MEDIA RELEASE
The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) is delighted to announce the appointment of Ms Anna Bartsch to the role of Director, Lived Experience Leadership. As the Director, Anna will oversee the organisational approach to lived experience inclusion, influencing strategic direction, research and knowledge generation, policy development, training programs, and support and mentoring activities. This position has been generated to galvanise the early foundations set through the establishment phase of the National Centre.
Anna has extensive leadership and reform experience in South Australia’s Human Services sector, including work in child protection, youth justice, disability, mental health, substance abuse, Aboriginal health and community services with populations including First Nations, CALD and LGBTIQA+ communities. She is a member of the South Australian Chief Psychiatrist’s Lived Experience Advisory Group and her own child sexual abuse lived experience includes interaction with the Royal Commission, police and the criminal and civil courts systems. Anna has degrees in psychology and communications and further qualifications in mediation, engagement, change management and family violence safety planning.
Speaking on behalf of the National Centre, CEO Dr Leanne Beagley said:
“Anna brings a wealth of expertise to this role including as Senior Adviser for the current South Australian Minister for Human Services, where she led establishment of the state’s first Ministerial Advisory Groups for the disability and LGBTIQA+ communities, and commenced lived experience co-design for the first Statewide Autism Strategy.
“We are looking forward to working with Anna as she brings this expertise to our team – a team that has a vision for 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.”
As she prepares to commence in the role today, Ms Bartsch said:
“I am honoured and thrilled to be appointed to this new role which, in its creation, demonstrates the Centre’s determination to ensure the voices of lived experience are central in everything it does.”
“We are in a national crisis and, as a nation, we must commit to really hearing people’s stories and eliminating all stigma associated with child sexual abuse if we want to better support victims, protect children and prevent offending in the first place.”
“I am driven to improve how lived experience is used to shape policies, systems, services and legislation – it is essential that advice from survivors is considered and acted upon reliably, consistently and measurably.”
“My personal commitment to victims and survivors is to be inclusive, sensitive and culturally-safe – I want every person to know they will be respected and believed.”
