Activities

Outcome 1: Develop and deliver two interactive, engaging and complementary online child protection training sessions that are culturally contextual (including all supporting resources and materials), focused on:

1. Introduction to Child Safeguarding and Protection (beginners session);

• Key concepts and definitions related to child safety and wellbeing (including definitions of ‘child safeguarding’ and ‘child protection’);
• Protection issues / threats faced by children with disabilities in the Pacific, including reference to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, especially articles 7, 15 and 16
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (‘best interests’, right to safety/protection, etc.);
• Assessment of partner’s understanding of the CARE Australia (or their own) child protection policy and code of conduct, and relevant local laws/policies related to working with children;
• Emphasis on the role of organisations in safeguarding children (safe culture and supporting policy, procedures and practices), including child protection as a ‘shared responsibility’ of all team members;
• Recognising abuse – warning signs and indicators to look out for which may suggest a child is being harmed;
• Good practice in responding to concerns – what to do if a child makes a disclosure/your observe a child is being harmed in the context of the Pacific;
• Barriers to reporting – why people may not report/act on concerns in the context of the Pacific;
• Community mechanisms and reporting (FAM/CBFM and reporting) in the context of the Pacific.

2. Applying Knowledge of Child Safeguarding and Protection (advanced session);

• Understanding the potential life-long impacts of harm on children (mental and psychological health, physical health, educational achievements, etc);
• Understanding  how to engage with children / family members with disabilities that impact on communication, e.g. deaf people, people with intellectual disability / communication difficulties.
• Risk and Protective Factors – The critical importance of a strengths-based approach, assessing and mitigating risks and preventing harm to children and young people;
• Responding to concerns and making reports – acting to maintain/achieve safety for the child, responding to concerns, who to talk to, what actions to take (scenarios to apply knowledge).
• Making referrals – what services and support are available in the community, provision of support to victims (age, gender and culturally appropriate) and information about referral options for children with disabilities and their families (e.g. Organisations of Persons with Disabilities – OPDs).
• Safer Programming – assess gaps and begin developing some actions to implement child safeguarding and protection knowledge moving forward (i.e., training for personnel/community members, involving children and young people in decision-making, etc.)

Outcome 2: Develop a pre and post training evaluation of the modules/workshop(s) to be completed by the participants.

Outcome 3: Develop a reflective training workshop report with recommendations for further learning activities, based on interactions and feedback from participants.

Given CARE’s specific focus on the needs of women and girls, all the sessions should be inclusive and sensitive to dynamics of age, gender, disability, and power. Sessions should focus on supporting staff to self-reflect and apply child safeguarding and protection knowledge in practical ways in the context of the Pacific.