Wellbeing Matters

Keeping Kids Safe: Preventing Sexual Harm and Violence

FREE Parenting Program

Dates: Tuesdays – 28 April, 5 May, 12 May, 19 May

Time: 6:00pm – 8:30pm (arrival from 5:45pm)

Location: Mentone Activity Hub, 29 Venice St, Mentone

Registration: Via our webpage 

Participants will receive:

• A free workbook to support session activities
• A free copy of Talking Sex: A Conversation Guide for Parents by Vanessa Hamilton
• Expert facilitation from specialists in respectful relationships, sexuality education and violence prevention
• Practical tools to support conversations at home
• Dinner provided at each session
• Door prizes at the conclusion of the course

Across the four sessions, parents will explore:

• Their role in preventing violence and harmful sexual behaviour
• How to talk about healthy relationships and consent
• Supporting teens to stay safe online and offline
• Understanding the drivers of gender-based violence and how to address them at home

Each session builds on the previous one, so participants are encouraged to attend all four sessions to gain the full benefit of the program.

This program is delivered by WHISE in partnership with La Trobe University’s Partners in Prevention Project, Sexual Health Victoria, Talking the Talk Healthy Sexuality Education, and South East Community Links.

eSafety News: Introducing our brand new online safety game 

We’re excited to share our brand new Mighty Heroes adventure, a fun, interactive web-based game created to help primary school-aged children learn to stay safer online.   

🎮 About the game:  

• Designed for interactive whiteboards, tablets, desktops and laptops  
• No logins required – easy access for educators and students  
• Flexible – pause anytime to discuss key online safety messages  
• Trusted learning – aligned to V9 Australian Curriculum and eSafety’s Best Practice Framework for Online Safety Education  
• Co-designed – developed with educators, parents, and children to meet real classroom needs  
• Educator support – includes 60+ classroom activity ideas, answer keys, and student worksheets 

With 9,000+ game players in the first week, early feedback shows why it’s landing so well. 🙌

Students say it’s fun, worth playing again, and something they’d recommend – captured perfectly by comments like ‘fun but you still get to learn stuff’.  Educators are equally enthusiastic, calling it ‘an Australian product that fills a gap in our curriculum resources.’  

Delivered by the experts at Butterfly Foundation, this 75-minute webinar aimed at parents of teens provides practical strategies for reducing the focus on appearance and body comparisons, increasing self-compassion and body appreciation, supporting healthy attitudes towards eating and movement in teens, responding to negative self-talk and appearance-related teasing, and what to do if you are concerned.

Date: Thursday 9 April 2026

Time: 7pm – 8.15pm (AEST), plus question time

Via Zoom: Time limited recording available

Register:  HERE

Cost: $15

The Parent Hope Podcast

When children are exposed to confronting sexualised online content, parents can be left reeling—worried about the impact, unsure what to do next, and tempted to jump into control mode. While Australia has now rolled out restrictions on social media, much of the damage has already been done, leaving many families trying to work out how to respond.

In this episode, we speak with Dr Marshall Ballantine-Jones, a leading specialist in online sexualisation education with more than 25 years of experience supporting children, youth, and families. As CEO of DigiHelp Publishing, Marshall designs school-based programs that address the realities of online behaviour with honesty, compassion, and practical strategies.

Supporting You to Support Them

FREE Professional Coaching Sessions for Parents/Carers of Teens 12–18yo

Free resources for families of adolescents aged 10 to 14 years

The Department of Education has launched an Easing into adolescence webpage for families of students aged 10 to 14 (Grade 5 to Year 8). 

The webpage has information and strategies you can use to help ease your child into adolescence and secondary school. These include: 

• a guide to emotion coaching. Staff from The University of Melbourne’s Tuning in to Teens Kids program developed the guidance.
• how to support your adolescent with their studies and more generally. Parenting expert and clinical psychologist Andrew Fuller helped develop this resource.

Subtitles for videos by The University of Melbourne on the webpage are available in 10 languages. You can select your preferred language on the translations page.

For questions about these resources, contact the Strategic Partnerships, Transitions and Student Voice team. You can email them at Secondary.School.Transition@education.vic.gov.au.

Community Services Directory on BSC Website

There is a Community Services Directory on the BSC website. This page provides links to a range of wellbeing services available to students and parents in our community.

Webinars for parents and carers |eSafety Commissioner

Ms Rachel Felmingham (Mental Health Practitioner) and Mr Elin Kim (Counsellor)