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WHAT IS PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOURS?
BACKGROUND RELATING TO THE MOVE FROM STRANGER DANGER TO THE PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOURS PROGRAM.
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In the early 1980's, Victoria Police's newly formed Community Policing Co-ordinator's Office was involved in the establishment of a programme called "Stranger Danger". After several years, with the growing community information and understanding of the nature and prevalence of sexual and physical abuse, the feedback to the government sector and to the police, began to challenge the rationale and the effectiveness of programmes designed to educate children about the dangers of contact with strangers. Police members from the Research and Development Department began a comprehensive search for a programme which would equip children and adults with the information and skills necessary to protect themselves from the most likely perpetrators of abuse - their own family networks. |
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This is born out by information received in the 1995-96 period, 91,734 notificates of Child Abuse and Neglect were received by community service departments in Australia (Broadbent & Bentley, 1997.p.xiii) The exact prevalence rate of child abuse and neglect in Australia at this time remains uncertain. However, 94% of reported Child Sexual Assault cases in Australia, being perpetrated by a person known to the child (McDonald, 1997,p.61 )
PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOURS PROGRAM
In co-operation with selected community representatives, these police members examined a large number of prevention programmes before it discovered the "Protective Behaviours Programme". Protective Behaviours - or PB's as it was soon called - was initially developed in 1970's in the state of Wisconsin,U.S.A. A pastoral care teacher in a state school by the name of Peg Flandreau West a pioneer in this work , and wrote the Basic Essentials manual for use in Australia in 1988. Peg developed the programme in response to the needs of the many students who came to her for support because they were being physically or sexually abused by members of their family networks. Peg spent several years modifying, expanding and fine-tuning the programme to suit the needs of all people for protection and empowerment.
The full implications of empowerment unfolded as people began to use the programme, and teachers and workers in a variety of fields began to develop other applications for it's use. Today, P.B.'s is used in a variety of settings, providing a structure for children, adolescents and adults. The program is being introduced into schools via the Prevention Education Syllabus to address bullying, drugs, and sexuality. So it is not only to avoid becoming a victim of abuse but also to become adventurous, empowered individuals.
Protective Behaviours has now been implemented in every state in Australia. In Western Australia it has the support of the The Police Department, The Health Department, Disability Services, The Education Department and Family and Children's Services. A voluntary committee co-ordinates Protective
Behaviours W.A. (Inc), and is made up of representatives from government and non-government agencies, as well as interested members of the community.
About Protective Behaviours:
- As a safety programme Protective
Behaviours provides people with strategies to keep
themselves safe and cope with situations that threaten
their well being.
- Protective Behaviours is a simple but not simplistic problem solving programme adaptable for all age groups, which empowers people in dealing with difficult or hostile situations.
- Protective Behaviours is a preventative programme, a living skills programme which enables people of all ages to develop skills to help them deal with all forms of difficult and abusive behaviour.
- It is a body centered awareness program that calls on a persons intuitive senses to assist them in implementing strategies that work for the individual.
- It encourages the child/adult to adopt the attitude that they have' a right to feel safe' and 'claim' that right.
Who can use it:
- All members of the community i.e. professionals, parents, seniors, people with intellectual difficulties, children/adults, workers/clients in institutions.
Summary of the Programme:
Protective Behaviours encourages people to identify and deal with potentially unsafe/risky situations such as:
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Verbal Abuse Physical Abuse Sexual Abuse Driving your car Sexual Harassment |
Bullying Emotional Abuse Domestic Violence Drug abuse Harassment at school/work |
The Protective Behaviours THEMES: (West 1989p.2.)
"We all have the right to feel safe all the time"
and
"Nothing is so awful that we can't talk with someone about it"
CORE CONCEPTS: SAFETY EARLY - WARNING SIGNS - NETWORKS
Together with strategies that support the implementation of the program.
BENEFITS:
Empowering people with this transformative work results in confidence, ability to identify safe and unsafe situations, liberating appropriate action to get help, enhanced communication and assertiveness. Significantly improved personal, organisational and community networking, resulting in safer communities.
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