Bringing the voices of adults
with lived experience of child sexual
abuse to decision-makers
Survivors of child sexual abuse know what could have kept them safe, and what can keep children safe today.
It’s time we listen to them.
There is so much wisdom in this community of people who have suffered what no child should ever face. This knowledge and insight should be embedded into mandatory child abuse prevention education for all adults working with children.
We’re still calling on all levels of Government to include mandatory education on child sexual abuse and how it can be prevented, within the Working With Children Check (WWCC) program that all adults who work or volunteer with children must obtain. It is a simple change that can have an enormous impact in promoting the safety of children.
After surveying hundreds of child sexual abuse survivors, we consistently heard that they wished adults around them had:
– noticed the signs they were being groomed and abused by unsafe adults
– known how to speak to them and responded to a disclosure of abuse with compassion.
Many said that adults failed them in ways that meant the abuse was able to continue to occur, unchecked.
Right now, a WWCC includes zero education, while you need a day of learning and a passed test to receive a certificate to pour a beer at a pub full of adults. Our children deserve more than that.
All children and young people deserve this Check to be meaningful and effective in keeping them safe.
Click here, to find out more about the education we are asking for.
The Victorian State Government announced in a rapid review into the early childhood education and care sector that mandatory education for all applicants would be included in the WWCC process. State and Territory Education Ministers have also announced mandatory training will become available to all workers in early childhood education and care. We are now asking the Government to include mandatory education within the Working With Children Check for all applicants, not only those working in the early childhood education and care sector.
Need support?
If you are aware of a child who is being abused and is not safe, contact the Child Protection Services in your area or ring 000.
If you or someone you care about is living with the effects of sexual abuse and violence, there is information and support available. Visit the BlueKnot Foundation or ring them on 1300 657 380. You can also contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
Our call for mandatory child protection education comes from our report, Hear us now, act now.
It is based off the insights of over 360 survivors and those close to them, from the survivor-named Our Collective Experience Project. Efforts to protect children from abuse, which do not centre the wisdom of people who were abused as children themselves, are fundamentally limited in their effectiveness.
We encourage you to download, read and share this report with people you know who may be interested in the protection of children. The content of the report, which includes extensive quotes from survivors, is very powerful.
This report, More than a check: Enhancing the Working with Children Check scheme to strengthen the safety net around children, is the second in the Our Collective Experience Project, a project led and informed by survivors of child sexual abuse. The purpose of this report is to examine the existing WWCC scheme more closely and the potential role that mandatory training could have in improving the protection of children. The report provides an overview of what WWCCs are; how they are managed across different states and territories; the findings of previous reviews of the WWCC schemes; and a timeline of media reporting that points to recent WWCC failures.
We encourage you to download, read and share these reports with people you know who may be interested in the protection of children. The content of the reports, which include extensive quotes from survivors, are very powerful.
Please be aware that they may affect you as you read them. Seek out support if you become distressed or upset. There are helplines within the reports.
At its heart, the problem of child sexual abuse is for adults to solve – not children.
This video presents the key findings from the report, which support our call for mandatory education on child sexual abuse and how it can be prevented within the Working With Children Check program.
Emma is driven through her own experience to make a difference for children who may be suffering abuse today and to make sure they are understood and protected.
This project has been inspired by her courage and determination.
Emma approached the Australian Childhood Foundation in 2016, offering her knowledge and wisdom to help develop a survivor-informed community education program.
The aim is to give adults a clearer understanding of what they need to know and do to keep children safe from sexual abuse.
Emma’s story is powerful and deeply moving. Like many survivors of abuse, Emma’s lived experience gives her unique insights into what could have helped stop the abuse when it was occurring.
She also knows what could have been done to support her more after the abuse was discovered.
Emma is clear that survivors of abuse and their friends, families and supporters have so much to contribute in developing more effective ways to keep children safe.
Music by Edvard Hakansson. Videography by Saxall Video & Animation.
Raise awareness
Spread awareness by sharing this campaign on social media
Lend your voice
Email the Ministers who can drive the change we are seeking
Stay up to date
Keep updated with Our Collective Experience Project in the media.
If you are aware of a child who is being abused and is not safe, contact the Child Protection Services in your area or ring 000.
If you or someone you care about is living with the effects of sexual abuse and violence, there is information and support available. Visit the BlueKnot Foundation or ring them on 1300 657 380.
You can also contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.
