National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
The National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) is an Australian organization that seeks to resource and network child welfare professionals and practitioners working to prevent child abuse and neglect from happening before it starts. It does this through the provision of tools, resources, support networks and information.
Led by the passion and commitment of its founders - Rosemary Sinclair AO and Christine Stewart - NAPCAN was founded in 1987 to establish lines of communication between government departments and agencies, professionals and community groups working in child protection.
This national community network was used as a channel to share educational material and to filter key issues onto a national agenda, to promote a national focus on the prevention of abuse and neglect of children and to establish community advocacy for the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and to provide information AbOUT nurturing and protective parenting.
In 2005, NAPCAN launched its new strategic plan. This plan has as its vision every Australian community is child friendly , and focusses on promotion and primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. There are five major strategies identified in the document:
1. Media and advocacy
2. National Child Protection Week
3. Developing and providing prevention tools and resources
4. Education through community and professional workshops
5. Research and building knowledge
In 2006 NAPCAN launched its new social change initiative, Child Friendly Australia, to engage every member of the Australian public to make a positive difference to children's lives by making their local community child friendly.
External links
- NAPCAN Website Primary NAPCAN website
- Child Friendly Australia Website for one of NAPCAN's initiatives
- ISPCAN The International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect of which NAPCAN is a member