With reports of students abusing peers in primary schools, how can parents help keep their kids safe?

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

With reports of students abusing peers in primary schools, how can parents help keep their kids safe?

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

An ABC

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

revealed a concerning rise in peer-on-peer ******* ****** within *********** primary schools.

Data on Victorian schools shows hundreds of such incidents were reported in 2022 and 2023, with many involving children under the age of ten.

The

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

also showed rates of ******* ****** inflicted by peers has been increasing. Overall,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

aged 16 to 24 reported being ********* abused by a peer during their childhood, compared to 12.1% of those aged 45 years and over.

Parents may be wondering how they can protect their children at school.

One of the most effective tools parents have is open, regular and age-appropriate conversations with their kids.

Talk about boundaries and consent early

What should you be talking about?

It is crucial for parents to talk with their children about boundaries and consent

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. For younger children, this can be as simple as teaching them their body belongs to them and no one else has the right to touch them without permission. Asking if its OK for a hug, and respecting when children say “no” is a great start.

When discussing consent, it is important to highlight consent is not just about saying “no,” but also recognizing and respecting others’ boundaries.

Peer relationships and trusted adults play a crucial role in a child’s life. Helping children identify adults they can trust if they need to talk about something is also very important. Peers are often the first to hear of concerns or are often the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, so fostering healthy friendships and teaching children to report to trusted adults is crucial.

Addressing peer pressure and secrecy

Children may feel

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

or may be told to keep certain behaviors secret.

It is essential for parents to emphasize no matter who asks them to keep a secret, they should always share concerns or things they are unsure about with a trusted ******.

Parents can reinforce the message that if someone tells them not to tell, it is a “red flag.”

Children can often

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

of whether what has happened is wrong. This is why encouraging openness and creating a nonjudgmental space for children to share is important.

Discussing online safety

Research

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

exposure to harmful material, like ************, is a contributing factor to inappropriate ******* behavior among peers.

Being aware of your child’s internet use and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

on how to keep themselves safe online is crucial.

What else can parents do?

While conversations with your children are vital, parents can also take practical steps to ensure their child’s safety at school. These include:

• familiarizing yourself with school policies: understand the school’s procedures for reporting bullying, harassment and ******* ******. Parents should ask about how teachers manage supervision during breaks or other occasions where children may be less well unsupervised

• advocating for comprehensive **** education at your school:

  This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
  it leads to better outcomes for children. Check what your school covers in the curriculum. Ask about what
  This is the hidden content, please

  • Sign In
  • or
  • Sign Up
  , and how you can be involved

• getting involved in your child’s social world: knowing who your child’s friends are and staying connected with teachers can offer insight into troubling dynamics. Create opportunities for your child to talk about their friendships and school experiences regularly. And as they start navigating the digital world, it’s even more important to know who they are engaging with

• teach assertiveness and confidence: find ways to empower your child to speak up for themselves when they are unsure, or something feels wrong. Don’t leave this up to a class teacher to deal with in respectful relationship education. At home, you can encourage assertiveness in expressing their preferences and boundaries. You can also model how to stand up to peer pressure. Children can learn and be encouraged to say simple phrases such as, “stop, I don’t like it” or “no, I don’t want to.”

If there is a problem

If you do come across an issue or problem, try and work with your school. Despite your distress, try not to be adversarial—rather pitch your conversation to the teacher or principal as “How can I help us work through this together?”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, can reduce the risk of child ******* ******. If parents and schools can work together, they are

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

in keeping children safe.

Prevention requires vigilance, communication and support from both parents and schools. Parents play a crucial role in shaping their child’s understanding of what’s OK, what’s harmful, as well as boundaries, safety and consent.

By having ongoing conversations, staying informed, and working with schools, parents are the first step to creating safety for children—and supporting them if something goes wrong.

Provided by
The Conversation

This article is republished from

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

under a Creative Commons license. Read the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==

Citation:
With reports of students abusing peers in primary schools, how can parents help keep their kids safe? (2024, October 21)
retrieved 21 October 2024
from

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#reports #students #abusing #peers #primary #schools #parents #kids #safe

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up