BUILDING SAFETY
Help shape emotionally literate, empathetic, resilient children who can safely navigate the complexities of life.
Building Safety, formerly known as Jade Speaks Up, is our flagship teacher-led programme. It creates a safe space for exploration and equips teachers with emotional literacy skills to build trust, while empowering tamariki and rangatahi with self-calming strategies and critical thinking skills for challenging situations.
Building Safety addresses the complex issue of family harm, equipping students with the knowledge and tools to stay safe. It also supports teachers to feel confident when receiving a disclosure—knowing what to say, what to do, and how to seek appropriate support for follow-through.
For over a decade, teachers have seen students successfully apply the strategies they’ve learned to help keep themselves and others safe.
Who is this programme for?
What to expect
This programme benefits all child-centred professionals and social service agencies
supporting tamariki and their whānau.
What to expect
Embodied learning activities for students to build and maintain healthy relationships.
Practical tools and approaches to open up a safe, trusting space for children to talk about their life and experiences beyond the classroom.
Practical safety plans and self-care strategies for your students.
A short animated film for classroom use that sensitively opens the topic of family harm.
Facilitated discussion on the scale and dynamics of family harm and violence in Aotearoa New Zealand and its impact on children.
To consider teacher well-being and how to use or expand your networks of help to support yourself if needed.
Professionally facilitated conversation regarding school policies and procedures for responding to disclosures.
What you'll learn
Dealing with Disclosures of Family Violence
Gain the confidence and know-how to respond appropriately and compassionately to disclosures of family violence, ensuring children feel heard and supported.
Safety Planning
Teach your students how to plan and act in potentially unsafe situations, enhancing their personal safety and confidence.
Addressing Family Harm
Openly discuss the impact of family harm and how to stay safe, providing critical support to students who may be facing such challenges.
Managing Next Steps
Develop a clear understanding of when external help is necessary, ensuring students receive comprehensive support when needed.
Course Overview
Building Safety
Create a safe space for tamariki and rangatahi to talk about family harm, give them tools to stay safe, and build your confidence to support them effectively.
Module 1: Creating Safety
Learn how to identify situations and environments that feel safe or unsafe.
Learn how to recognise when you don't feel safe and how to keep yourself safe.
Explore everyday situations that can become unsafe or scary.
Module 2: Understanding Safety
Watch and discuss Jade Speaks Up, a short animated film featuring Jade, a young girl who learns ways to stay calm and safe when adults’ behaviour feels frightening.
Understand how feelings can influence both helpful and unhelpful behaviours.
Identify what led up to the unsafe interactions within Jade’s family.
Module 3: Making Safe Choices
Learn that the choices we make can help keep others safe.
Identify pressures that can affect how we treat others, and ways to act responsibly and respectfully.
Reflect on the strategies learned and how to apply them in everyday life.
"The most powerful lesson I learned through Jade Speaks Up is that a child without a voice in a violent home feels powerless and may struggle to reach their full potential.
Adults face many stressors, and children caught in these situations need to know there is a trustworthy adult in their life who can understand and support them."
Lisa Sell
School Principal
"What an extraordinary programme.
Jade Speaks Up is useful for everyone,
not just at-risk children."
Eve Tonkin
School Principal
“Jade Speaks Up brings classes together, strengthens students’ language and confidence in dealing with difficult issues, and fits seamlessly within our intermediate school—both culturally and across the curriculum.”
David King
School Principal
“I’ve been waiting years for a programme like this.
Jade Speaks Up equips teachers to support children experiencing trauma.
Even children from stable homes benefit, with every student given a chance to participate, learn, and shine.”
Teacher
Te Ara Koropiko | West Spreydon School
“Jade Speaks Up gives at-risk kids the reassurance
that they are not alone and creates a safe space
for them to share their stories.”
Teacher
Intermediate School SENCO
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