National Child Protection Week
National Child Protection Week is from September 1-7, with the theme: ‘Every conversation matters’.
Conversations are powerful tools to keep children and young people safe and well.
Conversations can help us understand issues, craft solutions, value community knowledge, and build the brains and social connections of children and young people.
Conversations between:
children and their caregivers matter (from the very earliest days);
children and their peers matter;
families with teachers, doctors, and other professionals matter;
friends or neighbours matter;
decision-makers and the communities they serve matter; and
of course, conversations in the public realm and media matter.
This theme provides a platform to:
engage in important conversations;
promote the value of conversations; and
equip us to have conversations that keep kids safe.
Let’s use this theme to explore and talk about the many ways that conversations matter for children, young people and their families.
You can find more information about the theme, events and the children’s art activity here
We encourage your congregation to take some time this week to reflect and affirm that we are a safe church for children.
On our website you can find a Liturgies for Affirming Child Safety and a Statement of Commitment.
The Safe Church website has a range of documents that may be useful when exploring the theme of this year’s National Child Protection Week, including:
Tools For Listening and Tools For Listening Poster
Our new Children’s Complaints Poster, which would look beautiful displayed anywhere kids in your congregation may see it.
Feedback forms for children and their families on your programs
We would love to hear how your congregation celebrated this important date on our calendar.
Feel free to email us at [email protected] with your stories, feedback and plans for next year.