How to talk to your kids if you are worried something might have happened
(aka: The conversation you pray you’ll never need - but must know how to have)
It’s every parent’s worst fear!
The panic that comes with wondering if your child might’ve been hurt. Maybe there was a shift in their behaviour....
Before I became a police officer, I didn’t know much about child sexual abuse. It just wasn’t something people talked about when I was a child growing up or as I became a parent myself.
I joined the WA Police before my daughter had turned 2-years-old and she grew up with me in the blue uniform, hel...
It’s the scenario no one ever wants to imagine—but far too many live through.
You start to notice something off in your child - behaviours that don’t make sense, disclosures that chill you to the bone, a gut instinct that won’t leave you alone. Then it hits you like a freight train: the person harm...
There's a comforting lie we love to wrap ourselves in as parents:
"They’re home. They’re in their room. They’re safe."
It’s the lie that lets us exhale after a long day. The lie that soothes the part of us desperate to believe we’ve done enough. But what if that lie is the very thing putting our k...
It’s the moment every parent dreads. Your child comes to you - or worse, you discover—that they’ve seen something explicit online. Maybe it was pornographic content, a violent video, or something just deeply inappropriate for their age. Your stomach drops. Your heart races. And suddenly, you’re stan...
I recently spoke with a mother who reached out to me because her 5-year-old child had disclosed sexual abuse - not from an adult, but from another 5-year-old child.
Let’s just pause there.
Because this is the part no one warns you about.
No one tells you what to do when the harm doesn't come from...
Our kids will test us with the little things before they’ll trust us with the big things!
As a former child abuse detective, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial it is for kids to feel safe and supported by their parents, especially when it comes to difficult or dangerous situations. But here’s a truth...
Entering the dating world as a single parent involves balancing your emotional needs with your children’s safety and well-being. Not a simple task.
Introducing someone new to your child’s life is a big decision that requires careful thought and planning. While it’s natural to want companionship, it...
Parenthood comes with a range of highs and lows, but for those who carry trauma, parenting can be uniquely challenging. Experiences like childhood abuse and sexual abuse, neglect, or witnessing domestic violence can leave lasting scars that impact the way we approach caregiving, sometimes triggering...
The difference between inappropriate and grooming behaviours
As parents, educators, and caregivers, distinguishing between inappropriate behaviours and grooming tactics is crucial for protecting children against child sexual abuse.
Inappropriate behaviour can often be a boundary-crossing incident ...
With Christmas fast approaching, some of you may be feeling a bit stressed as to how to manage and cope with the often pushy and seemingly well-meaning family members, who also know how to push your buttons and have certain expectations. You know the one’s I’m talking about???
But before we talk ab...
Setting up your child’s new smartphone or device for success and safety
Whether it’s your child’s first phone or their next device, it is super important that we don’t give our kids a smartphone or device with access to every danger on the internet, without putting up some guardrails and protectiv...
