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School Holiday Online Safety

Term 1 holidays are fast approaching and the very real ‘anxiety’ around what to do with the kids, especially for working parents is probably on your mind right about now.

When I was working full-time in the Police, it was always a juggle and challenge. The current work place...

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Top 5 Book Resources every parent needs body safety book resources books child abuse prevention child safety consent consent education healthy relationships kids parent resources parenting parents puberty sex ed sexual health

Books are the ultimate life hack when it comes to parenting.

However, there are so many good books out there that it gets a tad overwhelming to know which ones are actually helpful and useful for what purpose. 

Let me make your life a little easier by providing 5 books that will help...

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What is in or out in 2024 child protection child safety children cyberbullying inappropriate content online safety parenting parents safe adults teens

Thought I'd jump in with my own thoughts on what's 'IN & OUT' in parenting in 2024.

What we (society/parents) have done in the past when it comes to child safety isn't ALL bad, however, it's TIME TO CHANGE the future of child safety!!!

This requires us to be brave and boldly face the...

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What makes someone a safe adult? adults advice behaviours child abuse prevention child safety kids parenting parents safe adults safe behaviours teens

Have you ever contemplated this question before? You would be surprised at the number of people who haven't. 

It's probably because it's not something our parents openly discussed, it's not something we have grown up discussing and it's not something we have been asked to analyse...

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I was a child abuse detective and my daughter was still exposed to porn at 10yo. advice child abuse prevention child protection child safety illegal content online safety pornography

My daughter was exposed to pornography for the first time at 10yo. Sadly, she is the ‘norm’ NOT the exception in these statistics.

Embarrassingly, I was a child abuse detective with over 8-years experience in the Child Sexual Abuse space at the time it happened.

I had already had the...

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Preventing grooming and abuse advice child abuse child abuse prevention child protection child safety children grooming parenting parents
Preventing and protecting your child from abuse is not as hard as it might seem? In fact it's actually quite simple.
 
In my experience, talking with kids about their abuse as a Specialist Child Interviewer in then Police gave me a unique perspective of how abusers gain access and...
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Halloween Safety Tips for busy parents child safety parenting parents stranger danger teens tweens

Whether you believe in this very interesting tradition or not... it is very likely your children may be wanting to go 'trick or treating' tonight.

As a child of the 80's, we didn't have this tradition and as an ex-police officer and child abuse detective, it sets off all sorts of alarm bells in...

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Why does our mental health matter when it comes to protecting your child from abuse? advice child abuse prevention child protection child safety mental health online safety parenting
It’s Mental Health week…
 
So why does our mental health matter when it comes to protecting our child from abuse?
 
LOTS! ⬆️⬆️⬆️
 
When we aren’t coping or we are in crisis, our kids are inadvertently exposed and at risk.
 
It’s imperative that as...
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A note for myself about parenting advice parenting
I talk about parenting my daughter in my book, I talk about her on my podcast, I share little anecdotes and stories about my parenting journey when I talk one-on-one with people but the one thing I haven’t been sharing with you is how fucking hard I struggle day-to-day with parenting.
...
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What to do if... your child sees illegal content online? child abuse children illegal content inappropriate content online safety pornography teens tweens what to do if

TRIGGER WARNING - THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS THE DISCUSSION OF CHILD ABUSE MATERIAL! 

I had a young person contact me yesterday asking for HELP

The young person had been shared a link to a website in which they were pressured to open and look at on insistence from 'friends'. 

The...

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Stranger Danger - how we can keep them safe but NOT scared! advice child abuse child protection child safety children parents stranger danger teens tweens

After my Sunrise interview this morning which just touched on some of the basics of child safety, I wanted to share with parents, more in-depth advice on how to help keep your kids safe but NOT scared when talking about things like Stranger Danger. 

In my experience, compared to reported...

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Consent - is not a dirty word child abuse child protection grooming

I don't think parents and caregivers understand just how vitally important and necessary, consent education is for our children and teenagers and that unless you have been taught consent, it's not something everyone intrinsically understands or respects properly. 

In my experience, many...

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5 things you should discuss before your child gets a phone child protection cyberbullying online grooming online safety

A lot of parents haven't considered the potential implications that a phone or device can have on your child's safety and development before they are gifted or given one. 

Not because they don't care about those issues but more so because the things that may or may not effect a child's...

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Red Flags of child sex abusers from an ex-child abuse detective child abuse child protection grooming

Whilst interviewing children about their child sexual abuse, I noticed recurring patterns and behaviours being shared by the children I was talking to both in regards to in-person abuse and online exploitation. They would describe how their abusers would similarly groom them, keep them complicit...

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Why do kids talk to strangers online child abuse child protection online grooming online safety

Kids talking to strangers online is a seriously scary thought for some parents and not much of a consideration for others. 

As a parent, we often don't understand or realise the risks in a child or teens need to engage and communicate with someone not known to them in real life.  Even...

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Supervision vs Oversight - what is the difference? cyberbullying online grooming online safety

Noun: Supervision - the act of supervising something or someone

Noun: Oversight - the action of overseeing something

When it comes to your child's online activities, it is highly recommended by both police, world wide law enforcement agencies, child protection agencies and online safety...

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The toughest job in Policing child abuse child protection grooming online safety podcasts

If you love true crime and hearing stories about policing than you need to check out the 'I catch killers' podcast. 

I had the pleasure of being interviewed for the podcast with ex-NSW Detective Inspector Gary Jubelin last week. 

During the interview, I got to share my experiences in...

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What is grooming? child abuse child protection grooming

Grooming is when a person engages in predatory conduct and behaviours to prepare a child or young person for sexual activity at a later time by gaining their trust and/or compliance. 

Grooming encompasses all activity/behaviours from communicating and befriending of a child, the...

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Debunking child sexual abuse myths to keep your kids safe! child abuse child protection myths

‘If parents knew what I knew, they would do things differently with their kids’. 

That is the thought that runs excessively through my mind after 10 years as a specialist child interviewer and a detective, interviewing victims and investigating cases of child sexual abuse.

After...

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What I want you to know about the child abduction last week! child abuse child protection child stealing grooming

Last weeks abduction and attempted abduction of the two brothers in Moora was such a strange and abnormal occurrence when it comes to child abuse. This is not the 'norm' when it comes to child abuse today! 

It's just not what we see or expect in Australia and I want to share a...

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Autistic Young People and Pornography autism child protection online grooming online safety pornography

Last week, I attended an amazingly insightful presentation regarding Autism, Young People and the impact of pornography hosted by eSafeKids founder Kaylene Kerr and presented by Maree Crabbe and Dr Wen Lawson. 

This presentation was hugely interesting and gave me so much insight into...

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Why teens aren't scared of online predators... cyberbullying grooming online grooming online safety

Why our teens aren’t scared of online predators… 

After 10 years interviewing children as a police officer and specialist child interviewer and  almost 3 years talking and presenting to young people about online safety and abuse prevention, it is a common occurrence that...

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A child is only as safe as the environment and people surrounding them.

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