CHILD PROTECTION WEEK (1–7 SEPTEMBER)
Child Protection Week is a national campaign held each year to raise awareness of child abuse prevention in our communities. In 2024, the overarching message, “Every child in every community needs a fair go,” will be complemented by the theme, “Every conversation matters.”
Conversations are powerful tools in our parishes for keeping children and young people safe and well. These dialogues help us understand issues, craft solutions, value community knowledge, and build children’s understanding and social connections.
Conversations between:
• Families and parish leadership matter
• Children, young people and parish volunteers or parish leadership matter
• Children, young people and their peers in the parish matter
And, of course, conversations in the public realm and media matter.
This theme provides a platform for our communities to:
• Engage in important conversations,
• Promote the value of conversations, and
• Equip us to have conversations that keep children and young people safe.
Let us, as a parish community, use this theme to explore and discuss the many ways that conversations matter for children, young people, and their families. Together, we can ensure that every child and young person in our community feels valued, heard, and safe.
Child Protection Week is an important time for us to consider how we, as adults, can address issues affecting children and young people, and how we can make a difference.
SAFEGUARDING SUNDAY (8 SEPTEMBER)
In the Catholic Church, Child Protection Week is highlighted through Safeguarding Sunday, which this year falls on 8 September. On Safeguarding Sunday, we recognise and apologise to those who have been abused, their families and supporters, from the harm done by priests, religious, and lay people within Church settings. Rebuilding trust and confidence in the Church requires constant work and vigilance, and on Safeguarding Sunday, we recommit ourselves to safe practices and protocols to create and maintain safe environments for all people.
Together, through awareness, conversation, and prayer, we can build a safer, more supportive community for our children and young people.
RESOURCES: CHILD PROTECTION WEEK AND SAFEGUARDING SUNDAY
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) are preparing resources for Safeguarding Sunday which will be held on the 8th of September 2024. These resources, in association with Australian Catholic Safeguarding Ltd, are expected to include parish notices, Intercessions, prayer cards, prayer slides, social media images and a website banner. These resources will be uploaded to the Catholic Australia website Calendar of Key Events and Commemorations (catholic.au)
The National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) will run a series of webinars during Child Protection Week. NAPCAN have also released posters and activity sheets to promote Child Protection Week, these can be utilised across parish communities.
Working Together for Child Safety: “One Talk at a Time”
The National Office for Child Safety was established on 1 July 2018 in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The office leads key national efforts to improve child safety, including:
• Implementing the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse
• Promoting the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
• Enhancing the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework
• Improving information-sharing to strengthen child safety and wellbeing
For more information, visit the National Office for Child Safety website.
The National Office for Child Safety has launched a campaign that aligns well with Child Protection Week. The “One Talk at a Time” campaign aims to prevent child sexual abuse by encouraging adults to learn about the issue and engage in ongoing, proactive, and preventative conversations with children, young people, and other adults. This campaign is particularly aimed at adults with children and young people in their lives. The ‘conversation toolkit’ is designed to help adults have preventative conversations about child sexual abuse with children and young people, other adults and organisations.
We can start by learning about child sexual abuse, including where and how it occurs and how we can protect children and young people in our lives. There are tools and resources available to help facilitate these important conversations.
Let’s work together to end child sexual abuse, one talk at a time.
CONTACT US
Safeguarding Unit
Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne
Phone: 9926 5621 | Email: safeguardingunit@cam.org.au
PO BOX 146 East Melbourne VIC 8002
www.melbournecatholic.org/safeguarding
Missed an edition? View previous editions of the Safeguarding Alive newsletter.
The Archdiocese is committed to the safety, wellbeing and human dignity
of children, young people and adults.
