The MacKillop Institute

We’re thrilled to announce a new scholarship opportunity worth up to $44,000 for a Victorian residential care provider who wants to implement the Power to Kids program. The Residential Care Learning and Development Strategy (RCLDS) is offering to fund up to 80% of an organisation's implementation fee of the Power to Kids program, up to a maximum of $44,000. Expressions of interest are open until 30 October so get in quick! Power to Kids is a professional learning program that upskills residential care professionals to effectively prevent, identify and respond to concerns related to child sexual exploitation, harmful sexual behaviours and dating violence. Power to Kids was referenced in the Commission for Children and Young People’s Out of Sight Report (2021) as an example of best-practice and was a key recommendation for state-wide implementation. 🌐 Learn more about this exciting opportunity and how you can apply here https://lnkd.in/gqFSrGhr Centre for Excellence in Child & Family Welfare #childprotection #childsafety #residentialcare #RCLDS #powertokids #childsexualexploitation

Power to Kids National Program Director Smeeta Singh attended the 2024 ResiROCKS event last week. ResiROCKS celebrates the dedication of our residential care workers from across the state who work tirelessly to care for Victoria’s most vulnerable children and young people. Congratulations to the Victorian residential care workers who were recognised at this year's awards. The Residential Care Learning and Development Strategy (RCLDS) is offering to fund up to 80% of an organisation’s implementation fee of the Power to Kids program, up to a maximum of $44,000. This generous funding will help residential care workers to receive essential training and tools to prevent and respond to child sexual exploitation, harmful sexual behaviours and dating violence. Learn more about the program and how to apply for funding here https://lnkd.in/gqFSrGhr Centre for Excellence in Child & Family Welfare #childprotection #childsafety #residentialcare #RCLDS #powertokids #childsexualexploitation

Victorian School Leaders – are you ready to strengthen your school’s culture of safety? Join our free webinar, "Leading Child Safety in Schools: Empowering Your School Community," where expert speakers will share practical strategies to embed child safety across your school. Hear from: ✏️ Shannon Tyrer, Director of Project Evoke, with over a decade of experience in consulting with government and youth agencies, consulting on the Child Safe Standards and Mental Health toolkit. ✏️ Anne Henderson, MacKillop Education's Director, former university lecturer and school principal, with 30 years in education leadership. ✏️ Lisa Del Din, National Child Safety, Quality, and Compliance Leader, who specialises in empowering staff and addressing misconceptions about child safety. 📅 Wednesday 30 October 🕒 3.30 - 4.30 pm AEDT 💻 Register here https://lnkd.in/gcYXs7CM All participants will receive a professional learning certificate aligned with AITSL Teacher Standards. Don’t miss this chance to lead the way in child safety! #EmpoweringStudents #StudentVoices #ChildSafeStandards #SafeLearningEnvironments #SchoolCulture #ChildSafety #SchoolLeadership

Free Webinar Alert: Sex education in the Age of Pornography Join us for a thought-provoking professional learning webinar with Smeeta Singh and Maree Crabbe on Tuesday, 12 November, from 4 to 5 pm AEDT. In this session we'll explore how pornography is impacting young people today, what we can do about it, and how we can create safer environments for brave conversations in schools. This is an essential learning opportunity for all school professionals. Don't miss out - register today! Maree has been a leader in the field of sexual violence prevention and has presented her work at conferences and events worldwide. This session will provide valuable insights for all school professionals. All attendees receive a PD certificate for their records. 🌐 Register here https://lnkd.in/g-ThhqMT #SchoolSafety #ProfessionalLearning #PowerToKids #PornographyAwareness #MacKillopFamilyServices #BraveConversations

Your next PD session is here! We are excited to launch our Term 4 webinar series for educators, school and wellbeing leaders, with a range of experts and topics. All of them are brought to you free by The MacKillop Institute. Professor Yong Zhao - 'Reimagining Australian Schools for Teacher and Student Success' Join Distinguished Professor Yong Zhao (University of Melbourne and Kansas University) a globally renowned education expert and author of over 30 books, discusses innovative insights to support both teacher and student and success with ‘2024 Most Influential Educator’ Justin Roberts, and Chris Higgins MICDA Higgins. 📅Thursday 7 November, 3.30 pm AEDT 🌐 Register here https://lnkd.in/gjvjCa_F Maree Crabbe - Sex Education in the Age of Pornography Maree Crabbe, sexual violence prevention advocate and Director of 'It's Time We Talked' and expert will explore how pornography is impacting young people and how schools can create safe spaces for brave conversations about sex with Smeeta Singh. 📅Tuesday 12 November, 4.00 pm AEDT 🌐 Register here https://lnkd.in/g-ThhqMT Dr Bo Hu and Simangaliso Nyoni - Cultivating Cultural Responsiveness: Belonging and Inclusion for Young People Join Dr Bo Hu, PhD, Simangaliso Brenda Nyoni, Smeeta Singh and Chris Higgins MICDA to explore how cultural responsiveness can foster belonging for young people. Our expert panel will share practical strategies, approaches and real-world examples of implementing culturally responsive practices. 📅Tuesday 29 October, 3.30 pm AEDT 🌐 Register here https://lnkd.in/gbphzAvW Shannon Tyrer - Leading Child Safety in Schools: Empowering Your School Community Join Shannon Tyrer, Anne Henderson and Lisa Del Din to explore how school leaders can embed child safety into their school culture in meeting Victoria’s 11 Child Safe Standards. We'll discuss strategies to engage the whole school community in creating a safe and supportive environment. 📅Wednesday 30 October, 3.30 pm AEDT 🌐 Register here https://lnkd.in/gR3BCgSY #ProfessionalDevelopment #ProfessionalLearning #PD #PL #TeacherPD #TraumaInformedPractice #Education #StudentSuccess #EducationalLeadership #SchoolLeaders #SchoolLeadership

⏰ There’s still time to register for Positive Schools’ BIG WORKSHOP.     Walk away with practical strategies you can implement in your schools and classrooms. Justin Roberts, ReLATE National Program Director and inclusive education expert, will run a keynote on how to successfully engage young people who are struggling to engage with learning.     Positive School’s BIG WORKSHOP will be a unique two-day workshop style event. Attendees will have opportunities to interact with the content and reflect on its application in their context.     Register here https://lnkd.in/g3e5_3U6    Dr Helen Street  #positiveschools #teacherPD #studentwellbeing #education #professionaldevelopment #teaching 

Rebecca Glenton from St Vincent de Paul Primary School Strathmore was the lucky winner of our wellbeing hamper from the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Conference. We love being able to connect with educators and wellbeing leaders at conferences and events. We hope to see you at: 📍Positive School's Big Workshop, 17 October - 15 November in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Melbourne 📍AISNSW Education Research Symposium 2024, 24 - 25 October, Sydney 📍Trauma Aware Education Conference, 31 October - 2 November, Brisbane 📍ReimaginED24, 8 November, Melbourne #teacherPD #studentwellbeing #education #teaching #MACS

Join us for a webinar with Distinguished Professor Yong Zhao 'Reimagining Australian Schools for Teacher and Student Success'. This webinar is free for school leaders and educators in Australia thanks to support from The MacKillop Institute. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to hear from Professor Yong Zhao and gain fresh insights and practical strategies for improving student and teacher engagement, wellbeing, and outcomes! All attendees will receive a certificate for their PD records covering AITSL Professional Standards: 1.2 Understand How Students Learn 4.1 Support Student Participation 6.2 Engage in Professional Learning and Improve Practice 7.4 Engage with Professional Teaching Networks and Broader Communities 📅 Thursday 7 November 🌐 Register here https://lnkd.in/gjvjCa_F #schoolleadership #studentsuccess #teacherwellbeing #webinar #teacherPD

“Australia is quietly confronting a profound national crisis.” In a powerful piece for Eureka Street, Power to Kids National Program Director Smeeta Singh sheds light on this silent epidemic and the pressing need to protect our children and young people. “One in every four Australian children has been a victim of child sexual abuse. It's a statistic so staggering, so obscene, it defies easy explanation. Yet according to the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), one in four children have experienced sexual abuse, with girls facing double the risk of boys. You would never guess it, given the lack of urgency from our national discourse." Read the full article here https://lnkd.in/gD48XxRz #ChildProtection #ChildSafety #EndChildAbuse #SilentEpidemic

It takes a village to make an impact. We recently had a stellar event to celebrate the expansion of the Power to Kids residential care program into school settings. When things go so well on the day, it's easy to forget that so many people put in so much work to make it feel that way! A special thank you to everyone at The MacKillop Institute, MacKillop Family Services and Westpac who worked behind the scenes. When you look at those smiles, you can tell we love our work! We would also like to thank our panelists for their invaluable contributions to important discussions around child sexual safety. Smeeta Singh Anne-Marie Brooks Anne Henderson Chris Higgins MICDA Sam Patterson Kim Beswick Jan Phyland