Kelly Vincent MLC Announces Seminar Series
22/10/2010
“How you can Help Protect your Sons and Daughters with Disabilities from Sexual Abuse”
Kelly Vincent, Dignity for Disability MLC, in support of Carers Week welcomes parents and guardians of children and adults with disabilities to the first of a series of workshops aimed at giving families the tools to protect their sons and daughters from sexual abuse.
It is estimated that children with a disability are 700% more likely to be a target of abuse. While that is a frightening statistic, parents and carers can arm themselves, and the people they care for, with the tools to understand, recognise and report sexual abuse.
Following on from her introduction of The Disability (Mandatory Reporting) Bill in July 2010, Ms Vincent’s Parliamentary Office has been deluged of reports from workers and families supporting the bill and lamenting the lack of current supports to prevent, report or manage abuses of some of our most vulnerable citizens.
Kelly Vincent, MLC said “I have been informed of several tragedies in the past few weeks, where people with disabilities have suffered horrendous abuse. We are working with Government to prevent abuse at a systemic level, but I believe that every parent and carer needs to educate themselves and their children, in a developmentally appropriate way to stop these nightmares.”
In this first seminar of a series of events, world renowned child abuse expert Dr Briggs will share her knowledge of the problem and offer practical ways to help children, and adults with intellectual disabilities in particular, protect themselves.
Carer Support has generously offered their support of the event, and will be providing on-site childcare with qualified workers for children with and without disabilities to make sure parents have every opportunity to attend.
The incidence of abuse and neglect of people with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual disabilities, (who make up around 1-2% of the Australian population) is one of the great unknowns, and in South Australia, there are no public records of numbers of recorded abuse among this population.
“I ask all parents of children with any disability, parents of adults and with an intellectual and/or communication disability as well as disability support workers to make every effort to attend” said Ms Vincent.
Speaker: Emeritus Professor Freda Briggs AO
Cynthia Poulton Hall, St Peters Cathedral
Cnr King William Road & Pennington Tce, North Adelaide
Monday November 8th 9.30am – 12.30pm
Free childcare provided (bookings are essential)
RSVP via Email (preferred): [email protected]
or Message Phone: 8237 9543
