Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum
The KS:CPC is mandated at all South Australian Department for Education sites for children and young people from age 3 to year 12. It’s a requirement that the approved child protection curriculum will be taught by staff who have received training in its use. Teachers must complete the full day training course before delivering the KS:CPC to children and young people.
Key elements
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that mainstream education programs about respectful sexual relationships are often inaccessible to students with disability making it more difficult for some to identify and speak up about abuse. In South Australia, the needs of this cohort were identified within the Keeping Safe: Child Protection Curriculum with the publication of Support materials: disability and additional needs. This document emphasises that “Students with high support needs will need more explicit and systematic teaching of skills and associated understandings which include:
- Skills for appropriate behaviour (pro-social and interacting skills)
- Decision-making skills (skills about making choices)
- Understandings about the right to safety, privacy and dignity in all relationships
- Skills in discriminating between appropriate times for compliance and times for asserting personal choices
- Skills for recognising abusive situations
- Communication skills to facilitate rejecting (saying NO), protesting and reporting abuse.”
Adelaide West Special Education Centre
The curriculum at Adelaide West has been adapted to address students' individual needs.
The program is delivered around the four topics in relationships curriculum that drive learning and teaching. These are:
- The right to be safe
- Relationships
- Recognising and reporting abuse
- Protective strategies
Meet Lesley
Lesley Coy teaches two days per week within the centre and has a role as a Statewide Outreach Teacher three days per week. She reflects on the most important concepts from the 'KS:CPC Support materials for children and young people with disability and additional needs' document to her delivery of the KS:CPC curriculum:
‘It’s really important that young people with disability feel a sense of inclusion and wellbeing. They are a very diverse group in terms of needs so they may need individualised adaptations so that they can fully participate in all the aspects of the KS:CPC. And being treated with dignity and respect is paramount in teaching this kind of content.’
The Adelaide West Way
A key consideration in facilitating content within the KS:CPC topics is that students have widely differing needs. For instance, some students with autism may struggle socially and need support in building skills around relationships. Other students might struggle to recognise boundaries and to self-regulate, impacting on how other students respond to them.
Delivery of the program at the school is contingent on the following KS:CPC elements:
- Parent/caregiver involvement in the program
- The language of safety (respectful)
- Closing the session (allow for discussion and end each session in a positive way)
- Multimedia use
- Use of guest speakers on appropriate topics
- Developing and reviewing networks (Circles of support)
- Expectation of persistence
- Learning self-protection
You can find some generic information about these concepts by clicking on the following links:
Lesley facilitated the development of a two year plan to break up the content within the KS:CPC into manageable chunks that fit the learning needs of multi-age classrooms. The following is an extract from the two-year planner that shows the content areas that all students will experience across one of the four Focus Areas (FA) that are covered in this program.
KS:CPC - Two year plan – Special schools/Disability units
Term 2, 2020
Years R-2 | Years 3-5 | Year 6-9 | Years 10-12 |
---|---|---|---|
Focus Area 2: Relationships | Focus Area 2: Relationships | Focus Area 2: Relationships | Focus Area 2: Relationships |
Topic 3: Power in relationships R – No topic Y1- 3.1 Demonstrate the language of safety Y1- 3.2 Understanding bullying Y1- 3.4 Fair and unfair Y2- 3.3 Dealing with bullying behaviour Y2- 3.5 Introducing the concept of power Y2- 3.6 Adults using power |
Topic 3: Power in relationships Y3,4,5- 3.1 Exploring a definition of power Y4 – 3.2 Power scenarios Y4/Y5- 3.3 Tricks and bribes Y3/Y4- 3.4 Pressure Y3/Y5- 3.5 Bullying as an abuse of power |
Topic 3: Power in relationships Y6, 8- 3.1 Types and abuse of power Y7, 9- 3.2 Positive use and abuse of power Y7, 9- 3.3 Power in relationships Y8 – 3.4 Guilt Y8,9- 3.5 Power & gender Y6- 3.6 Characteristics of bullying Yr7- 3.7 Bullies and people who are bullied Yr7,8,9- 3.8 Bystanders Y6- 3.9 School policy on bullying |
Topic 2: Identity & relationships Y10, 12- 2.1 Healthy & unhealthy relationships Y10,11- 2.2 Gender as a social construction Y10,22,12 2.3 Gender stereotypes |
The nature of the two-year plan means that in Term 2, 2021, the topic of relationships will be explored as follows:
KS:CPC - Two year plan – Special schools/Disability units
Term 2, 2021
Years R-2 | Years 3-5 | Year 6-9 | Years 10-12 |
---|---|---|---|
Focus Area 2: Relationships | Focus Area 2: Relationships | Focus Area 2: Relationships | Focus Area 2: Relationships |
Topic 1: Rights and responsibilities R- 1.1 Needs and wants of pets Y1/Y2- 1.2 Children’s rights Y1/Y2- Behaviour code & children’s rights Topic 2: Identity and relationships R- 2.1 Exploring identity R/Y1/Y2- 2.2 Exploring relationships Y1/Y2- 2.3 Relationship circle |
Topic 1: Rights and responsibilities Y3- 1.1 Rights & responsibilities Y4/Y5- 1.2 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Topic 2: Identity and relationships Y3- 2.1 Identity web Y4/Y5- 2.2 Gender stereotypes Y4- 2.3 Unsafe behaviour Y3,4,5- 2.4 Relationship circle |
Topic 1: Rights and responsibilities Y6,7,8,9- 1.1 What rights do children and young people have? Y6,7,8,9- 1.2 Rights and responsibilities in close relationships Topic 2: Identity and relationships Y6,7- Exploring relationships Y6,7,8,9- 2.2 Healthy & unhealthy relationships Y8,9 2.3 Construction of gender Topic 4: Trust and networks Y6,7,8,9- 4.1 Trust Y6,7,8,9- 4.1 Trusted networks |
Topic 1: Rights and responsibilities Y10,11,12- 1.1 Rights & responsibilities Y10- Abuse of rights Y10,11,12- 1.3 Sexual consent Y11, 12- 1,4 Rights & responsibilities in intimate relationships Topic 3: Power in relationships Y10- 3.1 Types and use of power Y11- 3.2 Discrimination Y10,11,12- 3.2 Sexting Yr11,12- 3.4 Positive use & abuse of power |
A typical lesson
Lesley teaches KS:CPC once a week with a lesson typically lasting about 45 minutes.
She takes the following considerations into account:
- In order to engage students with disabilities – some with short attention spans, who struggle to sit, to listen, to participate and be ready for learning - lessons need to follow predictable patterns.
- Some students may learn over a term and quickly settle into lessons, others may need a breakdown of activities in the form of a visual schedule with tick boxes.
The structure for a typical KS:CPC lesson is often summarised as a checklist for students to provide predictability and a sense of student agency as they check off the activities during the class.
Each unit of work is put on presentation slides – this includes the topic with individual weekly lessons – that are all connected to the sub-topics. This provides students with a visual purpose and staff members with a sense of shared direction.
"The purpose of the lesson is always stated: I use WALT. Eg We Are Learning To understand different feelings (Years R – 2 FA1 The right to be safe) or We Are Learning To define what public and private is (Years 6-9 FA3 Recognising and reporting abuse)."
Lesley incorporates stories, games, role plays, worksheets and media clips. One example of a game that is used is Spaghetti Head – the students and adults need to trust the others to poke (uncooked) spaghetti in their hair without poking them in the ears or eyes.
"We take photos and put them into their books – students love looking at themselves and the activities they have done in KS:CPC and the photos can be used for writing and reflection activities. We always finish on a positive note with guided meditation."
Find some examples of warm-up songs, books and videos under 'Lesley's resources' section on this page.
Pedagogy and recommended learning strategies
The KS:CPC program was reviewed and refined in 2013 and further updated in 2017 to strengthen the child safety concepts and structure.
The most effective pedagogy for delivery of this type of curriculum (for all students) includes a strong focus on collaborative learning. This is because students develop better skills if they can practise communication activities with their peers in a safe and responsive environment with teachers supporting them.
Some of the learning strategies which Lesley and her colleagues use include:
- Pair swaps
- Knee-to-knee activity (or side-by-side)
- Role play
- Y chart, T chart, X chart
- Concept or mind mapping
- Lotus diagram
- Modified jigsaw diagram
- Values walk or vales continuum (with ‘Thumbs up’ options)
- Placemat activity
- Brainstorming
- Relaxation
- Problem solving
- Teachable moments
- Using songs and stories
- Critical literacy in using electronic and print media’
- Drawing and scribing
- Persona dolls
- Relationship circles
For some further ideas about strategies that might be effectively used in relationships education, see the Teaching and Learning Strategies Overview provided by the Western Australian website Growing and Developing Healthy Relationships, where some of the strategies mentioned on this page are described in detail. You will need to decide what is most appropriate for use in your own context.
Communications
Adelaide West is a school specialising in the education of students with complex communication needs.
Students use a range of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems including; PODD books, Proloquo2Go and Eye Gaze systems. This diversity necessitates a lot of adaptation of teaching activities. Lesley has described the Communication Assessment Reporting that she uses at the school:
- Know your students and make adjustments. This might include diversification and differentiation of actual activities with some students completing a posting or glueing activity, or using an App, one or two sitting apart from the group or alone in a quiet place. Others may sit in a group setting, to watch media clips, sing songs, listen to stories and complete written reflections.
- How will my students communicate their responses? Teachers use the PODD a lot to provide vocabulary, and check that they and the students are on the same page.
- Teachers compile their reports based on each child’s learning plan. Resources and activities used within the KS:CPC are linked to some of the intended outcomes in each students’ learning plan.
Associated school programs
Positive Behaviour Intervention and Support (PBIS) is a program which Adelaide West Special Education Centre has committed to.
There are three main expectations of all people at centre:
"I am safe"
"I am friendly"
"I am respectful"
Explicit examples of what behaviour looks like for each of these expectations are used to model preferred behaviour – creating a focus on desirable behaviours at school. The positive language associated with these expectations is also embedded within the communication modes such as the AAC used at the centre.
The whole school focuses on one statement each week and reminds students of what this may look like in class lessons daily. This is reinforced by all school staff. For example, when the weekly statement was “I am safe”, “I am OK” the whole school practised the series of statements: “I am OK”, “I can calm down”, “I can take deep breaths” during the end of the day assembly every day.
The PBIS program is having an appreciable impact on the incidences of inappropriate behaviours in the school and links well with some of the content areas of the KS:CPC.
Lorna Fenech, Adelaide West Special Education Centre Principal, said:
‘We’ve had a significant increase in use of positive language, talking to students and about students. We’ve had a decrease in behavioural incident reports.’
View the presentation Making the shift: A school wide approach to Positive Behaviour Intervention Support for more about this focus.
Lesley's resources
Lesley has compiled the following lists of resources that she uses in her program at Adelaide West.
Instructions
- Choose one song that you will use for the year to start your teaching in this area.
- Give your class about 5 minutes notice that the safety lesson will be starting.
- When the 5 minutes are up, start your song. Some students will automatically move to the whole group desk area while others will need guiding or a visual prompt to sit with the group.
Provides for the learner
- Routines for stability and order
- Repetition for learning (strengthens connections within the brain)
- Predictability – provides safety for the learner
The videos listed below are suggestions only. Always review videos first to determine suitability for your students.
Reception – Primary
Body parts song for kids - This is me! by ELF Kids videos
This teaches the body parts and also number counting.
This teaches parts of the body and the active verbs associated with each part. For example, “seeing” is associated with the eyes.
This teaches different emotions. You can use visuals on sticks or puppets of emotions in the song for students to hold up at the appropriate time in the song.
Primary – Senior
This teaches that there are a variety of emotions and that they all have a place.
KS:CPC Focus area 1: The right to be safe
Books | Web-based resources |
---|---|
Felix and Alexander by Terry Denton Franklin is lost by Paulette Bourgeois & Brenda Clark I Don’t Want to Go to School by Nancy Panda Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox I’m Not Going Out There by Paul Bright Fearless by Colin Thompson Mr Jelly by Roger Hargreaves Jellylegs by Colion Varney Little Red Riding Hood by Mara Alperin and Loretta Schauer Bear & Chook by Lisa Shanahan and Emma Quay Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen |
Sesame Street: James Gandolfini talks about feeling scared Buckle up for the kids Warning signals: Story – Feeling unsafe |
KS:CPC Focus Area 2: Relationships
Books | Web-based resources |
---|---|
One Duck Stuck by Phillis Root Home at Last – The Adventures of Joey Grey by Kerry Kitzelman and Steve Parish Sebastian lives in a Hat by Thelma Catterwell Mutt Dog! by Stephen Michael King My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook The Sneetches by Dr Seuss The Juice Box Bully by Bob Samson and Maria Dismondy Alexander and the wind-up mouse by Leo Lionni Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon! by Pat Cummings Home, Sweet Home (on Twinkl) |
Kids for Character: Trustworthy Fair and unfair: Rosa the rabbit learns to be fair
|
KS:CPC Focus Area 3: Recognising and reporting abuse
Books | Web-based resources |
---|---|
Personal Space Camp by Julia Cook Mutt dog! by Stephen Michael King The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill and Laura Huliska-Beith I feel scared when Mum and Dad fight by Tess Rowley and Rhiannon McLay |
A social story about personal space Good touch and bad touch: What’s the difference |
KS:CPC Focus Area 4: Protective strategies
Books | Web-based resources |
---|---|
The Lighthouse Keepers Catastrophe by Ronda and David Armitage Jasmine’s Butterflies by Justine O’Malley |
Sesame Street: Don’t be a bully What makes a good friend? |
Lesley has provided a lists of guided meditation resources for children.
Young children
Title |
Duration | Artist/Album | Platform |
---|---|---|---|
Sailing boat on calm waters |
4:18 | Sada/Meditation for kids | iTunes/GooglePlay |
Rocket ship journey |
5:17 | Sada/Meditation for boys | iTunes/GooglePlay |
Rainbow friend meditation |
5:31 | Sada/Meditation for kids | iTunes/GooglePlay |
Shell meditation |
5:33 | Sada/Meditation for kids | iTunes/GooglePlay |
Sleepy night garden |
4:03 | Sada/Meditation for kids | iTunes/GooglePlay |
Older children
Title | Duration | Artist/Album | Platform |
---|---|---|---|
Turtle meditation | 3:50 | Sada/Meditation for kids | iTunes/GooglePlay |
Colourful balloons for inner peace | 5:37 | Guided meditation for happier kids | iTunes/GooglePlay |
Tree meditation | 4:56 | Sada/Meditation for kids | iTunes/GooglePlay |
Dolphin ride meditation | 6:54 | Sada/Meditation for kids 2 | iTunes/GooglePlay |
Ether - Journey into silence (body relax) | 5:20 | Chitra sukhu/Guided meditation for children | iTunes/GooglePlay |