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All About Me Toku Ahuatanga Whanui
The names Chris and Cru Kahui or Nia Glassie are now known to us all because of their tragic deaths and unbearable last five days. Sadly, we are hearing about more and more cases of all forms of abuse against babies, toddlers and young children. This age group is not usually in a position to stand up for itself. Children are at the mercy of abusers. These children are unlikely to know what touch and behaviour from others is wrong, and even if they do know, they don't have the skills to report. Should a case go to court, the child would not be a reliable witness. Child abusers know this.
 All adults have a responsibility to help keep young children safe from abuse - that is you, their teachers, parents and caregivers, child minders, the people who live next door.
The Police Youth Education Service has developed an early childhood module, All about Me - Töku Ähuatanga Whānui, as part of their Keeping Ourselves Safe child abuse prevention programme. Keeping Ourselves Safe has been available to primary and secondary schools nationally for many years. KOS has three main aims: - to teach children and young people a range of safe practices that they can use when interacting with other people;
- to encourage children who have been, or are being, abused to seek help;
- to contribute to an overall community awareness of child abuse and the role of adults in stopping it.
The module All about Me Töku Ähuatanga Whānui was developed by a group of early childhood teachers, police and other experts in the early childhood education area. The materials consist of a teaching guide, a pamphlet, information book and DVD for parents and caregivers, and a selection of age appropriate resources - pictures, photographs, feelings cards, magnetic bodies, stories.  There is an important role for parents, caregivers and family. They need to understand what child abuse is and have examined their own feelings about it. Abuse can happen to any child, as parents and caregiver cannot be with them all the time. So it is important to teach your child safety strategies to use in their interactions with others, to help them be assertive, to teach them how to ask for help and help them to understand what behaviour they have a right to say 'no' to. Always listen to what your child has to say, and be prepared to help.
All about Me Töku Ähuatanga Whānui was piloted in 21 centres in Dunedin, Porirua and Auckland in Term 1 2006 and the pilot was evaluated by ERO.
'In ERO's view, the programme has many strengths and is consistent with good early childhood education. The seven focus areas of the programme are balanced and cover the related topics well. The focus areas fit well with Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum document. ...." All about Me" provides a valuable contribution to early childhood education, and with good teacher training and support, should make a positive difference to keeping our children safe." A phased in implementation strategy began in February 2007. CPS is working with Police to provide professional development in both child protection and the module itself. CPS provides a one-day training opportunity for Early Childhood Centre staff, to learn about the programme, understand how to deliver it, and develop personal skills and strategies regarding child protection. All about Me - Töku Ähuatanga Whānui will only be available to centres once they have undertaken the training. 
In order for an Early Childhood Centre to become eligible to deliver the new programme All About Me -Töku Ähuatanga Whānui, centre staff must attend training. Each centre must have at least one Manager or Supervisor and two teaching staff from each site complete a programme. For each centre to gain the maximum benefit, we strongly recommend that as many staff as possible attend the training. We do recognise that in some individual circumstances this may not be possible. So in these cases we do recommend the attendance of 2-3 staff from each site. The programmes are facilitated by CPS and delivered nationally. ONCE STAFF HAVE UNDERGONE THIS TRAINING YOUR CENTRE WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO TEACH THE ALL ABOUT ME PROGRAMME.
It is the responsibility of centres to protect children in their care To lessen anti-social behaviour Increased parent confidence and trust in your centre To protect your staff & provide professional development Because 4 out of 5 children harmed are not known to police or CYF Children under 5 are at highest risk for abuse To help all children reach their potential "Future-proofing" against possible developments Young children do not disclose - you are the child's voice Ensure you have a child protection policy that works
A timetable for the programmes is available for 2009. Don't wait! A wonderful opportunity! This training is generally only available once in your area in 2009. Spaces are limited - so get in quick!
If you do miss out , you can contact CPS to get a hosted programme delivered in your area. To see the timetable click here. For over 15 years the Keeping Ourselves Safe child abuse prevention programme has been undertaken very successfully throughout New Zealand schools. All About Me – Toku Ahuatanga Whanui is an opportunity to provide early childhood educators, younger children and their families with some of the valuable strategies to keep children in this age group safe. Children from all walks of life and all ethnicities may be subject to neglect, sexual abuse, bullying, or physical violence and early childhood education staff are in a pivotal situation to intervene. The programme offers excellent educational resources and ideas for discussion about some sensitive topics with young children. Many can find it a difficult topic to approach, and are not always comfortable doing so. There are complex personal, ethical and legal issues that may arise that can affect individuals, the centre, the relationship with parents and the community. The training programmes are designed to assist centres to address these situations and to provide the encouragement and support that will enable them to keep children safer.
Representatives from all ECEs within the region, including Kohanga Reo, Home-Based Child Care, Kindergartens, Playcentres, Montessori and other Child Care Centres should consider attending. The programme goals are to: - Prepare teachers on a personal level to become comfortable in dealing with the programme material
- Support the implementation of the programme and the understanding of the importance of each module
- Provide confidence for teachers in dealing with issues that might be raised by the children
- Prepare the supervisory and management staff to cope with issues arising for parents, and for centre staff
- Advise on the development of workable child protection policies for centres.
- Provide resources for the supervisory and management staff to carry on the learning process with all staff after the training programme has been completed.
- Support centres to take action when concerned about the safety of a child.
- Encourage the development of strong networks within the centre’s community for supporting children and families.
The programme is as follows:
Maximum attendees: 25
This is for - Owners, Managers, Head Teachers, Supervisors, Kaitiaki, Practice Managers, Coordinators, Teachers, Teacher Aides.
Purpose: - To provide attendees with resources, information and support to assist them and their staff in the implementation of the All About Me programme
- To provide attendees with strategies for working with families, whanau and communities regarding the issues around child protection
- To provide attendees with information and strategies for developing, implementing and reviewing child protection policies
Programme will cover - Relating with parents and other community members to ensure their comfort with the programme and in dealing with any issues that might arise out of it
- Managing and supporting the implementation of the programme
- Interaction with the Police and CYF and understanding the processes
Interacting with community - Developing and following the centre’s Child Protection Policy
- Supporting staff and colleagues in delivering the programme
- Statistical information about the nature of abuse
- A review of the signs and symptoms to be aware of
- Working with the programme and the material in a way that feels comfortable and dealing with potential barriers
- Personal responses, and dealing with any personal issues that may be present or might arise
- Dealing with children's issues, comments, questions and disclosures (whether intentional or not)
Full day sessions: $90.00 Inc GST per person Fees may be paid by: Cheque payable to: CPS, PO Box 679, Hamilton OR Direct Credit to : CPS, Westpac 03-0306-0184738-00
Registration will be made on receipt of payment. Click to download a registration form (PDF). Please complete the registration form for all teachers attending from your centre. Once completed, please send or email to: CPS PO Box 679 Hamilton 3240 Email: info@cps.org.nz |
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