A NEW TOOL TO HELP NEW ZEALANDERS RECOGNISE AND ACT ON CHILD ABUSE

Written by Anthea Simcock
Published by CPS

For every child that’s killed or hurt through child abuse, there is an adult saying; “I was worried about that child, but I didn’t know what to do.”

“How Can I Tell?” gives all New Zealanders the skills to recognise when a child or a family is in need of help is the aim of the new book, “How Can I Tell?”

The book also includes advice for what appropriate actions to take if people suspect abuse.

As the subtitle of the book indicates, this book will help New Zealanders recognise when a child or family needs help. It has been designed to be easy to read and carry, to show the positive side of protecting children and at the same time to contain lots of helpful information.

Every Zealander has a responsibility to recognise when a family or child needs help and “How Can I Tell?” will assist. It's not about telling tales or being a nosy neighbour.

Statistically, one child dies every five weeks at the hands of someone who should've been caring for them, and more than 180 children receive hospital treatment each week for preventable injuries. We hope this book, along with careful training of people who work children, can turn those statistics around.

This little book is a good start in ensuring that people who care about children have an opportunity to learn about keeping them safe. There is a lot more that could have been included and a lot more to know. The next crucial step is to ensure that the widely-disseminated knowledge in the book is backed up by good training programmes.

“How Can I Tell?” has the backing of the Chief Youth Court Judge, Andrew Becroft, who wrote the foreword. In it he says “there is a clear link between childhood ill treatment, abuse and later adverse life outcomes, including the risk of criminal offending. The more I work in the Youth Court, the more I am convinced that youth justice really begins at infancy, if not from birth.“

30,000 copies of “How Can I Tell?” have been printed, thanks to the generosity of New Zealand Home Loans and Verdict Communications.

These are distributed to free of charge to people and organisations that are involved with children.

Click To order a copy

Click to download a copy

CPS can be contacted at: info@cps.org.nz, www.cps.org.nz
PO Box 5375 Hamilton, Ph 07 8383370

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