Early last year I was approached by Andrea Musulin, the Managing Director at CFSS WA* in Carnarvon, Western Australia, to design and illustrate a child safety protective behaviours children’s book, entitled Keeping Kids Safe in Carnarvon. Written by Andrea Musulin, the book was set to be a rhyming, age-appropriate storybook to educate Carnarvon children about the importance of personal safety and asking for help when they feel unsafe.

Andrea and the organisation were generous enough to fly me out to Carnarvon from Perth for a whistle-stop tour of the town, including local historical sites such as the cyclone-hit One Mile Jetty.
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I was also fortunate enough to be given a tour by Joan from CFSS WA, also a local aboriginal resident, around town areas with more historical indigenous significance, including local watering holes and the site where the old ‘Ingarda’ Aboriginal Mission used to stand.
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Importantly, I was guided through some of the more socially challenged suburbs in Carnarvon to help give me a better understanding of the bigger picture and effectively, what the project was about. Areas where some children and young adults are at a higher risk of sexual and domestic violence.

Andrea and the team wanted children to relate to the book and consequently part of the books’ strategy was to reference key spots from the area including the towns’ suburbs and geographical sites. Equally, the book also had to hold it’s own in terms of being universally, ethnically and culturally diverse for all children, parents and guardians to use and learn.
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As an educational tool, the book and writings are designed to teach children that if they feel unsafe for whatever reason, it is not OK and they should always tell an adult they trust until they feel safe again.

Lack of education is one of the inhibiting factors when it comes to child abuse and this storybook has been written to increase the knowledge of children in an age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate fashion.
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It is a simple teaching tool that parents, carers, teachers and other service providers can use to introduce the concepts of the Protective Behaviours or Keeping Kids Safe Program.

The book was launched in September last year during National Child Protection Week and was a huge success thanks to the efforts from Andrea and the team at CFSS WA. Guest speakers included Hon Sabine Winton, ‘Minister for Early Childhood Education’. The book was eventually handed to all children and schools in the local area.
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Further Information

If you would like to know more about CFSS WA services, please visit www.cfss.org.au

View Storybook www.cfss.org.au/resources/cfss-publications

*Andrea Musulin, current Managing Director at ‘Child Focused Safety Services WA’.
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This storybook was made possible through the support of:

• The Shire of Carnarvon
• Government of Western Australia, Department of Communities
• Peter Foster MLC, Member for Mining and Pastoral Region
• WA Police