Big jump in child abuse at home: report

There has been a big increase in child abuse and neglect committed in the family home, according to a recent study.

The National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) says figures released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed a 29 per cent jump in child abuse or neglect by a parent or guardian since 2011.

It went from 31,527 in 2011 to 40,571 last year, NAPCAN said in a statement released as part of National Child Protection Week, which runs until Saturday.

But Victoria Police deputy commissioner Graham Ashton says it is not just parents or guardians who are responsible for sexually abusing children.

Mr Ashton says a lot of children who are sexually abused are attacked by other people known to them.

Mr Ashton says parents can help prevent attacks by keeping a close eye on their children.

"As responsible parents we need to be making sure that supervised contact occurs or that we're monitoring behaviours of children ... because there may be cues to say there's something inappropriate going on," Mr Ashton said in a YouTube statement on Monday.

He said it was also important for parents to discuss the dangers of online predators with their children, and to tell them not to befriend people they did not know personally.

Mr Ashton said online predators used a technique of getting minors to send graphic images which would then be used to blackmail and extort the victim into physical offending.

Mr Ashton said police figures showed 3905 children were sexually assaulted in Victoria last year.