Media Kit

Article for use in newsletters

Be part of National Child Protection Week (1 – 7 September)

Children do best when life is on an even keel and their parents have the support they need.

By being kind to parents, supporting family-friendly policies, and building connected communities, we’re all helping to give Australia’s children the best start in life.

National Child Protection Week is all about celebrating the many ways – big and small – that everyone in the community can make a difference in the life of a child.

Most importantly, we need to recognise that parenting is like sailing a boat; it takes skill and practice, anyone can encounter rough waters from time to time, and we can all do our bit to help build the safe harbours and lighthouses that all families need.

This National Child Protection Week (1 – 7 September), we’re making it easier and than ever for everyone to get involved in creating better lives for children.

To get started, visit www.napcan.org.au. You’ll find lots of simple resources so you can:

• Pledge your support (and add your logo to our website)
• Download posters and tip sheets
• Organise information sessions for your staff
• Run craft activities for children
• Engage your local community
• List your events or find events to attend
• Share social media

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 [email protected] to coordinate.

Of particular interest, please note that NAPCAN Board Member, Dr Sue Packer, is the current Senior Australian of the Year 2019, honoured for her work in child advocacy and paediatrics.

National Child Protection Week press release / pre-approved quotes

NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK TO PUT SPOTLIGHT ON ATTITUDES

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

• National Child Protection Week 2019 runs from Sunday 1st – Saturday 7th September this year.
• National Child Protection Week has been running since 1990 starting on Fathers’ Day each September.
• 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.
• In 2019 the key messages focus on the importance of supporting parents:
• Kids do well when parents are supported
• To raise thriving kids, parents need support to navigate life’s choppy waters
• 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 2019 will include community events around Australia organised by local organisations that engage and educate the community about preventing child abuse and neglect.
• 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.

More about the 2019 theme for National Child Protection Week.

Key Messages

• 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.