News

CHILD PROTECTION WEEK

National Child Protection Week runs 4-11 September with an overarching theme of Every child, in every community, needs a fair go. The goal this year is to shine a light on children growing up safe and supported, through a series of webinars and activities.

An initiative of the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN), an organisation focused on the prevention of child abuse and neglect before it starts, National Child Protection looks at what works to keep children safe and supported – based on feedback from children and families and evidence – and how to translate this knowledge into action.

Webinars topics include supporting young parents with out-of-home care, how connection with culture can keep Indigenous children safe and supported and a preview of an Australian study into child maltreatment. Resources for kids include a children’s activity booklet and art activity.

To register for the webinars or access children’s resources, visit napcan.org.au.
To see Queensland events, please visit childprotectionweek.org.au/events

National Child Protection Week 4 – 10 September 2022
Children and young people thrive when they grow up safe, connected and supported in their family, community and culture.
They have the right to grow up in environments that support them according to their needs, now and into the future.
This year let’s talk about how we create a supportive environment for every child.
National Child Protection Week will be looking at what works to keep children safe and supported… what children are telling us… what families are telling us… what the evidence is telling us… and how to translate this knowledge into action.
We know that too many children are not growing up safe and supported and that Child Protection systems are overloaded. There are many opportunities to change the trajectory for these children.
We can stop child abuse and neglect – and reduce its impact – by working together to make sure every child in every community has a fair go.

Legislation changes
From Monday 5 July, 2021, Queensland has introduced two new laws targeting sexual offences against children.

In an organisational setting, a person commits a crime if they know there is a significant risk that an adult associated with the organisation will commit a sex offence against a child under the care, supervision or control of the organisation and the person has the power or responsibility to reduce or remove the risk, but fails to do so.
An adult commits a crime if they reasonably believe that another adult is committing (present) or has committed (past) a child sexual offence and the adult fails to disclose the information to a police officer as soon as reasonably practicable.

A briefing note, summarising the legislation and the exceptions can be found here.

.SAFEGUARDING AT JUBILEE
Jubilee Parish and the Archdiocese of Brisbane are committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of the parish community, particularly children and vulnerable adults. Protecting the vulnerable from abuse is everyone’s business and we rely on the whole community to ensure we meet our Safeguarding responsibilities.
For most people, this means knowing who to contact if you have any concerns or questions about Safeguarding in the parish. These contacts are:

Ashgrove: Catherine Cranitch
Bardon: Christine Thomas
Herston: Jennifer Cahill
Newmarket: Vacant (please contact Fr Gerry if you would like to volunteer)
Rosalie: Kearyn Klue (Sat 4.30pm) & Kirsty McKay (Sun 5.30pm)
Italian community: Lucy Valeri
Korean community: Michael Lee

For volunteers, it means registering through the Archdiocese Welcome Portal, undertaking some short online training and signing a Statutory Declaration. Access to the portal and the forms are available on the Jubilee Parish website. Volunteers who work with children or vulnerable adults, are required to undertake additional online training and provide details of their Blue Card and positive police check.
While some of these additional application processes can be a bit tedious, they contribute to a safer environment for all, especially those in most need of protection.
Thank you for your ongoing support. More information is available at jubileeparish.com/volunteers or you can email me at [email protected].

Jennifer Cahill, Local Safeguarding Representative