For years, every time a childcare worker has been charged with offending against children in their care, the public conversation has followed the same script: shock, outrage, calls for "better vetting," and then silence - until it happens again.
It’s a reasonable response but I don't think that scrip...
By now you've probably seen the headlines. A childcare worker in Sydney, now publicly named after a court-ordered suppression was lifted, is facing over 300 charges relating to the sexual abuse and exploitation of children across more than 60 early education centres, spanning 16 years of employment....
Parenting doesn't come with a handbook. And if it did, I'm pretty sure none of us would have time to read it between the school runs, the tantrums, and the seventeen snacks a day.
But here's what I know - as both a mum and a former Detective Senior Constable who spent nearly a decade investigating ...
Can my child go to a sleepover? Is it safe to send them to daycare? Should I let them online? Can I post a photo of them on social media?
These are the questions keeping parents up at night. And I get it - the world feels scarier than ever. The headlines are relentless. The warnings are constant. A...
 What to say when the adults you love are modelling the exact behaviours that put children at risk.
I want to talk about something that doesn’t get said enough.
The behaviours we most commonly associate with grooming and child sexual abuse - the testing of boundaries, the forced physical affection...
I spent nearly six years as a detective specialising in child sexual abuse investigations. In that time, I interviewed hundreds of children and sat across the table from the people who hurt them.
One thing was always true: the abuse didn't start with the abuse.
It started long before - with a proc...
After years working as a detective with children who had been abused, I started noticing something.Â
It wasn't obvious at first but as time went on, certain conditions became consistently apparent.Â
Different families. Different ages. Different settings. Different offenders.Â
Some cases were adult-...
Why Teaching Kids About “Games” Matters More Than Ever
Most unsafe games don’t look unsafe. They start as fun, friendly, harmless… until something shifts.
Predators often disguise grooming as “play” - because games feel normal, familiar and exciting for children.
When kids understand the rules of ...
Grandparents hold a special kind of magic in a child’s world - they’re the storytellers, the biscuit-bringers, the soft landing when life feels hard. They’ve lived through decades of change and with that comes wisdom, love and a deep desire to protect the little ones who light up their lives.
But t...
A Guide to Keeping Kids Safe – Dad’s Edition
(Protection through prevention, not just reaction)
For generations, the role of “protector” has been stamped into what it means to be a dad. You stand at the gate, watching for danger, ready to fight if someone hurts your child.
But here’s the thing - if...
It’s one of the hardest things for a parent or carer to wrap their head around, witnessing a child display sexualised behaviours towards another child. The instinct is to minimise, to explain it away with a nervous laugh and say, “They’re just curious,” or “It’s normal at that age.”
But here’s the ...
Let’s talk about something that makes a lot of adults squirm - how to explain safe and unsafe touch to little ones when we are the ones responsible for helping them with things like toileting, nappy changes and hygiene.
This topic came up from an educator who purchased my Conversations with Kids ca...
