A guide for children and young people to the National Strategy to prevent child sexual abuse (2021)

This guide is intended to help children and young people understand child sexual abuse, how and where to get help, and how the National Strategy is improving Australia’s response to child sexual abuse. It is recommended for children aged 9 years and up.

The development of the National Strategy was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The National Strategy is a 10-year framework to help all state and territory governments to respond in a consistent and coordinated way to prevent and better respond to child sexual abuse. You can view the National Strategy on the website of the National Office for Child Safety (NOCS).

The Commission developed this guide on behalf of NOCS, and in collaboration with children. Consultations to support its development took place in three South Australian primary schools with children aged 8–13 years, who had received parent consent to participate. Specific target groups in the consultations included children with disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

The Commission would like to thank the children involved for sharing their views and suggestions to ensure this guide helps other children to understand child sexual abuse and how and when to get help.