The Wolf at the Door – Protecting Our Children From Sexual Predators

RISE Magazine talks to CACET Global’s Carl Collins about what churches and other youth-focussed organisations need to know, and what they must do, to keep our children safe.

Services and agencies set up to support and develop children and young people are often targeted by child sex offenders. It is imperative that these organisations are aware of the different types of child sex offenders and how they think, operate, groom victims and infiltrate organisations such as schools, colleges, sporting groups and in particular churches.

Over many years Carl Collins has been engaged by churches that have been infiltrated by child sex offenders - providing specialist advice in relation to responding to, as well as the ongoing accountable management of, such situations. It is not until Carl and now his company CACET Global are engaged at this level that, in many cases, a clear lack of professional training has been identified within the organisation. This leaves children vulnerable, as well as the organisation itself and those employed or engaged by it subject to trauma - not to mention costly litigation.

Carl stresses that the safety of children is paramount and if organisations, including churches, are sued for failing to, as far as possible, protect children, “they may well deserve it!”

“Many churches are either providing sub standard training or no training at all for those who oversee or work directly with children and young people”.

According to Carl understanding and responding to child abuse and exploitation is extremely complex.

“Becoming aware of or suspecting abuse is far more complex than simply picking up a phone and making a report. What you say, what you don’t say, who you talk to and who you don’t talk to in that window is extremely important.”

Carl and Ian Hopley are both Executive Directors of CACET Global and both are former child abuse investigators. They have arrived at far too many incidents where an adult had asked a child or young person the wrong questions or spoken to the wrong people and by doing so contaminated entire investigations, leaving children in many cases at serious risk of harm.

“If your car breaks down you don’t take it to a dentist” says Carl. “If you break an arm you don’t seek out a motor mechanic. Many organisations continue to engage people who have simply read a manual and looked at a DVD in order to become the person responsible for training people in the very complex field of child abuse and exploitation.

“In CACET’s view such a practice is nothing short of negligent and has, in many cases, seen churches and other organisations open to costly litigation.”

Ian and Carl are highly experienced in the complex field of child protection investigation and prosecution.

For fifteen years Carl was a senior child protection officer/investigator and departmental prosecutor with Protective Services (Department of Human Services), Victoria. He has also traveled throughout the Asia Pacific region and the USA studying and lecturing on child protection techniques and strategies and has provided consultancy to a wide range of organisations, particularly churches, for over 25 years. Carl was also associate minister of the Marion Church of Christ in Adelaide for 11 years.

Ian is a former Victorian Police Officer of 31 years, spending many years as a senior investigator/detective with the child exploitation unit. Ian has traveled the world studying and lecturing on child protection techniques, has served as a police adviser in a number of developing countries and played a significant role in the writing and implementation of child protection legislation.

They are both determined to make a difference in the battle against child abuse and sexual exploitation throughout Australia, the USA and the Asia Pacific Region. Their company CACET Global continues to make substantial inroads in its endeavour to, as far as possible, protect children from all forms of abuse and sexual exploitation.

Their message to South Australian churches and associated organisations is simple, but crucial – make sure that any employees or volunteers who work with children are well equipped to manage and appropriately respond to suspicions of, or disclosures of, child maltreatment.

The wolf may well be at your door – what is your organisation doing to ensure that the most vulnerable and precious members of your community are protected while they are in your care?

CACET Global offers a wide range of unique awareness seminars. Their established and tailored training packages are presented by highly experienced child protection investigators, prosecutors, counselors and practitioners. CACET Global also conducts specialist training for child abuse investigators and law enforcement agencies throughout the Asia/Pacific region, which includes offender profiling consultancy.

For more information on the steps you need to take to make sure your organisation is properly equipped to prevent child abuse, or for more information about the services provided by CACET Global, visit www.cacetglobal.com.au or phone 08 8373 8015.