Active Research
Community as experts: investigating the context, needs and help-seeking pathways for child sexual abuse survivors and their supporters in the NSW Bega Valley
- Needs of victims and survivors
- Disclosure of child sexual abuse
- Response to child sexual abuse
Research Topic areas
- Community awareness
- Government & policy responses
- Regional, rural & remote
- Therapeutic responses
Project Duration
Start: July 2023
End: June 2025
Geographical Scope
NSW
Populations
Victims and survivorsGeneral communityWorkforce
Young adults (18-25 years)Adults (26-65 years)Older adults (>65 years)
Gender
All genders
Project Lead
Kristina Brenner, Sapphire Neighbourhood Services
Suzanne Milligan, Sapphire Neighbourhood Services
Project lead email: kristina@snsi.org.au
Project Team
Professor Lynne Keevers, University of Canberra
Dr Christopher Pardy, Sapphire Neighbourhood Services
James Brown, Sapphire Neighbourhood Services
Michelle Bonner, The Peregrine Centre for Social Innovation
Background
This project is the first research study to investigate the context, needs and help-seeking pathways of adults affected by child sexual abuse in the NSW Bega Valley. This is an under-explored topic area across many rural Australian communities.
Aims
The project aims to identify ways to improve the healing journeys, and the formal and informal support structures, of people in the Bega Valley who have been directly or indirectly impacted by child sexual abuse. It will also explore situational barriers to child sexual abuse disclosure, help-seeking and support in rural communities.
Methods
This research adopts an embedded mixed-methods approach using the lens of collaborative inquiry, whereby participants are actively involved in all stages of the research process. Data collection will primarily involve anonymous telephone interviews and online surveys with 100 child sexual abuse survivors and 100 child sexual abuse support persons across a 12-month period. The research findings will be articulated from thematic and quantitative analyses and corroborated via focus groups and local service mapping.
Significance and Dissemination
This research will result in place-based solutions and participant-generated recommendations for agencies and community members to support victims and survivors and their support persons, opportunities for advocacy and localised self-organising responses to addressing child sexual abuse in the Bega Valley, and the option for participants to immediately access professional supports relating to their own experiences and healing journeys.
Further Details
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Funding body:
The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse
The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse
Funding budget:
$178,743 grant
$178,743 grant
Monitoring and governance:
This project is guided by oversight of the Project Advisory Group
This project is guided by oversight of the Project Advisory Group
Australian Human Research Ethics Committee:
This project is subject to ethical oversight by the University of Canberra Human Research Ethics Committee
This project is subject to ethical oversight by the University of Canberra Human Research Ethics Committee
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