Rosemary Sinclair and Christine Stewart founded NAPCAN on 2 August 1987 with the support of Professor Kim Oates. NAPCAN began coordinating National Child Protection Week (NCPW) across Australia in an effort to engage and educate all Australians to understand they have a part to play in keeping our children and young people safe.
For over 30 years, NAPCAN has been running the annual NCPW campaign. Each campaign builds on the strengths of previous years and has evolved to provide support to communities to act on the core message, “protecting children is everyone’s business”.
As it stands today, NCPW aims to engage, educate and empower Australians to understand the complexity of child abuse and neglect and work together to prevent it. The campaign does this through sharing evidence through webinars and events as well as creating resources in order to empower communities to have conversations regarding children’s safety and wellbeing.
Since those days we have remained dedicated to bringing the eradication of child abuse and neglect to the forefront of Australian society. We are a national organisation with a small multidisciplinary team delivering services across Australia, working with thousands of volunteers trained to deliver our programs. Our passionate and capable staff work under the guidance of a highly experienced Board of Directors and we work with all levels of government, businesses, community services and organisations, families and individuals for the betterment of children and young people in our shared community.
NAPCAN has both deductible gift recipient (DGR) and public benevolent institution (PBI) status with the Australian Tax Office.
More about this year's theme
Pledge your support
Register for our NAIDOC webinar
This year, you don’t need to wait until September to join the conversation. Our webinar series starts July 9, with our NAIDOC week webinar.
Join us and a powerful panel spotlighting how First Nations children and young people are using digital platforms to reclaim space, tell their stories, and shape their futures.
From social media to grassroots campaigns, Blak youth are leading a digital movement, using art, storytelling, and media to heal, resist, and rewrite the narrative. This conversation dives into how online spaces are being transformed into tools for justice, cultural pride, and self-determination, while challenging harmful stereotypes through bold, community-led content creation.
Don’t miss this inspiring dialogue on First Nations strength, creativity, and the future of digital advocacy.
Child abuse and neglect is preventable. If we all work together as a community we can create an Australia where all children can grow up safe and well. What role can you play in supporting children and their families
