NEWS & LINKS

• The Child Protection Australia 2003-4 Report showed that last year almost 220,000 chiuldren were suspected of suffering emotional, physical, or sexual abuse or neglect. This means a child is being reported as abused or neglected every 2 ½ minutes in Australia.
  *NAPCAN Release “Child Abuse Reports Double in 5 years”
• 80% of adult prisoners were abused as children.
  It costs $60,000 per year to maintain one prisoner in a high security jail cell.
  *Who’s looking after the kids? An overview of Child abuse and child protection in Australia.
• There is an established body of knowledge clearly linking a history of child sexual abuse with higher rates in adult life of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, substance abuse disorders, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorders.
  *Who’s looking after the kids? An overview of Child abuse and child protection in Australia.
• Police have found a disturbing rise in the number of babies attacked – from cigarette burns to shaken baby syndrome and sexual abuse.
  *NAPCAN Media Release
• “The children of this country deserve to be protected. They deserve a happy home, they deserve a full stomach. Sadly, for some of these kids, this is just not the case.”
  *Ken Moroney, NSW Police Commissioner
• The over reliance on foster care and kinship care has led to other services such as residential care being under-utilised, often due to under-funding. Residential care could take some of the pressure that is currently felt in the foster care system. * Jan Carter, “Towards better foster care…reducing the risks”
• If it is not possible for the child to stay with its own family, a range of out of home care options should be available for the child including foster care and residential care. There is no ‘one size fits all’ in child care and a range of care models should be available according to the level of need.
  *Jan Carter, “Towards better foster care…reducing the risks.”
• Babies are much more sensitive to changes in caregivers than older kids. Babies need a stimulating environment, with consistent and attentive nurturing and predictable caregivers, for healthy physical and emotional development. Any deficiency in these requirements actually prevents the parts of the brain that handle attachment and bonding from physically developing. And once the child has passed 3 years of age, it is physically nearly impossible for the human brain to make major physical changes. These deficiencies in bonding and attachment, in turn, stunt the development of empathy, trust and conscience. And violent behaviour is much easier for a person lacking in these areas.
  *Child psychologist Robin Karr-Morse “Ghosts from the Nursery”
• As a society, we need to begin to proactively address the roots of violence, instead of just trying to treat the symptoms after the damage has already been done. *fosterkidsfirst.org

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