AIFS is partnering with the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) to deliver a webinar on Preventing childhood emotional abuse: Prioritising action on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 1:00PM - 2:00PM AEST.
AIFS will be bringing on an expert panel to discuss practical ways to improve responses to this harmful form of child maltreatment – particularly through parental support.
According to the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), approximately 35% of young people aged 16–24 have experienced emotional abuse. Findings from the ACMS also suggest the prevalence of this form of abuse is increasing with higher rates among younger cohorts (16–24 years) than among older cohorts (25–44 years and 45 years and older).
Emotional abuse contributes to a range of social, physical and psychological issues. However, despite its high prevalence and associated poor outcomes, emotional abuse remains poorly understood across much of the child and family sector.
This webinar will explore some of the risk factors of childhood emotional abuse, including parental stress and burnout, and discuss how to recognise, respond to and prevent this form of maltreatment – with a focus of empathising with the parents you work with and understanding why they might be engaging with their children in this way.
This webinar will give you:
- Insight into the nature and impact of emotional abuse
- Ways to identify risks and protective factors associated with emotional abuse within the family context
- Insight into how to prevent emotional abuse – with a particular focus on parental support
- Tactics for how to start conversations about emotional abuse with parents and children.