The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) is a symbol of hope and an essential vehicle for action for many victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. Its formation recognises the decades of advocacy by victims and survivors to be listened to, believed, validated, protected and ultimately supported to heal from the trauma they carry with them. Its focus extends beyond institutional child sexual abuse to abuse that occurs in the family, community and online.
The National Centre has woven the voices and experiences of victims and survivors into its very fabric. It acknowledges the strength and expertise that derives from their lived and living experience of child sexual abuse. The National Centre recognises and honours the diversity of victims and survivors' experiences, identities and cultural backgrounds and their contributions to the common purpose of addressing child sexual abuse.
Our founding story
The establishment of a national centre to raise awareness and understanding of child sexual abuse, support help-seeking and guide best practice, was a key recommendation (9.9) of the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Royal Commission identified that ongoing national leadership is necessary to improve outcomes for victims and survivors of past child sexual abuse and prevent future child sexual abuse.
Of the 136 Royal Commissions conducted since Federation, this was the first relating specifically to the sexual abuse of children and young people. It was a watershed inquiry that helped the nation to understand the real and enduring effects of the trauma stemming from child sexual abuse. It also made it clear that “the number of children who are sexually abused in familial or other circumstances far exceeds those who are abused in an institution.” As such, the National Centre will focus on child sexual abuse in all the contexts in which it occurs.
Founded in late 2021, the National Centre is a partnership between three respected organisations with strong histories of leadership in responding to the child sexual abuse – the Australian Childhood Foundation, Blue Knot Foundation and the Healing Foundation.


Vale Joe Tucci
Dr Joe Tucci, who sadly passed away in March 2024, was our inaugural Board Chair and CEO of the Australian Childhood Foundation. A driving force in the safety and protection of children worldwide for decades, Joe's vision for the National Centre knew no bounds. It was clear, steadfast, and filled with hope and optimism that we would create real change together. Joe’s leadership on a range of National Centre foundational resources have and will continue to be critically important. We will continue honouring Joe’s remarkable contributions by further realising his vision of a very different world for children and for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse.
Our vision
A community where children are safe and victims and survivors are supported to heal and recover, free of stigma and shame – a future without child sexual abuse.
Our purpose
To disrupt the dynamics that have failed to stop child sexual abuse and prevented victims and survivors from being believed, validated and supported in the ways they need.
Our strategies & plans
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This Strategy represents the start of a committed journey for the National Centre to transform the way that child sexual abuse is understood and responded to in Australia.
It describes a collective ambition in which we all work together to:
- empower, educate and enable families, communities and service providers to better meet the needs of victims and survivors of child sexual abuse across their lifespan
- empower children, young people and adults who have experienced child sexual abuse to heal and recover
- inspire community, policy and practice change to stop child sexual abuse from occurring.
Here for Change – Our Five Year Strategy has been widely consulted in its development and sets the starting point for what the National Centre intends to do. We cannot achieve our plans, however, without collaborating closely with the many national, state and local initiatives. For this reason, the National Centre will periodically pause and reflect on the best way it can continue to meet the intentions of those the Strategy seeks to benefit. This Strategy will also continue to evolve over time with the input of victims and survivors and other key people and organisations.
This Plan sets out the importance and role of learning and professional development to the National Centre’s strategic goals. It outlines our direction and approach to build and strengthen the capability of workers and organisations in how they respond to and support victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, and how this will be achieved through training, learning and development opportunities.
This Plan sets out the National Centre’s strategic research objectives and priorities and describes the ways in which we will deliver these to a high standard. The aim is to build an accessible and robust evidence base that will contribute to addressing our seven key challenges and supports our organisational goals.
The National Centre’s Knowledge to Action Framework describes how we build, shape and grow a shared body of usable and meaningful knowledge to positively influence beliefs, attitudes, practice and policy. We define knowledge as expertise, evidence and experience from five diverse and interconnected sources including: Lived and living experience; Cultural knowledge; Research and theory; Practice Knowledge and Procedural knowledge.
Through our Knowledge to Action Framework we will mobilise knowledge through multiple and coordinated initiatives and activities to respond to different contexts and needs. This includes training and professional learning, knowledge resource development, policy and advocacy, communication and awareness raising and research and evaluation.
Our board
Meet the team

Dr Cathy Kezelman AM
Board Chair

Tamara O’Sullivan
Board Director

Karen Flanagan AM
Board Director

Glenn Kennedy
Deputy Chair

Shannan Dodson
Board Member

Fiona Cornforth
Board Member

Janise Mitchell
Board Member

Michael Go
Board Member
Click on board member to read bio

Dr Cathy Kezelman AM
Board Chair
Dr Cathy Kezelman AM is a medical practitioner, President of Blue Knot Foundation and has a lived experience of complex trauma. She has been a driving force within Blue Knot, previously ASCA, for over two decades and has held a number of board and key representative roles within the mental health and related sectors.
Cathy is co-author of a range of seminal Blue Knot publications and guidelines, a prominent voice in the media and at conferences, and a national advocate for trauma-informed transformational changes and informed responsiveness to people experiencing the impacts of complex trauma.

Tamara O’Sullivan
Board Director
Tamara O’Sullivan is the Executive Manager at the Blue Knot Foundation. Tamara has experience leading people and programs in child protection, OOHC, preservation and restoration. Tamara also managed the scale up of a centre based therapeutic restoration program working with parents and their children to bring them home safely; funded under Australia’s first Social Benefit Bond.
Tamara has a strong therapeutic background and has been involved in the development and implementation of trauma attuned services, providing education and support for the professional community through raising awareness and building capacity in practice.

Karen Flanagan AM
Board Director
Karen has been referred to as one of Australia’s foremost child protection advocates. She qualified as a social worker in Northern Ireland and has many years of clinical, managerial, training and research experience in child protection and safeguarding. Karen specialises in prevention of and response to child sexual abuse and designed award-winning therapeutic programs for victim-survivors and perpetrators of sexual violence.
In 2010 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “Service to the community in the area of Child Protection through contributions to policy and program development and legislative reform”. Karen has recently joined the Australian Childhood Foundation as National Executive Director of Therapeutic Services after 20 years in International Development work including, Save the Children’s Principal Advisor for Child Protection, responsible for leading the provision of technical support, business development, program design/evaluation and capacity building for staff and partners nationally and internationally.

Glenn Kennedy
Deputy Chair
Glenn Kennedy has extensive legal, fiduciary, trustee, compliance, governance, and risk framework experience in international banks across Asia, Europe and Australia. As a values and integrity-driven senior leader and CEO, he has a track record in stewardship, industry engagement, driving transformation and enhancement in business performance.
Glenn also has considerable director experience and a passion for heritage management, is a qualified solicitor and has worked in legal practice in Sydney and Dublin.

Shannan Dodson
Board Member
Shannan Dodson is a Yawuru woman and CEO of the Healing Foundation. She was previously the Deputy CEO of the National Aboriginal Sporting Chance Academy (NASCA).
She has over 18 years experience working in Indigenous affairs and is a strategic communications and engagement specialist. She has extensive skills in management, campaigning, public speaking, media, writing, and community engagement.
She was recently the Co-Chair of the National NAIDOC Committee and worked on the Australian Marriage Equality campaign. Shannan is passionate about First Nations’ rights and understanding mental health issues, particularly intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Fiona Cornforth
Board Member
Fiona Cornforth is of the Wuthathi of the far north-east cape of Queensland with family roots also in Zenadth Kes. She is a founding Board Member of the National Centre as previous CEO of The Healing Foundation. Fiona has gained experience and perspectives in education, leadership and business development locally and globally and shares a message of celebration and gratitude for the greatness of ancestors, Elders, and the ontology and authority that holds her and her family. Fiona is now Head of Centre at the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research at the Australian National University.

Janise Mitchell
Board Member
Janise is a social worker, Deputy CEO at the Australian Childhood Foundation and Director of the Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care. She has experience in child protection, high risk adolescents, public policy analysis, program development and evaluation and has extensive experience in the development of innovative therapeutic programs for traumatised children and young people.
Janise is responsible for the development and implementation of a number of national and state-wide therapeutic out-of-home care programs, child abuse prevention programs and professional education training programs. She has a Masters degree examining the policy and practice underpinning therapeutic care initiatives in Australia and is an Adjunct Associate Professor with Southern Cross University.

Michael Go
Board Member
Michael Go is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience in C-Suite and Non-Executive Director roles. He has held senior leadership positions at a number of organisations in investment banking, capital markets, technology and not-for-profits. In these roles, he has demonstrated a proven track record of success in growth, regulation and compliance and business transformation.
Michael is passionate about using his skills and experience to make a positive impact on the world. He is particularly interested in working with organisations that are focused on social justice, environmental sustainability and education. In addition to his professional experience, Michael is also an active speaker and writer on topics related to leadership, innovation and social impact. He is a regular contributor to industry publications and has spoken at events internationally. Michael is a highly motivated and results-oriented leader who is committed to making a difference in the world.
Our executive team
Meet the team
Meet the team

Scott Thompson
Director of Finance and Corporate Services

Alisa Hall
Acting CEO, Director of Practice Development and Engagement

Professor Andrea de Silva
Director of Knowledge Generation, Research and Evaluation

Our staff team
Click on team member to read bio

Scott Thompson
Director of Finance and Corporate Services
Scott Thompson is a CPA and has an MBA from Deakin University. He worked in public practice in Australia before moving into corporate roles after moving to London in 2001. He started his corporate career at Thomson Reuters before moving into the technology and software industry where he gained experience in large international organisations and private equity.
Upon relocating back to Australia in 2015, Scott has worked in the mental health, education and disability sectors. It is from these roles that Scott found a sense of purpose from working with charities and not-for-profits, leading him to the role of Director of Finance and Corporate Services at the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse.

Alisa Hall
Acting CEO, Director of Practice Development and Engagement
Alisa is a social worker, service leader and executive with 30 years of experience working in health, community care, and violence against women and children service areas and settings. She has extensive experience leading workforce programs and initiatives to build the capability of practitioners, organisations, sectors and industries, including as Deputy Director of Health and Community Services Workforce Council and Director of Programs at the social impact organisation Pilotlight UK.
With qualifications in social work, public health, organisational behaviour and governance, Alisa has held numerous board and committee roles across the areas of education, consumer advocacy and community care.

Professor Andrea de Silva
Director of Knowledge Generation, Research and Evaluation
Andrea is an experienced applied research professional, knowledge generator and thought leader with over 20 years of experience working across diverse areas of public health, prevention, social justice, and inequalities. Her skills include co-designing and evaluating solutions to complex societal problems informed by lived experience, data, evidence and practice-based knowledge. Andrea uses her expertise and experience to create evidence-based services, policies and laws, and drive system reforms to address barriers that harm, marginalise and oppress.
She has led research teams in top tier universities and previously held roles as Research Director in several Victorian public sector organisations. In addition, Andrea has published over 150 research articles and reports, presented internationally and is an adjunct Professor at Monash University.

Our staff team
We have a group of highly capable staff who work across research, communications, knowledge dissemination and organisational functions and who are committed to ensuring that everything we do strikes a balance between empathy and expertise, between reflective listening and targeted action.
Our governance

