It Takes a Village to Teach Your Children About Consent

In an era when conversations about consent, respect and online safety have never been more urgent, Jane Gilmore’s It Takes a Village to Teach Your Children About Consent arrives as a timely, accessible and essential resource for parents, carers and educators. Following the 2024 introduction of mandatory consent and respectful relationships education across Australia, the book offers vital guidance for adults who are often only a step ahead of the children and teenagers they’re trying to support. Most adults never received this kind of education themselves, and many are now struggling to understand what their kids are learning at school — and how to reinforce those lessons at home.

Drawing on her PhD research into preventing sexual violence, and months of interviews with teachers, parents, children, and teens about their needs and experiences of consent education in schools, Jane brings both academic depth and real-world insight to her work. She combines expert knowledge with heartfelt but unidentifiable anecdotes to help adults confidently tackle the questions every parent, carer, and teacher now faces including:

·  How do I talk to my teen about porn?

·  What is the manosphere, and do I need to worry about it?

·  How can I protect my child from online grooming?

·  How do I have conversations about consent with my children?

·  How do I know if my child is being abusive, or being abused?

As the online world evolves faster than families can keep up, and distressing headlines about grooming and child sexual abuse dominate the news, Jane’s book arrives at a crucial moment – offering every adult a practical toolkit to help navigate these complex issues. As Jane says ‘The online world is changing so quickly, parents and families are feeling really left behind. Also, with consent and respectful relationships education mandatory in all schools now, there’s so much going on for children and teens that their adults never experienced.’ 

The recent Department of Social Services’ “Consent Can’t Wait” campaign encourages adults to lead on these conversations and It Takes a Village to Teach Your Children About Consent offers the knowledge, language and confidence to do exactly that.

It Takes A Village To Teach Your Children About Consent is available to purchase directly from the author here.