In response to a growing demand for child protection training in New Zealand, child abuse advocacy and training provider, Child Matters, has today launched an online training course that blends theory with the voices of people who have lived through child abuse.
Child Matters Chief Executive Jane Searle says the increasing number of vulnerability and child abuse reports since early 2020 has escalated the demand for child protection training.
“There is a greater awareness in the community for the need for good child protection knowledge. This is a reflection of the challenging times many families are facing with the global pandemic still very much part of our everyday lives,” says Ms Searle.
“The purpose of the training is to equip anyone dealing with children in a professional or volunteer capacity to know what to look out for and then what to do when they are concerned.
“We’ve been flooded with enquiries from both individuals and organisations in recent times, which has seen the demand for our training quadruple in the past 12 months,” she says.
The online training course – which provides an insight of the types and signs of abuse and neglect and how to respond to suspected cases - takes one hour to complete.
Mrs Searle says prevention is the gold standard for New Zealand’s children and young people.
“The goal is that when people have this knowledge, children and young people across New Zealand are better protected from abusers and abusers of power.
“It will also help those who work, day in and day out, with our children and young people and who have the potential to positively shift New Zealand’s shocking child abuse statistics,” she says.
The training intertwines the stories of several brave New Zealanders who share their journey of child abuse, including internationally acclaimed barber and TEDx speaker Mataio (Matt) Brown who was recently named a finalist in the New Zealander of the Year Awards.
Mataio says the protection of our tamariki is paramount.
“I’m honoured to collaborate with an organisation that takes the safety of those most vulnerable in our society, seriously,” he says.
Ms Searle says the training is essential for anyone that works with children and young people – such as teachers, social workers and sport coaches – but can also be completed by anyone in the community who wants to know more about how to respond to suspected child abuse.
New Zealand’s national child abuse advocacy group says the importance of protecting New Zealand’s most vulnerable whānau and tamariki is as crucial as ever as the country faces extended lockdown periods.
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