E-mail: contact@napcan.org.au | Phone: 02 8073 3300
GRANDPARENTS PLAY THEIR PART TO PROTECT AND CARE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY BY CARING FOR AND NURTURING FAMILIES, AS WELL AS PROVIDING SUPPORT, REASSURANCE AND LOVE.
- Spend time with children and young people in your life. By playing, listening and learning from them, you show them that they are important.
- Create opportunities for all the children/young people in your family to spend time together.
- Be a positive role model. Children and young people learn from the people that they spend time with, so make your influence positive.
- If possible, offer to be an emergency contact for the family. Make sure that the children/young people know that you are the emergency contact too so they feel included.
- Be a friend to parents that you know. Parenting can be tough, especially for new and young parents. Keep reminding them that you are there to help.
- Think about safe and respectful ways to be an active bystander if you see an adult being inappropriate towards a child or young person.
- Congratulate families and young people when you see or hear good things happening.
"NAN" : ABORIGINAL GRANDMOTHER FROM DUBBO, NSW
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO “PLAY YOUR PART” TO PROTECT AND CARE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY:
I am known as Nan to all the children in my community. The children come around to our house to hang about, play and in most cases, just talk. They have complete respect for me and there is no swearing! All I try to do with my family is to make the local kids feel safe and always welcome. They come to me if they are in trouble or having problems at school and want to talk about something. So I ask them why something has happened and try to get to the bottom of problems. I have a big family myself and always prefer to have the young adults rather at my house doing nonsense (drinking), rather than not knowing where they are.
MICHELLE ROSE : TEACHER
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO “PLAY YOUR PART” TO PROTECT AND CARE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN THEIR COMMUNITY:
As a grandparent I felt it was imperative for me to take leave from my employer and offer my support to my grandchildren, when my daughter and son-in-law were both recovering from an operation requiring hospitalisation. On other occasions I have offered my support and understanding to mothers in my community, as they struggled with removing a baby from a car capsule and having a mobile child venturing toward moving cars. I held the child’s hand until the mother was able to take over the role of caring for her toddler. On a number of occasions when shopping I have observed a young child wandering around without parental/adult supervision, calling for their mother. I have taken this child to the service desk, where it was publicly announced the whereabouts of the child. Here I stayed with the child and shop staff until the child identified the parent when an adult approached. Recently in my doctor’s overcrowded waiting room, I offered my support by holding and bottle feeding an upset baby whilst the mother tried to comfort her five-year-old sick child and lead him into the doctor’s room.