College Counsellor/Social Worker News

SPECIAL REPORT: A Conversation on Consent

A recent petition, instigated by a former school girl from Sydney, calls for young women to come forward if they have been subjected to sexual assault whilst still at school. It has since gone viral with thousands of young women signing the petition or sharing their stories which are often graphic, disturbing and upsetting.The petition calls for sex education, in particular consent, to be taught at a younger age in schools. 

The observation being that consent is being taught too late, with many young people not understanding the boundaries of consent resulting in sexual assault or rape. This call for change has made many schools reassess their curriculum around sex and life education to help protect young people across the nation.  Parents also need to start having conversations around consent sooner rather than later, as some teens experience their first sexual encounter well before the subject matter is delivered. It is not enough for parents or carers to assume that your teenager knows or understands what consent means and the implications surrounding it. It is important for them to learn about boundaries to enable them to respect themselves and their partners.

 This Special Report offers parents guidance around normalising the topic of consent to ensure your teenager experiences healthy and respectful relationships. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this Special Report, and as always, we welcome your feedback.If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your child, please contact the school for further information or seek medical or professional help.

Here is the link to your special report 

https://mccww.catholic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-conversation-consent

The report also contains a Poll Question that we encourage you to participate in: 

When would you like to see education around consent conducted in schools? 

PLEASE NOTE: Responses to all poll questions remain anonymous and are only reported on an aggregated basis

There are other great resources on School TV on related topics available such as follows: Click here for other School TV editions

For support in relation to some of the issues raised in this Special Report, please contact one of the following services:

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)Lifeline 13 11 14Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

Kids Help Line 1800 55 1800 or go to their website www.kidshelp.com.au

Karen Surian

College Counsellor/Social Worker