Promoting Safety from Sexual Abuse and Harm in Community Service Organisations

This guide by Dr Tim Moore presents facts about child sexual abuse and activities for staff and volunteers to work through.

Authors: Dr Tim Moore

The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has highlighted the risks experienced by children and young people in a variety of youth-serving organisations, including community, child youth and family services. Victims have shared the long-lasting impacts of their abuse and the failure of adults and institutions to take their safety seriously, to prevent abuse and to adequately respond when they were harmed.

This has highlighted the need for all adults working with children and young people to understand the nature and risks of sexual abuse and other harm in organisations and actively prevent and step in when they are hurt.

The guide was informed by a series of focus groups with children, young people and practitioners from Barwon Child Youth & Family and builds on research conducted by the Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) for the Royal Commission. It is one of a suite of resources developed by ICPS that are available here on the Safeguarding Children and Young People portal.

Read more (PDF, 6.7MB)

Kids Helpline

1800 55 1800

This portal is aimed at people working in youth-serving organizations to help them better prevent and respond to harm to children.

If you would like to talk to a trained professional about what you’ve seen on the Portal, or need help, please call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Emergency

If you believe a child or young person is in immediate danger, call Police on 000.

Emergency and safety

Further information

For further information on crisis responses and reporting child abuse and neglect, see: Australian Institue of Family Studies website.

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