The information in the Weekly Wrap is aggregated from other news sources to provide you with news that is relevant to the education sector across Australia and worldwide. Each paragraph is a summary of the subject matter covered in the particular news article. The information does not necessarily reflect the views of CompliSpace.

AUSTRALIA

According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, the National Children’s Commissioner, Megan Mitchell, welcomes the Prime Minister's confirmation that the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has endorsed National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. "The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations form a national benchmark for organisations working with children and young people across sectors and the country to develop and maintain a child safe culture. I am proud to have worked with the Australian Government in developing and promoting the National Principles," said Commissioner Mitchell. The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that many organisations in Australia failed to protect children from abuse, failed to listen to children who tried to disclose abuse, and failed to respond appropriately when abuse came to light. To help ensure that this does not happen again, the National Principles aim to provide a nationally consistent approach to creating organisational cultures that foster child safety and wellbeing across all sectors.

Second Draft of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards Released

According to a Catholic Professional Standards Limited (CPSL) media release, a second draft of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards has been released prior to final adoption. After rigorous consultation processes conducted by CPSL, a second draft of the Standards was provided to the November plenary meeting of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference and to Catholic Religious Australia for their consideration, in line with CPSL’s constitution. CPSL CEO, Sheree Limbrick said it is understood that finalisation could take another month or so but that significant changes are not expected. “We have decided to release this second draft to enable participating entities to closely consider the detail of the Standards and support material designed specifically to support implementation … This current draft of the Standards is the result of 18 months of consultation and testing. They have been mapped against state legislation, the recommendations made by the Royal Commission and by national bodies and overseas experience. They take the new National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and apply them to the Catholic Church context,” Ms Limbrick said.

How Posting a Photo of Your Child's First Day of School is Putting Them At Risk

According to The Age, if you have posted a photo of your child's first day at school or shared an image of them blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, you've probably put them at risk of having their email or bank account hacked. "As a parent, you've potentially leaked the first school and date of birth of your child and these are some of the facts used by many organisations to verify that you are who you say you are," said academic director of the Australian Computing Academy James Curran, who co-authored the Australian digital technologies curriculum. Associate Professor Curran has helped develop a set of challenges under the Schools Cyber Securities Challenges program that will help high school students learn about the risks posed by social media and other online activities from the other side by acting as hackers.

Remember Dollarmites? Now Teachers Want Big Banks Out of Their Schools

According to ABC News, teachers are demanding that the Federal Government bar the big banks from marketing to children inside schools under the guise of financial literacy education. Nearly two thirds of the nation's schools participate in school banking programs. The most well-known is delivered by the Commonwealth Bank, which runs the Dollarmites rewards scheme. The Australian Education Union (AEU) said the programs allowed banks to recruit children as customers from an early age, with many of them sticking with the one bank for a lifetime. "There's no place for private corporations to go into schools and try and trap children into banking with them for the long-term future," AEU president Correna Haythorpe said. "These programs need to be delivered by teachers." A spokesperson for the Commonwealth Bank said that the institution had "a strong and respected track record of providing quality financial education programs in Australia."

Boost to Provision of Swimming Lessons in Victorian Schools

According to Education HQ, Victorian schools are to get more support to improve the delivery of life-saving swimming and water safety programs. Minister for Education James Merlino announced the introduction of swimming coordinators across every Victorian education area to support schools to offer swimming programs and award Victorian Water Safety Certificates. The 17 swimming coordinators will also support the delivery of new resources and training for teachers developed by Life Saving Victoria as part of a $4 million 2018-19 Budget investment in swimming and water safety education.

Labor Promises $40,000 Bursaries to Encourage “Best and Brightest” into Teaching

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, a Labor government would offer Australia's "best and brightest" up to $40,000 to encourage them into teaching and boost the performance of Australia's school system. Up to 1000 high-achieving students and professionals a year would receive tax-free bursaries during their teaching degrees under the plan to be announced by deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek on Monday. “If you were dux of your school, won a university medal or are at the top of your profession, we want you to consider a teaching degree,” Ms Plibersek said.

Online Safety

According to Independent Schools Victoria, the Australian Government has announced new funding to help non-government organisations deliver “practical online safety education and training projects”. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the $10 million Online Safety Grants Program would support organisations such as the Alannah and Madeline Foundation and Dolly’s Dream provide children with the “tools and information they need to stay safe whenever they are online”. He said the government was also responding to a request from child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, by commissioning a review of ‘digital licences’ and other tools designed to build and test children’s online safety skills.

Anti-vax Parents Targeted in National Campaign

According to The New Daily, anti-vaxxers’ misinformation and lies about the benefits of childhood vaccination will be targeted in a new TV advertising campaign designed to ensure 95 per cent of under-fives are fully vaccinated. Health Minister Greg Hunt announced an extra $12 million to fund the campaign on Sunday as he released the latest update to immunisation national rates. Australia is now on track to hit a record target of 95 per cent of children aged under five immunised against deadly childhood diseases by next year.

Students and Graduates to Help Decide What's in the Curriculum

According to The Age, students and recent graduates will soon have a say in what’s in the curriculum, including texts studied during the VCE, under an overhaul of Victoria’s education watchdog. The move follows a successful campaign by students, who have been pushing for representation on the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority board and a separate panel that advises on VCE texts. The authority provides the curriculum, assessment and reporting for all state and private schools. Details of the new model are still being finalised, and it’s not yet known what mix of former and current students will serve on the board of the curriculum authority and its text advisory panel, or how they will be selected.

Education Revolution to See the End of Year Levels, Introduction of a Student-driven Curriculum

According to The Advertiser, three Adelaide high schools are leading a revolutionary education approach that could signal the end of traditional syllabus and year levels. In a new era of empowerment aimed at keeping students engaged and preparing them for the workforce, schools are allowing pupils to design the curriculum and giving them seats on governing councils. Adelaide public high schools Playford International College, Findon High School and Valley View Secondary are among 35 schools around the nation, public and private, that have joined the alliance.

South Australia Launches Major Principal Wellbeing Program

According to The Educator, this week marks the beginning of South Australia’s first ever Principal Wellbeing Program which aims to support site leaders to manage the significant emotional demands of their roles. The program, which is part of a broader package of measures to support employee wellbeing, is designed to meet the needs of principals and preschool directors and will kick off with 35 leaders from metropolitan and regional locations. Developed by senior psychologists and informed by national best-practice, the Principal Wellbeing Program has been created in response to national research into the effects of complexity and workload demands on school leaders. The first session, focussing on Psychological Safety and Wellbeing, will take place on March 7.

Queensland Acts on Cyberbullying

In a media statement, the Queensland Government announced that the Premier has written to the CEOs of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Google, reminding them of their obligations to better protect young people who use their online and social media platforms. Updating Parliament today on the government’s response to the Queensland Anti-Cyberbullying Taskforce report, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also said she was writing to television networks, broadcasters and streaming services, requesting that they include “bullying” in program consumer advice. “I’ve also announced a new Advisory Committee has been established to help Queensland Government departments action the 29 recommendations from the Queensland Anti-Cyberbullying Taskforce report,” Ms Palaszczuk said. “The committee is an important next step in creating a safer and more supportive online environment for Queensland’s children and young people. The safety and wellbeing of Queensland’s young people is a top priority for my Government and the work of this committee supports our $3.5 million commitment to address the prevalence of cyberbullying and the harm it can cause.”

INTERNATIONAL

(US) The #1 Cause Of Death in Children and Adolescents in The United States

According to Clean Technica, a valuable report published in the New England Journal of Medicine lists the 10 leading causes of death among American youth. It examines statistics regarding the 20,360 deaths of children and adolescents in the United States in 2016. The #1 cause of death among America’s youth is car crashes. Motor vehicle crashes caused the death of 4,074 children in 2016. That’s more than 80 kids per state. “Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for children and adolescents, representing 20 per cent of all deaths; firearm-related injuries were the second leading cause of death, responsible for 15 per cent of deaths.” Firearms caused the death of 3,143 children in 2016.

(International) Measles: WHO says cases have jumped 50 per cent

According to The Guardian, anti-vaccine scepticism, conflict and poor access fuelled a 50 per cent increase in measles cases last year, according to the World Health Organization. The UN health agency said the resurgence was happening at a global level, including in wealthy nations where vaccination coverage has historically been high. “Our data is showing that there is a substantial increase in measles cases. We’re seeing this in all regions,” said Katherine O’Brien, WHO’s director of immunisation and vaccines. “We’re having outbreaks that are protracted, that are sizeable and that are growing. This is not an isolated problem.”