Media Statement: Child abuse and neglect is preventable. We all have a role in changing outcomes.

NAPCAN is calling for renewed investment in primary prevention, following University of Sydney research showing increases in police-recorded sexual assault and family and domestic violence-related assault involving children.

Led by Dr Lucy Grummitt at the Matilda Centre, Trends in Violence Against Children in Australia examined national police, hospital and child protection data over the past decade.

“These findings show why change cannot wait. To change outcomes, we must see ourselves as part of the solution,” said NAPCAN CEO Leesa Waters.

“Prevention happens in the relationships we build, the behaviours we challenge, the support available to families and the priority we give children’s safety.

“Keeping children safe is an adult responsibility, shared by the organisations and systems around them.”

NAPCAN encourages adults to turn concern into action:

• Build your digital literacy. Learn about the online spaces children use. Build trust, skills and confidence through curiosity and conversation, rather than relying on restriction.

• Be curious and make questions welcome. Ask children about their experiences and relationships. Ask organisations how they keep children safe, maintain boundaries and respond to concerns.

• Understand grooming behaviours. Learn how trust, special attention, secrecy and isolation can be used to create opportunities for harm.

• Set clear expectations for the organisations responsible for children and young people. Organisations need child-safe policies and practices.

• Make child safety an everyday conversation. Talk about safety and respectful relationships at home, in education settings and across communities. Listen without blame and follow concerns with support and action.

“We do not need to know everything before we begin. We can ask questions, learn and act,” said Ms Waters.

NAPCAN calls for sustained investment in primary prevention, early support for families, stronger child-safe practices and regulation, and better coordination across police, health and child protection systems.

Children and young people are victim-survivors in their own right and deserve dedicated, child-focused services, not responses developed only through the broader lens of gender-based and family violence. Child abuse and neglect must be addressed as a distinct issue, with collaboration across jurisdictions and portfolios to tackle intersecting drivers of harm, including housing insecurity.

“Families need accessible support, organisations must put child safety into practice, and governments must invest in preventing harm before it happens,” said Ms Waters.

“We all have a role in shifting outcomes for children and families. Together, we can turn concern into meaningful change.”

Media contact: Clare Walker, Campaigns and Communications Manager
0420 507 376 | clare.walker@napcan.org.au

For more tips on playing your part, head to https://www.napcan.org.au/tips-for-playing-your-part/