October 2020
The resources for our child protection programme for primary and intermediate schools, ‘Keeping Ourselves Safe’ (KOS), have been updated on the School Portal and are now available to download as Word, PDF or Google Docs.
In late 2019, we worked with CORE Education to survey teachers and School Community Officers about the KOS primary programmes. They told us they wanted updated student resources, online digital resources, and more on cyber safety. As a result of this feedback, the resources have now been updated.
The purpose of KOS is not only to teach students a range of safe practices that they can use when interacting with other people, but also to encourage students who have been or are being abused to seek help, and to prevent abuse by making parents and teachers more aware of their responsibilities to help students avoid abuse.
School Community Officers partner with schools to implement KOS, including supporting professional development for staff, consultation with parents/whānau, planning teaching programmes, co-delivering some sessions, and often being the first point-of-contact for disclosures.