The Tasmanian Department of Education, Children and Young People (DECYP) has developed a Respectful Relationships Education package for children from Foundation through Year 6. On first glance, the program looks positive—focusing on kindness, empathy, inclusion and teaching children how to stay safe. But a closer reading reveals some worrying gaps in safeguarding, and creeping use of language and ideas that are not always age-appropriate or scientifically sound.
So, what does this document do well, and where does it risk letting children down?
What the program gets right
- Practical safety tools
Children are introduced to the “Say No – Leave – Get Help” framework, a simple and memorable way to set boundaries and seek support if they feel unsafe. - Challenging stereotypes
Handouts and activities encourage children to question outdated assumptions like “boys shouldn’t cry” or “girls can’t play sport.” This helps broaden opportunities and reduces pressure on both boys and girls. - Digital safety awareness
The program recognises the real risks children face online. Lessons on photo-sharing, privacy, and online consent are timely and important, especially given the rise of cyberbullying and inappropriate image-sharing. - Attention to disclosures
Teachers are encouraged to set clear classroom ground rules and to be prepared if a child discloses harm. This is a vital part of any safeguarding strategy.
Where the program goes wrong
- Risky role-plays
Children are asked to role-play as victims, perpetrators, and bystanders in scenarios involving unsafe behaviour. While intended to build empathy, this practice risks normalising harmful dynamics or triggering distress. Safeguarding would be stronger if scenarios were handled through teacher-led stories or anonymised scripts rather than peer-to-peer acting. - Photo-sharing activities
Some handouts ask students to imagine they’ve sent a photo of themselves and it’s been posted online. While realistic, this could backfire—either by prompting oversharing or by normalising risky behaviour. Clearer boundaries are needed to ensure children learn to never create or share such images. - External links without age checks
Teachers are directed to outside resources such as the eSafety Commissioner and other materials. While many are helpful, some external links have previously contained contested ideological framings or material not suited to younger age groups. Schools need to vet these resources carefully. - Ideological slippage
Although less explicit here than in early-years documents, the emphasis on “inclusive identities” creates space for gender ideology to enter the classroom. For children aged 5–12—who are in concrete developmental stages according to Piaget—abstract claims like “your genitals don’t make you a boy or girl” are confusing and inappropriate.
Safeguarding must come first
There is much to commend in the Respectful Relationships program. Helping children learn about respect, empathy, and safety is essential. But safeguarding requires clarity, not confusion. Children in the early and middle years of schooling need concrete facts about bodies, families, and safe behaviours—not ideology presented as science, and not activities that risk retraumatisation or oversharing.
If the positive elements of this program are kept and the risky ones stripped back, schools can give children the strong foundation they deserve: respect for others, confidence to say no, and the security of knowing that truth and safety always come first.