Striving Together: Inclusive Practice at School + at Home

Striving Together: Inclusive Practice at School + at Home

Every Voice Matters: Supporting Young People to Navigate Relationships and Online Content. National Child Protection Week: 6th-12th September. 

As young people grow, conversations about relationships, consent, sexuality and online content become an important part of keeping them safe and helping them develop respectful, healthy relationships.

For neurodivergent young people, clear, explicit and ongoing conversations can be particularly valuable, as social expectations and unspoken rules are not always easy to interpret.

Rather than one big or awkward “talk”, try having small, regular conversations that match your young person’s age, development and individual needs. Talking while walking, driving or doing something together can make conversations feel more natural.

A few things that can help:

Be clear and curious: Ask what they already know and what they think, rather than assuming they understand.

Make consent explicit: Talk about consent, boundaries, respect and how to recognise when someone is uncomfortable. Reinforce that consent must be freely given and can be withdrawn.

Talk openly about online content: Young people may encounter pornography or sexualised content online, sometimes accidentally. Help them understand that pornography is not a realistic model for sex, relationships or consent and can present harmful ideas about bodies, gender, power and relationships.

Don't rely on hints or assumptions: For some neurodivergent young people, directly explaining social expectations, boundaries and online risks can be more helpful than expecting them to infer them.

Build a trusted team: Let your young person know there are several safe adults they can turn to if they have questions, feel uncomfortable or make a mistake online.

Keep the door open: Reassure them that they can come to you with questions or concerns without automatically getting into trouble. If something has gone wrong, staying calm and listening first can help them feel safe enough to seek support.

Most importantly, these conversations don't need to be perfect. What matters is creating an ongoing message that questions are welcome; our boundaries matter, and our young people can ask for help when they need it.

For age-appropriate advice and resources, families can explore: eSafety's resources for parents and carers and its resources for young people, as well as: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/healthyliving/young-people-13-19.

For neurodivergent students, here are some more specific resources to thrive online: https://www.esafety.gov.au/young-people/using-your-neurodivergent-mind-to-thrive-online 

Ms Cologni (Inclusive Practice Leader)