New Child Abuse Prevention Programme for Early Childhood Centres

The New Zealand Police have recently launched a new child protection module All About Me - Toku Ahuatanga Whanui developed to help early child care centres prevent and handle evidence of child abuse.

All About Me - Toku Ahuatanga Whanui, is part of the Police Keeping Ourselves Safe child abuse prevention programme which has been operating in Primary Schools since the 1980s. The new module was developed by a group of early childhood teachers, police and other experts in the early childhood education area. ACC is also involved in funding the programme.

The new All About Me module will assist Early Childhood Education centres to:

• ensure their child protection policy is effective
• prepare to protect children from child abuse
• lessen anti-social behaviour
• increase parent confidence in the centre, leading to more clients
• protect staff and provide professional development
• help children reach their full potential
• 'future proof' against possible developments

Early Childhood centres are also well placed to make parents and caregivers more aware of abuse and how they can protect their children.

The programme was piloted in 21 centres in Dunedin, Porirua and Auckland in Term 1 2006 and the pilot has been evaluated by the Education Review Office. Early Childhood Centres will only be able to offer the programme once they have undertaken the training package for the module.

For more information about the programme see www.cps.org.nz/page/cps_51.php