Institute of Child Protection Studies

Kids First Australia National Conference starts today 31 Oct - 1 Nov 2024. Theme: Child Sexual Abuse & Harmful Sexual Behaviours. Hear from speakers from across Australia at the forefront of practice, policy and advocacy. The conference is presented against the backdrop of findings from the landmark Australian Childhood Maltreatment Study #ACMS that has shown high levels of child sexual abuse. Around 1 in 4 (28.5%) Australians aged 16 years and over have experienced child sexual abuse. This has to change. Speakers include Anne Hollonds, Daryl Higgins, A/Prof Tim Moore, Gabrielle Hunt, Carol Ronken (on the lands of the Kombumerri people), Jackie Bateman, Grace Tame, Graham Gee (Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and many many more. Registration details: https://lnkd.in/gkVi-Gjh

𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀, 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹. Please join us to hear from Delia Donovan from Domestic Violence NSW, Mary Jo Mc Veigh from Cara House Family Resource Centre, A/Prof Tim Moore from Institute of Child Protection Studies, Dr Robert Urquhart from Barnardos Australia and a youth advocate from NAPCAN, who will discuss practitioner strategies on how to amplify the voices of children and young people exposed to coercive control. 📅 Tuesday 10 December ⏱ 12pm - 1.30pm 💻 Online via Zoom Register here: https://lnkd.in/gDzCSe2J Hosted by ACWA CCWT.

In depth analysis of how schools and parents respond to deepfakes, nudes teen misogyny and gendered misconduct. At the heart of this unacceptable behaviour is how we understand consent. https://lnkd.in/gSMPdtFd

The First Global Ministerial Conference on Violence against Children is taking place in Bogotá 7-8 November 2024. ChildFund Alliance will be represented at the conference and, together with World Health Organization and Save the Children International, is organizing a series of Satellite Events scheduled ahead of the main program.    We encourage you to attend the 6 November Satellite Event on Ending Corporal Punishment of Children. The session will be moderated by Margaret Sheehan, CEO, ChildFund Australia. Boramey Hun, Country Director, ChildFund Cambodia, will speak about the critical role of civil society in ending violent punishment of children. We also expect several government delegations to take the floor with remarks, in addition to experts from academia. Here is the link to register: https://lnkd.in/gUr_ZhUr

What an amazing first day at the Kids First Australia “Ciild Sexual Abuse and Harmful Sexual Behaviours” conference - so many takeaways from the inspiring and thought provoking presentations. Bryan Downie from the office of the eSafety Commissioner presented some sobering insights, two that stuck out for me were that 94% of Australian 4 year olds have access to an internet connected device and that in the past year the Commission received 33,800+ CSEM reports and they are predicting receiving 60,000 this year. I spoke on sibling sexual harm… international research shows that sibling sexual abuse is 3x more prevalent than parental sexual abuse… we don’t talk about sibling harm enough, it still remains hidden in our communities. Next the amazing A/Prof Tim Moore presented on participatory research with young people looking at safeguarding efforts - sadly 4 in 10 young people reported that they would not feel comfortable speaking to an adult in their school if they were feeling unsafe… over half reported that they did not feel they would be believed if they disclosed not feeling safe with a school staff member. Gabrielle Hunt then spoke about her fascinating PhD research looking at peer sexual harassment (data from the #ACMS). Her analysis of the data has huge implications for how we respond to and prevent sexual harassment. What didn’t surprise me was how adults very much minimise disclosures of harassment, and that the average age of children experiencing sexual harassment is 11 years of age. The phenomenal Daryl Higgins spoke to the findings from the ACMS, I know I’ve posted on this before but the increased experience of child sexual abuse by those who are gender diverse and those that are sexuality diverse still floors me. We really need to have discussions around how we can better ensure safe support for those young people. Daryl also spoke about taking a public health approach to preventing sexual abuse… including focusing on contextual and situational prevention approaches. Next up we were so fortunate to have a personal and passionate presentation from Laura-Jane [LJ] Singh, an inspiring woman from the Quandamooka and Wiradjuri Nations. I noted down one quote, that sits so beautifully within the context of this conference “These kids owe us nothing, but we owe them everything”. Addressing the very real and continuing impacts of colonisation and the white child protection system on First Nations children, families and communities is critical. Sadly I had to leave at afternoon tea for a zoom meeting and missed the last session, but I can’t wait until tomorrow’s agenda

It has been 18-months since the living experience of 8,500 Australians was shared through the Australian Child Maltreatment Study. This groundbreaking research has and continues to provide a shocking and sobering account of the enduring prevalence of child maltreatment in Australia.   As a country we have never known more about the nature and extent of child maltreatment and we have never been better informed on how maltreatment can be prevented, responded to, and how children, young people, and families can be supported in their journey of healing following an experience of maltreatment.   Despite this, the systems designed to prevent and respond to child maltreatment are struggling to adapt and without a significant commitment to genuinely transformative whole-of-system change, our shocking contemporary reality where more than 60 per cent of Australian children experience at least one form of maltreatment will continue to be written into the experience of generations to come.   I was privileged to share my reflections this week on the impact of the Australian Child Maltreatment Study together with Deirdre CHEERS, Phil Doorgachurn, Daryl Higgins and Deb Tsorbaris and discuss what is needed in the months and years to come. As the ACMS clearly articulated, “it is a moral, social and economic imperative for Australian governments to develop a coordinated long-term plan for generational reform" to address and eliminate child maltreatment. Change is possible, change is required, and now more than ever, change is overdue. PeakCare Queensland Centre for Excellence in Child & Family Welfare Families Australia Institute of Child Protection Studies Barnardos Australia Australian Childhood Foundation Jamie Crosby Luke Twyford #acms #child #youth #family #protection #safety #maltreatment #abuse #neglect #research #prevention #earlyintervention #reform #youthjustice #mentalhealth

“Good parenting is the clean water of children’s mental health, resilience and, wellbeing” – Convenor, Professor Matt Sanders. Abstract submissions for the International Congress on Evidence-based Parenting Support 2025 are open! Submit your abstract now: https://lnkd.in/gG8MFeam #ICEPS2025 Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) World Confederation of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies (WCCBT) Anne Hollonds Sophie Howe

Highly recommend this article - authors Jessica Cocks (Life Without Barriers) Rob Ryan (Parenting Research Centre) and Ben Spence (consultant) acknowledge the strength and potential in families and community to support children. They suggest reconceptualising parents and family as leaders and bringing this to our policy, management, system structures and service development. By doing this, we can create accountability and enact change. https://lnkd.in/gZ3P2SQE

NT - please rethink!

Amazing work and leadership as always on this Howard Choo. Great to see the acknowledgement of Young Advisors captured too. Well done!