit

Available NAPCAN spokespeople for interview

NAPCAN has a number of senior staff, experts, and board members who are available for interviews or comment on most topics relating to child wellbeing. Please contact Helen Fogarty on 0410 541997 or helen.fogarty@napcan.org.au to coordinate.

National Child Protection Week press release / pre-approved quotes

COMING SOON…

Background NAPCAN & National Child Protection Week

About NAPCAN & primary prevention

The National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) advocates for the rights of children and young people. We know that the only way to keep children and young people safe from harm is to stop abuse before it occurs and prevent them from entering the statutory child protection system. We know that ‘primary prevention’ is the best option for children, for families, for communities, and for government budgets.

Primary prevention of child abuse is defined as any intervention that prevents child abuse from occurring, including strategies such as:

• building strong communities where everyone understands their role in protecting children
• valuing children and advocating for their rights, and for their voices to be heard
• expanding and improving coordination of social services
• supporting families
• educating families about child behavior, discipline, safety and development
• creating organisations that are child safe and child friendly.

NAPCAN makes a significant contribution to the wellbeing of Australia’s children and young people by raising the awareness of child abuse and neglect in Australia, and promoting and implementing effective prevention strategies and programs, including professional development and respectful relationships education.

National Child Protection Week 2021 

• National Child Protection Week 2021 runs from Sunday 5th – Saturday 11th September this year.
• National Child Protection Week has been running since 1990 starting on Fathers’ Day each September.
• The theme for 2021 is: Every child, in every community, needs a fair go. To treat all of Australia’s children fairly, we need to make sure every family and community has what kids need to thrive and be healthy.
• The aim of the week is to engage all members of the community to ‘Play a Part’ in improving child wellbeing and keep children safe in Australia.
• NAPCAN coordinates National Child Protection Week with support from the federal government and a range of public, private and community partners.
• National Child Protection Week provides a platform to enhance the safety and wellbeing of children and young people, by informing, empowering and resourcing organisations and communities to play their part in responding to local needs.

Key Messages

• Every child, in every community, needs a fair go. To treat all of Australia’s children fairly, we need to make sure every family and community has what kids need to thrive and be healthy. 
• Children can thrive and be healthy when they have what they need to develop well. But not every family has these resources.
• This is why we need to support every child, family and community according to their needs. This will create a healthier, fairer Australia for all children.
• Let’s make sure our neighbourhoods have strong foundations for families and children – jobs, safe places, libraries, parks, playgrounds, schools, child care, affordable housing, health services, social activities, clubs, friendly neighbours, businesses and more.
• To raise thriving children, Australian parents need support.
• Children thrive when parents have the support they need.
• For healthy development, children need life to be on an even keel. But for families experience poverty and stress, raising children is like sailing in rough waters. Helping parents with counselling, quality child care and financial support makes sure that they have the lighthouses and safe harbours that they need to navigate these rough waters.
• To develop in healthy and positive ways, children need life to be stable, even when families face rough times. Just as a strong skipper learns to be adaptable and to seek help when they need it, we can help parents to navigate life’s storms.
• Raising thriving healthy children is all-important and building young brains takes work. Parents need support to help children develop the skills they need.
• Raising thriving children is like building a house from the foundations up. When they interact with their children, parents are building brains. We need better policies to support parents to help children to learn and grow from the earliest days onwards.
• Australia’s children thrive when our policies and programs support parents. We need to help all children develop healthily, especially when families experience tough times.

Child abuse & neglect statistics & research

To be updated July 2021.