BUILDING AWARENESS

Deaf Children Australia’s Safe Programme supports the personal safety skills training of children through a ground breaking web based resource. The Safe Programme utilises animations, role-play video clips and feeling cards together with Auslan and spoken language captioning so it’s accessible to all children, including those who are deaf or have additional needs.

This innovative programme teaches children how to protect themselves, helps them understand what is appropriate behaviour and empowers them to trust their feelings. It is the first personal safety resource tailored to the specific communication needs of deaf children in Australia. It has been adapted from the UK’s Safe Programme developed by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Help children stay safe

The Safe Programme helps teachers, social workers and psychologists give children aged seven and over the awareness, information and language to protect themselves by:

Understanding and recognising abuse and other ways they could come to harmKeeping themselves safe, or telling someone who can help to keep them safeEnabling them to make better informed choices about their livesEncouraging them to support each other and strengthen their identity, self-confidence and self-esteemEmpowering them to communicate their thoughts, wishes and feelingsEnabling them to explore and understand their life experiences

Topics include growing up, sexuality, relationships, bullying, personal safety, road safety and protecting yourself on the internet.

International research consistently highlights that children who are deaf or have additional needs are at a substantially greater risk of abuse. Compounding the situation, children who have been abused often do not tell anyone about the incident and if they do, they are often not believed.

ABN: 57 108 025 207 | 597 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC 3004 | Ph: (03) 9539 5300 | www.deafchildrenaustralia.org.au

“This is a fantastic resource that fills a huge gap in the education and support of young people who are deaf or have communication difficulties. The combination of Auslan, captions and voice-over provides access for a wide range of young people on topics that are often difficult to teach. The web-based interface makes it easy to navigate topics and choose a presentation style that suits your client, family or class, using great visuals and appropriate language.

Kids with communication difficulties or hearing loss are often at greater risk because of the lack of access to resources to help keep them safe. The Safe Programme makes an important contribution to the safety and long term well-being of these young people.”

Dr Louise MunroPsychologist, MAPS, Chair of the APS Psychology and Deafness Interest Group, Lecturer Queensland University of Technology

“My students really responded to the role-play videos - these were a great catalyst for class discussions. The storyboards were another useful, visual resource to reinforce points about safety. The spectrum of topics covered was excellent and the website was easy to navigate. I would definitely like to use it more with my class in the future.”

Sarah LewisTeacher, Klemzig Centre for Hearing Impaired

To learn more about the Safe Programme or to purchase a licence, visit:

www.safedeafkids.org.au

For general enquiries, please email:

info@safedeafkids.org.au

Proudly supported by:Developed by:

Registered charity numbers 216401 and SC037717

Role-play video clips like this clip covering sexuality encourage children to explore the issues in more depth

By empowering children and informing them about the dangers, they will be less vulnerable