Child Protection Workshop
Last month, a one-day child protection training workshop was held near Nelson for people working with kids and youth in the outdoors. The focus of the workshop was on identifying and responding to vulnerability, child abuse and neglect, as well as developing best practice policy and procedures to keep the kids in our care safe.
As a sector we are well-placed to make a difference to the lives of the many children who are vulnerable, abused and neglected in Aotearoa. As a country our statistics are shocking: we have one of the highest rates of child deaths by maltreatment in the developed world; we have the highest reported intimate partner violence in the OECD; and police respond to one family violence incident every five minutes even when 80% of family violence incidents go unreported.
The workshop was organised by the Safeguarding Children Initiative, Wilderness Canoe Trust and Whenua Iti Outdoors. This collaboration was further supported by Pub Charity Ltd which gave a generous donation to help cover workshop costs. This enabled the registration fee to be significantly reduced. The people who attended were involved in schools, sports clubs, after-school programmes, and outdoor instruction in a range of settings.
Our presenter, Louise Petzold from Safeguarding Children, identified the vulnerabilities that are often present in cases of abuse. Substance abuse, family violence, and mental illness (the 'toxic trio') are the main indicators to look out for. Other vulnerabilities include financial hardship, parents going through a separation, and social isolation.
We learnt about the different categories of child abuse, namely physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, and exposure to intimate partner violence, and we discussed the signs and indicators of each type of abuse.
We looked at the barriers that can prevent adults from sharing concerns about a child's welfare. These include fear of making a mistake, thinking someone else will take care of it, and being 'too busy'. Instead of asking ourselves "What if I'm wrong?", Louise encouraged us to ask "What if I'm right?"
We also learnt that child abusers can be master manipulators and that organisations that rely on volunteers (such as sports clubs) could be seen as easy targets. Having a strong Child Protection Policy that is visible on an organisation's website can act as a deterrent. Careful vetting of staff and volunteers in key roles is also crucial.
By ensuring we have the right policies and procedures in place, including regular training from organisations like Safeguarding Children, we can make a big difference to the kids we come into contact with. Working together we can help build a sector-wide commitment to child protection.
Greg Mason, Manager
Louise Petzold from Safeguarding Children led the workshop on child protection.
Participants in the child protection workshop held at Whenua Iti Outdoors.
