When Yes Means YES! Wrap-up for 2024
Nov 2024
Written by Belinda Lorek
November 30 is the International Day of Consent. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge a fantastic year working collaboratively across ACF, CETC with OzChild on the When Yes Means YES project. This has been a project funded and supported by the Department for Families, Fairness and Housing, Victoria.
Our online course, When Yes Means YES: A carer’s guide to conversations about consent with young people has this year been piloted with OzChild foster carers. We would like to thank all the carers who participated in the pilot, taking the time in their busy weeks to do the course and generously provide us feedback. We would also like to thank the young people who were involved in the early development of the activities and engagement strategies.
Reflecting on carer’s feedback, all the carers agreed this was an important topic, particularly for young people living in out-of-home care. All the carers we spoke to reiterated these conversations were essential, as was the need to start conversations early.
“it will be useful & important for all carers but especially carers of younger children, so we can start building their understanding of bodily autonomy & how to manage healthy relationships”
Carers also shared their deep concerns and challenges supporting young people online and in respect of social media use. Carers knew that keeping updated with contemporary knowledge was important but a constant demand, due to the rapidly evolving online environment.
Many carers were already having conversations with young people in their care but reflected that the online course was a great refresher, creating a space for them to reflect and prepare for deeper discussions.
“It kind of really reaffirmed to me that I’m having the right conversations but gave me more confidence in having them, and some ideas on how to have them”
This six-module self-paced course covers preparation for trauma-informed discussions, grooming, online safety, healthy relationships, boundaries and consent. It features the living voices of carers, which was definitely a highlight for carers who piloted the course.
“it really more broadened and added depth to my knowledge about how to navigate or build strength in kids in regards to friendships, boundaries, and relationships in general”
Thank you again to the carers and young people who supported the project. We are looking forward to making the When Yes Means YES course more broadly available in early 2025, so keep an eye out!
We are also excited to be working on a second consent project with the support of DFFH in 2025, and we will share the next steps with you in the new year!
The International Day of Consent is a great day to plan a consent related conversations with a young person, to explore a consent-myth, or realign perspectives on relationships – no matter how big or small. Our engagement forms part of an ongoing dialogue about the crucial topic of consent with the young people we care about.
