Keeping kids safe

At the invitation of Indigenous community members, the Department of Family and Community Services, NSW Health and NSW Police held a two-day workshop at the Katungul Aboriginal Medical Centre, Batemans Bay, giving practical advice on what to do if a child disclosed abuse.

“A lot of networking and information exchange took place, with all course participants praising the relevance of the workshop,” a NSW Police spokesman said.

Participants included members of the Aboriginal community and support workers from agencies including Campbell Page, Anglicare, Mission Australia, Grand Pacific Health, South Coast Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation, Eurobodalla Community Support Service and Mackillop Family Services.  

The workshop defined child abuse, what to do if a child disclosed abuse and the role of the Joint Investigation Response Team (comprising police, NSW Health and FACS).

“Supporting children and young people who are the victims of sexual assault is complicated,” a team member said.

“It takes the skills and expertise of specialist police, FACS and health, alongside stakeholders and the community to achieve good outcomes for families.”

The workshop was developed after requests from Aboriginal communities, who wanted to learn how FACS, police and NSW Health worked together. 

The workshop helped develop strong relationships between stakeholders, and provided a culturally safe forum to discuss concerns. 

One of the strengths of the workshop model was informal interactions between community members and the team. Questions were openly encouraged and responded to.

The team anticipated similar workshops would be held on the Far South Coast soon. Since August 2011, eleven have been held in rural and regional NSW. For information, or to attend a future workshop, contact any of the agencies involved. Report child abuse by contacting the Child Protection Helpline on 132 111, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.