DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EDUCATION IN OUR ISLAND SCHOOLS
Each year, Queensland marks Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month to raise community awareness of domestic and family violence, and to send a clear message that violence of this sort will not be tolerated.
The Special Taskforce on Domestic and Family Violence in Queensland in its ‘Not Now, Not Ever’ report ( https://www.communities.qld.gov.au/gateway/end-domestic-family-violence/about/not-now-not-ever-report ) recommended that individuals, community groups and the private sector work together to help prevent domestic and family violence and support those effected.
As a school, Russell Island State School has announced via a recent newsletter it will be a ‘Respectful Relationships’ school. This initiative has begun this year and will commence with specific lessons trialling in years 1 and 2.
The school’s P and C has endorsed this initiative.
Respectful Relationships education takes a primary prevention approach that has been shown to work to prevent violence against women, including domestic/family violence and sexual assault. It gives students the knowledge and skills they need to become thoughtful and engaged members of society, and to contribute productively to the contemporary workforce and economy.
There have been promising results from a whole-school approach to respectful relationships education in secondary schools and we are now being supported to do this in our primary school.
A growing body of evidence shows that social and emotional learning of this nature leads to:
• improved social and emotional skills, self-concept, bonding to school, and positive classroom behaviour
• fewer conduct problems such as disruptive classroom behaviour, aggression, bullying and delinquent acts
• reduced emotional distress such as depression, stress or social withdrawal
Studies also show that students perform better academically.
Giving students knowledge on this subject can also lead to a positive outcome in the home.
Every day the family structure plays an important role in students’ lives.
The role of parents and carers, is critical in the social and emotional learning of your child.
You can learn more about how you might support this program by visiting this link: http://education.qld.gov.au/parents/information/respectful-relationships/p-2.html, and: https://www.ourwatch.org.au/Preventing-Violence/Parents-Caregivers-(1)