Protecting Our Children: Recognising and Responding to Child Maltreatment

This module has been created to build a student's awareness of what constitutes child abuse and how the student can assist in keeping children safe. The module also builds a student's confidence to take appropriate action if they become concerned for the safety of a child.

Protecting Our Children: Recognising and Responding to Child Maltreatment module will cover:

• What is child abuse?
• Signs and indicators of abuse
• Grooming
• Prevention - risk factors and protective factors
• The rights of children
• Child Safe Organisations - what you can do to help keep children safe
• Boundaries and professional conduct
• Responding to disclosures
• Legal obligations and duty to report
• How to report

ACU has made a commitment to empower future professionals and leaders like you to be our safeguarding champions, in the hope that together we can create a culture of safety and responsibility so that we can keep all kids safe from harm. 

ACU acknowledges that many students may never work directly with children. However, Protecting Our Children: Recognising and Responding to Child Maltreatment empowers all students to be more observant, responsible and responsive to child-safety concerns, contributing to a safer and more supportive environment for children overall. 

You can access Protecting Our Children: Recognising and Responding to Child Maltreatment Module through your Canvas account.

If you cannot see the Protecting Our Children: Recognising and Responding to Child Maltreatment Module on your Canvas dashboard, please contact AskACU.

Yes - the Protecting Our Children: Recognising and Responding to Child Maltreatment module contains descriptions of and references to child abuse including child sexual abuse and family domestic violence. We recognise that for some students, particularly those with lived experience, may experience distress when completing this module. Students can request to opt out of the module by completing the below form and by emailing this to respectandsafety@acu.edu.au.

If you are concerned that you might experience distress, but still wish to engage with and complete the module, and feel that you may benefit from a support person with you while completing it, please email respectandsafety@acu.edu.au.

Please note that you are not able to opt out of the module for any other reason, such as:

• Believing you already have enough understanding of child protection
• Thinking that you do not have time to complete the module
• Your religious or cultural beliefs or background

Exemption for this reason isn't possible. Even if you already have a thorough understanding of this topic, completing the module guarantees uniformity in knowledge and reinforces vital concepts for all students. Additionally, the module encompasses essential information all students must familiarise themselves with regarding ACU's behavioural expectations, support access and reporting procedures.

Yes - we recognise that we have a diverse community at ACU and you may not have had the opportunity to engage in much learning around some of the topics covered in the Protecting Our Children: Recognising and Responding to Child Maltreatment module before. We also understand, particularly for some of our international students who speak English as an additional language, some of the language in this module may be new to you. You can access a glossary of terms and concepts here.

International students can also contact the international student advisers on their campus for assistance and support.

If you have not completed the Protecting Our Children: Recognising and Responding to Child Maltreatment module before your results are released for the semester, your results will be withheld until it is completed. Once you have completed the module after the results release date, it may take up to five business days for your results to be released.