Institutionalised Sexual Abuse of Children – Lessons Learnt from the Royal Commission and How to Promote Safety within Organisations

This two-day workshop invites direct service providers, their supervisors and agency managers to explore the most current research and evidence into the existence, prevalence and dynamics of child sexual abuse, both within the family context as well as institutional contexts. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse highlights the role of community and professional values and attitudes about the rights of children and young people to sexual safety and subsequent inaction as significant contributing factors to the ongoing vulnerability of children and young people in our service systems.

Participants will also be provided with information to assist them identify (i) possible indicators of sexual abuse in children and young people accessing their services and (ii) worrying behaviour of others who have access to or work with children and young people. Participants will review their statutory obligations under various legislation and their agency’s policies and procedures in appropriately responding to concerns for children and young people’s safety. Participants will also be invited to review the Royal Commission’s 9 principles of child safe organisations and identify possible enhancements to their agency’s “child safe” structures and practices.

By the end of the course participants will be able to:

• Define child sexual abuse and describe how personal and professional attitudes and values influence our definitions
• Identify possible emotional, social and behavioural indicators of sexual abuse in children and young people and in those who may be sexually harming a child or young person
• Respond to their concerns about child sexual abuse, following statutory obligations and their agency policy and procedures
• Describe the Royal Commission’s 9 principles of child safe organisations and identify possible enhancements to their agency’s “child safe” structures and practices

Who should attend?

Staff, supervisors and agency managers who have responsibility for developing organizational systems and processes required in creating child safe organisations.