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Denise Morcombe: It's important that, you know the parents know what's happening
with the Child Safety Curriculum
and it's up to the parents to educate their children
as well as the school and the community.
Everybody needs to get together and work on this together
to make it all of our children safe.
Bruce Morcombe: It's really important that parents support the Curriculum program
It's fundamental to build partnerships
partnerships with teachers, through the education system
parents and most importantly the community
the broader community needs to come on line with this and support each other.
Denise: The children need to have consistent messages at home.
They're learning the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum at the school
so the parents basically need to know the same terms
and the same messages so they can speak to the children
at home and they can discuss what's happening
and if there's any problems
everyone's on the same wavelength.
Bruce: The Curriculum program's really important.
It has three key messages:
recognise, react and report.
We wants kids to appreciate that by recognising their body clues
when they feel nervous not quite sure of what's about to happen
it's their body telling them 'I need to react.'
React how?
Very simply, remove yourself from that potential danger.
And once they are safe then it's really important
they tell someone on their safety network
about why they felt unsafe
and typically, that's an adult.
We run over a whole series of questions
and some of these are day to day activities
that the kids would be well aware of
such as smelling smoke, which naturally alerts a child of a potential fire.
Their lock-down alarm at school alerts them of potential danger
and we then continue on the discussion
and identify that their body clues
when we feel frightened they get nervous
a bit sweaty, something's not quite right
and that's their body telling them
I recognise potential danger
now I need to know how to react.
So these are great scenarios
for the kids to appreciate.
It's not just about personal safety being abused
it can be day to day activities.
There's rules surrounding us all the time
how to cross the road
swim between the flags at the beach
important aspects of safety in the kitchen.
All those very relevant things.
It's about safety for kids.
Denise: With the older students
the Curriculum is different to Preps to Year 6
With the older students there's
messages on Internet safety
mobile phone safety, safe texting
different things, what do they do if they receive
*** text messages
or pornographic material on the Internet.
There's different lessons and different film clips
that can be downloaded for the children to discuss
what's happening there and how to react
and then they need to report that situation.
Denise: We're getting a lot of feedback from principals
that the children are now approaching them
after they've had different lessons
on the Child Safety Curriculum
and they're now reporting incidences
that have been happening in the home
to the school maybe to their chaplain
or their school-based police officer
which is really fantastic news to hear.
Not that it's good for the children to be
to have been abused or molested
but now they are actually reporting what's happening
they're not scared to get up and say
and they are reporting it.
now this has happened to me
and they are reporting it.
Bruce: Denise and I thoroughly enjoy
going to visit the schools.
There's a lot of energy in the room.
Denise and I try and relate
some of the core messages through
the Daniel Morcombe Curriculum
involved about Daniel's very real story
and linking interesting stories back to
the recognise, react and report three key words
and you know the eye contact and interaction
of the kids with us is, you know, very uplifting
We never get tired.
School after school can be gruelling
but we never get tired of those presentations.
(Bruce addresses a group of children):
I know you guys feel safe at school, safe at home?
safe with your parents or guardians at the shop
at the beach? - maybe at a sporting event?
Our son Daniel was just like you guys.
He too felt safe at school
at home, at the beach, at the shops
with his friends. But one day
he went to catch a bus.
He didn't make it onto the bus
he didn't make it to the shops.
Very sadly he never made it home.
So you can see even though he felt safe
just like you guys, hour by hour
day by day, things can change.
So that's why it's really important
that you equip yourselves with some skills.
And that's what Denise and I are here today about.
We want you to appreciate how important
equipping yourselves with those safety skills are
because one day you just never know, you might need them.
Denise: Even though the Curriculum teaches the students
you know the correct names for private body parts
it's still okay for the children to use
family names at home
or slang words at home
but they still need to understand
that they need to use the correct words
and their parents to need to know that as well.
If an incident does happen they need to explain
exactly what's happened so they can report
that incident to any authorities.
Bruce: Using family names for private body parts
is still okay in the home but most definitely
anatomical names is really important in case
they're disclosing a really important situation of child abuse.
(Denise addresses a group of children):
Some people get body clues
when they're around a person that makes them feel uncomfortable.
Some people who do the wrong thing
and touch children on their private body parts
or show them rude pictures
or make them do something they don't want to do
is a reason for body clues to happen.
Even if that person is someone that you know and like
a relative a friend or a stranger
you need to recognise that body clues are telling us
the situation is not right.
Remember our three words?
Recognise, react and report.
If you feel uncomfortable
or think things are not right
it's okay to say no
even if that person is an adult.
It's okay to scream and to run to somewhere safe.
It's okay to keep your distance from that person
It's okay to stay where there are other people
so you're not alone with that person.
Bruce: There are lots of things a parent can do
to help their child with child safety.
Importantly what we want you to do
is build a relationship
and have some confidence
that the child can go to you
whenever they feel the situation's not quite right
and importantly being part of their safety network
is fundamental to a child's safety.
They need to have the confidence
that there is help available
if ever they need assistance
and going to an adult
and reporting what's happened
is number one.
Bruce: It's really important on the safety network
that's kids appreciate that
while they've got relatives of theirs
perhaps their mum and dad
their auntie (or) whoever they wish
it's important to have people outside of the family
typically a teacher
a school principal
their friend's mum or dad
if they trust those people
But it's really important that they appreciate
there are professional agencies that can help them.
The police would be number one
so triple zero will help.
Of course there's the Kids Helpline.
And that phone number is 1800 55 1800.
Denise: I think it's up to the parents
to teach their children different child safety aspects.
For example, when they go to the shops
they can tell the child if we get lost
we'll meet you at this particular shop.
When they're crossing the road
children need to know which way to look
(look) right, then left, then right again.
If they're driving a car
perhaps the parents can speak to the children about road safety.
You know if a child is going to a party
they need to know that if they're getting a lift
from a friend's parent and something happens
and they can't get home the child needs to know
that they need to have another phone number
or another contact person.
Bruce: This is a tremendous opportunity for parents
to appreciate that their child's safety is number one.
And the best way to keep those kids safe
is to build a relationship with those children
and to also encourage the school
(to) come on board
with the Daniel Morcombe Child Safety Curriculum
and appreciate that there's many, many different things
other than child abuse that are covered in this.
It's about keeping a kid safe.
Denise: I'd really like to see
the Child Safety Curriculum seen in all Queensland schools.
There's nothing to be fearful of.
The child will learn so many life skills
from all the lessons that are available.
So please jump on the website
and get some information.
If your school doesn't do the Curriculum
please contact your principal
and ask him (principal) to check out all the information.