Play a Part

Research shows that the best way to prevent child abuse and neglect is by building communities that support and value children and families. Communities who openly respect the rights, needs and views of children, and that have services and systems that work in a coordinated way, have fewer incidences of child abuse and neglect.

NAPCAN's Play a Part is a whole of community approach to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. It mobilises communities by engaging its members in activities that promote the wellbeing and protection of all children. The aims of the program are:

  • to promote the benefits of a child friendly culture

  • to support communities to create and sustain unique child friendly environments and child friendly practices, reflective of the individual community's assets

  • to promote a universal prevention focus to child abuse and neglect.

Play a Part celebrates the uniqueness, potential and the successes of individual communities and is pro-actively focused on achieving outcomes that support and value children and families.

In partnership with the community, the Play a Part team work to support natural community gatherings - for example schools and early childhood communities, community organisations, sporting groups and clubs, local communities and workplaces - to help identify, explore and map a community's strengths and assets. They then drive the development and implementation of a Child Friendly Action Plan that is unique to the strengths and needs of that community.

Connected healthy communities are able to identify and support children and their families in times of stress and can therefore help to inhibit the cycle of child abuse and neglect.

There are things that we can all do everyday to help children to grow and prosper in a caring, child friendly community: getting to know our neighbours, making a connection with the families on our street, being aware of the services that offer support to families in our suburb.

As a society we can make a difference.

Each of us must Play a Part in preventing child abuse and neglect by taking steps to make our community child friendly.

Play a Part is grateful to the Queensland Department of Communities for its ongoing support and funding.

If you would like the NAPCAN Play a Part team to help you help your community, please contact the QLD NAPCAN Office on 07 3846 1888.