What's new in the sector
This page aims to keep you up-to-date with "what's new" at the National Child Protection Clearinghouse and in the fields of child abuse prevention, child protection and out-of-home care.
- Overcoming Indigenous disadvantage
3 July 2009
A national report on Indigenous social and economic trends has shown a worsening in the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians on child abuse. The report shows the rate of substantiated notifications for child abuse or neglect for Indigenous children has more than doubled since 1999-2000, from 16 per 1000 children to 35 per 1000 children. At the same time, the rate for non-Indigenous children has risen from five to six per 1000. You can read the article from ABC News: Indigenous gap "widening, not closing" or download the report Overcoming Indigenous disadvantage: Key indicators 2009 from the Productivity Commission. - What's culture got to do with it? The impact of ethnic identity on the effects of unwanted sexual experience during childhood
2 July 2009
The aim of this research is to identify the impact of ethnic identity on the effects of childhood sexual abuse among women who have been subjected to sexual abuse in childhood. This research will form part of a PhD for Tanja Stojadinovic from the University of South Australia. If you would like more information or would like to find out how to participate in the project, email Tanja Stojadinovic. - Victoria's vulnerable children better protected
1 July 2009
The Minister for Community Services Lisa Neville has announced that legislation being introduced by the Victorian Government will strengthen the powers of the Child Safety Commissioner as well as improving the transparency and accountability in the child protection system. More information about this is available on the website of the Department of Human Services. - Schools to clamp down on cyber crime
30 June 2009
State school students will be required to sign cyber safety agreements and will learn about new cyber dangers such as "sexting" as the South Australian Government raises concerns on cyber bullying and crime. The moves are part of a new cyber safety guide, Keeping children safe in a connected world. Read the media release on cyber crime on the website of the South Australian Government. - Inquiry into the impact of violence on young Australians
29 June 2009
The Federal Minister for Early Childhood Education, Childcare and Youth and Minister for Sport, The Hon Kate Ellis MP, asked the House Standing Committee on Family, Community, Housing and Youth to inquire into and report on the impact of violence on young Australians. The Committee will report on the impact of violence on young Australians with particular reference to: perceptions of violence and community safety; links between illicit drug use, alcohol abuse and violence; the relationship between bullying and violence on wellbeing; social and economic factors that contribute to violence; and strategies to reduce violence and its impact. Read more about the terms of reference, submissions, public hearings, media releases and reports of the Inquiry. - National Indigenous Intelligence Task Force
26 June 2009
The Australian Crime Commission's National Indigenous Intelligence Task Force invites submissions for a national study regarding the provision of specialised therapeutic counselling services to children and adolescents who demonstrate sexualised behaviours or sexual offending behaviours. Closing date for submissions is 31 July 2009. Submission guidelines. - Anglican Church report to strengthen child protection
25 June 2009
The Anglican Church has released the report of a major research project commissioned to help strengthen its child protection protocols. The report examines 191 alleged cases of child sexual abuse reported between 1990 and 2008 from 17 dioceses around Australia. Download the Study of Reported Child Sexual Abuse in the Anglican Church. - A picture of Australia's children
24 June 2009
This report, from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, delivers the latest information on how, as a nation, we are faring according to key indicators of child health, development and wellbeing. Death rates among children have fallen dramatically, and most children are physically active and meet minimum standards for reading and numeracy. But it is not all good news. Rates of severe disability and diabetes are on the rise. Too many children are overweight or obese, or are at risk of homelessness, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children fare worse on most key indicators. You van download this publication: A picture of Australia's children 2009. - Human rights violations
22 June 2009
According to ASCA (Adults Surviving Child Abuse) child abuse and child sexual abuse by caregivers in the private domain are violations of human rights. ASCA together with the Centre for Peace and Social Justice has put forward this view as part of its submission to the Human Rights Commission Consultation process currently underway by the Federal Government. Read more about the submission concerning human rights violations. - Inaugural edition of asca e-health newsletter
19 June 2009
The e-health newsletter from Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA) is a publication designed for health care workers who offer therapeutic and counselling services to adult survivors as well as front line workers who see adult survivors in their work. This edition provides background material to ASCA, workshops for health professionals, a national audit of services for adult survivors of child abuse and information on new research. Download this edition of asca e-health. - WA child protection workers to accompany police on call-outs
18 June 2009
The Western Australian Government has introduced a system whereby child protection workers will accompany police to domestic violence call-outs across the Perth metropolitan area. The child protection officers will provide families with support and referrals for both men and women to domestic violence services. You can read more about this as well as other issues relevant to domestic and family violence in the newsletters from the Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse. - Queen of Jordan calls emergency meeting to discuss child abuse cases
17 June 2009
In an article from The Jordan Times, Her Majesty Queen Rania called for stricter measures to protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse, asserting that "there are no excuses to justify the death of a child". Read the artcle from the Times. - Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA)
16 June 2009
WWDA has recently published a policy paper, Parenting issues for women with disabilities in Australia which reports that intellectual disability per se is an unreliable predictor of parenting performance. Furthermore the paper states that parents with intellectual disabilities are more likely than any other group of parents to have their children permanently removed by child welfare authorities to placements at considerable distance from the parents' home (pp 19-21). - Child protection in Pakistan
15 June 2009
A child protection information and management system workshop held in Rawalpindi has reported that the responsibility for betterment, welfare and protection of children equally lies with parents, government, NGOs and society. Child abuse, gender discrimination and corporal punishment adversely affect the physical and mental growth of children and to eliminate these practices all segments of the society should come forward and play their role. Read the article in Pakistan Daily Times about how society has been urged to help government eliminate child abuse. - Call for action to prevent and stop sexual exploitation of children and adolescents
11 June 2009
The World Congress III on Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (Brazil, November 2008) has resulted in a Declaration and Plan of Action setting the agenda for international efforts to prevent and stop the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. To learn more about ways to prevent, prohibit and stop sexual exploitation, and to provide the necessary support to children who have fallen victim to abuse read the Rio de Janeiro Declaration and Call for Action to Prevent and Stop Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents. - Identifying and managing vulnerable children
8 June 2009
A new online education resource regarding the identification and management of vulnerable children within the health sector has recently been made available to health services in Victoria through a joint project with the Victorian Department of Human Services and the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service. Access the resource: Protecting vulnerable children. - Covert Bullying Research Project
4 June 2009
The emergence of new technologies has led to covert and cyber bullying becoming an issue for many schools. The Australian Government has commissioned two research projects to better understand these issues and the impact on Australian schools. Read more about the bullying research project. - Managing the risk of sexual assault and other forms of child maltreatment in organisations
2 June 2009
This paper, presented at the LegalWise Seminar in Sydney, by Daryl Higgins is available online. - Better justice for victims of sexual assault and violence
1 June 2009
Legislation, designed to reduce matters in the ACT Supreme Court and to improve the way the criminal justice system responds to sexual assault crimes, has been announced. Attorney General, Simon Corbell, has stated that these reforms are designed to minimise the potential re-victimisation that can be experienced by victims of sexual and violent offences when they interact with the criminal justice system. Read the media statement about the legislation on justice for sexual assault victims. - Pre-employment screening: Working With Children Checks and Police Checks
29 May 2009
This is a new publication that has been added to the resource sheet collection. It replaces the previous information on Working with children and police checks. - Parental intellectual disability and child protection
28 May 2009
View this presentation (PDF 262KB) by Alister Lamont to the Australian College of Child and Family Protection Practitioners 2009 National Conference, Brisbane, 22 - 24 May 2009. - Government launches national standards for the primary prevention of sexual assault through education
20 May 2009
The National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence (NASASV) has taken an important step towards reducing violence against women in Australia with the release of the publication, Framing best practice: National standards for the primary prevention of sexual assault through education. The Framework outlines six National Standards to assist in developing, implementing and evaluating educational programs which focus on primary prevention of sexual assault in Australia. You can read the media release from Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for the Status of Women and download the report. - Conceptual Framework for Family and Domestic Violence, 2009
18 May 2009
The term 'Family and Domestic Violence' (FDV) covers a wide range of abusive behaviours committed within intimate relationships such as those involving family members, children, partners, ex-partners, or caregivers. It can include many types of behaviour or threats, including: physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, verbal abuse and intimidation, economic and social deprivation, damage of personal property and abuse of power. This new publication from the Australian Bureau of Statistics contains a conceptual framework for data relating to family and domestic violence. The framework illustrates relationships between the key elements of family and domestic violence, such as: context, risk, incident, responses, impacts/outcomes, and programs, research and evaluation. You can access this report from the ABS. - Time for Action: The National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children
15 May 2009
The Federal Government has released the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children. The report makes recommendations that tackle unacceptable levels of sexual assault and domestic and family violence in Australia. - Inverting the pyramid: Enhancing systems for protecting children
14 May 2009
The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) commissioned the Allen Consulting Group to develop this report based on national and international experience of best practice in organisational change strategies and processes for protecting children, while reducing demand on tertiary child protection services. - Protecting children is everyone's business: National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009–2020
13 May 2009
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has announced the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children. The National Framework represents collaboration between Australian, State and Territory governments and non-government organisations to protect children. - Child Helpline International (CHI)
12 May 2009
Child Helpline International is a global network of child helplines working to protect the rights of the child. CHI reaches out to children through member child helplines, and aims to strengthen existing helpline members, offering them a platform to communicate, network and share their expertise with other child helplines and policy-makers. - Working with Children Employer Guidelines (NSW)
11 May 2009
The Working With Children Employer Guidelines supersede the 2004 Working With Children Check Guidelines. Updates are available from the Commission for Children and Young People's website. - UN: Top envoy on violence against children appointed
8 May 2009
Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has announced the appointment of Marta Santos Pais as his Special Representative on Violence Against Children (SRSG). The establishment of the post was one of 12 recommendations of the UN Study on Violence Against Children. You can find out more about the role the envoy and the Study on Violence. - Telling stories: Child abuse, neglect and adult sexual assault
7 May 2009
Telling stories: Child abuse, neglect and adult sexual assault, a recent seminar by Dr Leah Bromfield and Dr Antonia Quadara, Australian Institute of Family Studies. View the presentation. Listen to the audio. - Cyber-safety plan
5 May 2009 2009
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, today announced a group of 305 young Australians to advise Government on online issues such as cyber-bullying. View the media release and information on cyber-safety. - NCPC Library Membership
4 May 2009
At the Australian Foster Care Conference held last month, the Clearinghouse was pleased to announce a change in the NCPC Library Membership Scheme which enables carers to join. To find out more about rights and entitlements, access the library membership offer. - New certificate for self-employed people who work with kids
1 May 2009
Self employed people over the age of 18 years who work with children can now obtain a certificate to demonstrate they are not prohibited from working with kids, under a new system announced today by the NSW Commissioner for Children and Young People, Gillian Calvert. You can find out more information about the certificate from the website of the NSW Commission for Children and Young People. - United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People
28 April 2009
Australia has formally adopted the declaration on Indigenous rights. This move reverses the policy of the previous government which voted against the declaration when it was adopted at the UN General assembly in 2007. The declaration stresses the right of Indigenous people to their own cultures, institutions and traditions. It also establishes standards to combat discrimination and marginalisation and eliminate human rights violations against them. Further information is available from the website of Child Rights Information Network. - Child abuse and protection in Australia
27 April 2009
This online publication is available from the Australian Parliamentary Library. As well as providing an overview of child abuse and child protection in Australia, it includes background on Commonwealth, State and Territory responsibilities, funding and legislation; and provides links to a number of key resources and organisations in the child protection area. It also identifies some literature on the future directions of child protection. You can download this document. - The bullies' playground
24 April 2009
In this television program from the ABC's Four Corners, children across Australia talk about the alarming impact of bullying on their lives. Despite major efforts from governments, schools and teachers, bullying remains an intractable problem made worse by modern technology. You can download the program or read a transcript of the program by accessing the Four Corners website. - An examination of multi-jurisdictional child protection systems in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the USA
21 April 2009
This is a new report that contains ideas and recommendations for enhancing Australia's emerging national child protection system in the light of experiences in four countries - the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), the Republic of Ireland, Canada and the United States of America. You can download a copy of this publication. - Child Abuse Prevention Newsletter vol.17 no.1 2009
9 April 2009
The latest newsletter includes articles on: Australian statutory child protection data: 2007-08 update; The Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection in NSW; The Looking After Children Data Outcomes Project; Book review on 'Child Protection: Using Research to Improve Policy and Practice'; Disclosing child abuse and neglect: A collection of books for children; Clearinghouse activities; and Literature highlights. You can access this issue of the newsletter and previous ones in the newsletter section of the Clearinghouse. - Forgotten Australians
1 April 2009
The Australian Government welcomes the Senate Community Affairs Committee's Inquiry into the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Lost Innocents and Forgotten Australians Reports. The public hearings will start on 30 March 2009 in Melbourne. The cross-party work done by the Senate Community Affairs Committee in their two previous reports on the experiences of children abused in institutional care has helped place this issue in the national consciousness. Read the media release from The Hon Jenny Macklin, Minister for Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.