Protective behaviours
Protective behaviours
A secret safe to tell
A picture book that tells the author's personal story of child sexual abuse. The story is told gently without specifically mentioning sexual touch specifically. It encourages conversations about body safety, the importance of not keeping secrets and confiding in trusted adults if something is making you uncomfortable.
All good?
Information on STIs and BBVs, places to get testing and treatment - written and audio translations in over 20 languages.
Barriers and prompts to parent-child sexual communication
A research report from 2016 investigating what prompts parents to start the conversation about sexuality with their children. Many parents feel that their children are too young to talk about sexuality, and often don't know how to start the conversation. This article addresses barriers that parents experience in regards to talking about sexuality with their children.
Because it's my body!
Topics: protective behaviours, child abuse prevention, bodily autonomy, safety, art.
Fiction
Focusing on empowerment and prevention, this approachable book gives young children a way to reject unwanted, possibly harmful physical contact by adults and other kids.
Age: 4 to 7 years.
Cool Australia
A range of teaching resources and professional development including an eSafety unit of work.
eSafeKids
eSafeKids educates, equips and empowers children and young people to have safe and positive experiences. eSafeKids support and inspire parents, carers, educators and other professionals to talk with children about Protective Behaviours, body safety, esafety, digital wellness and pornography. Services include: professional development, parent/carer and student workshops. Resources to teach: protective behaviours, body safety, consent, media literacy, digital wellness, cyber safety, pornography and more.
Everyone's got a bottom
A picture book to start conversations about public and private body parts, introducing the concept of protective behaviours. Written in a light and positive tone.
Family Planning Victoria (FPV)
Provides reproductive and sexual health services throughout Victoria. Includes a section on school programs.
Get the Facts - 'Laugh and Learn' videos
Check out the Get the Facts 'Laugh and Learn' series of videos on the Get the Facts website. Designed to make young people laugh while they learn about puberty, condoms, BBVs and keeping safe in sexual situations.
Lessons learned from child sexual abuse research: prevalence, outcomes, and preventive strategies
This article aims to heighten awareness of mental health professional on the widespread social problem of child sexual abuse. The focus is on prevalence, mental health outcomes, and preventative strategies.
Let's talk about body boundaries, consent and respect
A 42 page picture book that teaches children about body boundaries, both theirs and others, and consent in relation to their personal space. Child friendly, providing scenarios for parents and trusted adults to discuss a child's growing sense of self with them.
Jayneen Sanders reads the book (13min 36sec – length of video) .
Let's talk about the birds and the bees
Non-fiction
Cartoon illustrated book for parents to read to children about differences between male and female reproductive systems, private body parts, sexual intercourse, love, puberty, what touching is ok/not ok, families. Simple facts as a starting point for conversations.
Book review by Cath Hak 6min (external link)
Age: Parents and teachers of 4 to 11 year olds.
Let's talk about where babies come from
Non-fiction
Comics and cartoons outlining: similarities and differences between girls and boys, growing up, reproductive organs, how babies are made, what sex is, what is love, same sex attraction, conception, pregnancy, different types of birth, genetics (e.g. hair colour), different kinds of families, keeping safe (consensual touch), HIV (but not other STI/BBVs). A book that parents/teachers can read to younger children, or older children can read themselves.
Book review by Cath Hak 4min 36sec.
Age: 7 to 11 years.
Let's Yarn!
Let’s Yarn! has been developed to make it easier for educators, parents and health professionals to talk to young Aboriginal people about ways of developing strong, safe and healthy relationships. The website brings together useful resources developed by WA Health and other government and non-government agencies around Australia.
Mandatory Consent Education in Australia
Article that discusses the mandatory teaching of consent in Australian schools focusing on how consent is an integral part of all relationships but how education in schools must continue to develop and listen to young people in terms of how relationships are taught to students.
Michael's bubbles - a protective behaviours storybook about personal space
Topics: protective behaviours, personal space
Fiction
Michael loves to ride his bike, catch a ball and play in his cubby, but most of all Michael loves to blow bubbles…and have cuddles with his Mum and Dad! A story to explain about personal space and how to respond safely to different situations and different people using a personal space plan (kiss, cuddle and squeeze bubble, hug bubble, high five bubble, wave bubble, stranger bubble).
Age: 4 to 9 years.
My body belongs to me
Fiction
A straightforward story of a young girl that was sexually abused by a friend's uncle. The young girl tells her mum and dad who help her. Explains that it is not her fault. A rhyming book.
My body belongs to me from my head to my toes
Fiction
A story that covers safe touch, personal space, types of touch, how to say no to unwanted touch, and how to tell someone if abuse has happened. Includes a letter to parents/carers.
My underpants rule!
Fiction
A story that explains to children that what is under your underpants is private. No one is allowed to touch private parts and how to say no.
National Association for Prevention of Child abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN)
NAPCAN's strategy is to support and encourage changes in individual and community behaviour to stop child abuse and neglect before it starts by: promoting quality child abuse prevention research; advocating for child safe policies and strategies, coordinating National Child Protection Week and promoting the Play Your Part strategy; demonstrating good practice; supporting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.