Child Protection Week: Disturbing findings in Act for Kids research

Researchers asked Australian adults what they would do if they thought a child was being abused or neglected. Astonishingly, only half gave the response you would expect.

In so many ways, the last couple of weeks have been absolutely dreadful for children on the Gold Coast.

On August 13, 10-year-old Sophie Wang was killed at her Emerald Lakes home. Her mother has been charged with her murder.

Last week two people were charged with murder over the death of 12-year-old Tiffani Scholten at her Coomera home on 18 April 2022. The people charged were her mother and stepfather.

Later that same day police arrested Oxenford State School principal Patric Brady and charged him with possessing child exploitation material and using encrypted messaging apps to groom children in the Philippines for sexual activity.

Only half of adults said they would go to authorities if they thought a child was being abused or neglected.

In a cruel irony, this week is Child Protection Week in Australia.

A week that has already brought with it more disturbing news.

Charity Act for Kids on Monday released the results of research it had commissioned.

Among the questions it asked was: “If you thought a child you knew was being abused or neglected, what would you do?”

Remarkably, only half of respondents said they would report their concerns to authorities.

The remainder chose options that would not immediately address the issue. Almost one in four said they would look to “find out more about what signs to look for”, while 13.7 per cent said the would talk to parents or caregivers first.

Almost eight per cent said explicitly they would do nothing at all.

Act for Kids CEO Dr Katrina Lines.

The research also highlights that an alarming number of children are experiencing what is referred to as emotional abuse – behaviour that includes constant yelling, swearing, insulting, criticising, threatening, and calling a child hurtful names or shaming them.

Such behaviour from adults can devastate a child’s mental health. Yet depressingly, 62 per cent of people surveyed said they had witnessed it happen in a public place, 37.7 per cent said they had seen it at home and 35.1 per cent said they had seen it in schools.

Act for Kids CEO Dr Katrina Lines said many people did not seem to understand how damaging such behaviour could be and said there was a need for increased awareness and community intervention.

“These findings are important and highlight the prevalence of this issue in society, but the data also identifies crucial knowledge gaps in our understanding,” she said.

“Signs of emotional abuse can include behaviours such as sarcasm, mood swings, jealousy, shaming, silent treatment, and belittling, as well as more overt actions like yelling and bullying. It’s important for adults to understand how even actions, that might seem minor or just part of discipline, can have serious repercussions.”

The charges laid by police in the cases mentioned at the top of this article are quite clearly at the serious end of the spectrum.

The allegations have deeply shocked the Gold Coast community.

How these specific cases are dealt with are now a matter for police and, most especially, the courts.

But the wider community still has a role to play.

There could be no better way to channel that shock into action than to heed the messages of Child Protection Week, learn about the warning signs and make sure we report any concerning behaviour around our kids.

CARE FOR OUR TEACHERS

One more take-away from the charges laid against Oxenford State School principal Patric Brady.

As news of the police action broke last Wednesday night, there was understandable shock and distress among parents and indeed the broader Oxenford community.

But in discussions, including on social media, a second theme very quickly emerged – concern about the impact on hard-working teaching staff.

In a most difficult moment, this was a school community that was determined to rally around and support each other.

People must feel that the good name of their school has inevitably been sullied, but the response of staff, parents and supporters was something to be admired.

Follow @keithjwoods

Originally published as Child Protection Week: Disturbing findings in Act for Kids research