In Conversation – Exploring the intersection of family violence and child sexual abuse

Challenges 1, 2 and 3 in Here for Change, the National Centre’s Five Year Strategy, highlights that people who experience child sexual abuse are often not identified, not believed, protected or responded to with compassion when they raise concerns or disclose abuse.

The Australian Child Maltreatment Study found that child sexual abuse often co-occurs within the context of other forms of abuse and maltreatment including exposure to family violence.

Moderated by Fiona Cornforth, National Centre Board Member and Head of Centre at the National Centre for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing Research, Australian National University, this important In Conversation discussion brings together insights from research, cultural, practice experts and lived experience to explore the intersection of family violence and child sexual abuse.

The webinar will unpack:

  • How does exposure to family violence increase a child’s vulnerability to experiencing sexual abuse?
  • How are children at risk or experiencing sexual abuse identified and prioritised within the context of family violence policy and service responses?
  • How can we take a more integrated approach to protecting and responding to children who experience child sexual abuse and family violence?

This webinar is part of a concentrated effort by the National Centre to support the synthesis and mobilisation of knowledge to responses for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and harmful sexual behaviours.

 

Featured Speakers:

 

Tess Moodie (pronouns they/them) is a proud queer, non-binary, First Nations Palawa person with multiple forms of disability, who lives in lutruwita (Tasmania). Tess is a victim-survivor of multiple forms of family and sexual violence across their lifespan, including child sexual abuse, and is passionate about empowering people with lived-experience to bring systemic change in the prevention of family, sexual and systemic violence, LGBTIQA+ activism and advocating for disability rights and inclusivity.

Tess is co-founding director of the Independent Collective of Survivors (ICOS). They have spent over a decade committed to working with other victim-survivors to be change makers, including managing the Advocates for Change Program at Engender Equality Tasmania and establishing a youth victim-survivor advisory council at Laurel House Sexual Assault Support Service. They are also a Victim-Survivor Expert Advisor for Victoria’s peak family violence organisation, Safe & Equal and a member of multiple advisory including Our Watch Disability Advisory Group and the First Nations National Plan Advisory Group.

 

Professor Michael Salter is the Director of Childlight UNSW, a research hub dedicated to the study and prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation based in the School of Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales. Michael is an internationally recognised expert in child sexual exploitation, gender-based violence and complex trauma. He is the Chair of the Grace Tame Foundation, immediate Past President of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, and an advisor to the Australian eSafety Commissioner.

 

Professor Kyllie Cripps is a Palawa woman and Director of Monash’s Indigenous Studies Centre. She is one of Australia’s leading researchers on Indigenous family violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Leading major grants she has contributed to the field through empirical studies that have defined violence on Indigenous terms, identified factors contributing to violence, and examined the access and availability of services in the aftermath of violence. Kyllie’s research and engagement on solutions draws on the strength of her interdisciplinary experience and the value of using an intersectional lens for appreciating the context of violence. Her work has been critical in identifying gaps and opportunities to create sustainable solutions to support policy and practice change.

 

Dr Morag MacSween has more than 30 years’ experience as a community services practitioner and leader, in Australia and the UK, MA (Hons) Sociology; PhD. She has worked in child protection, domestic, family and sexual violence, policy and research, professional and practice development, and quality assurance and clinical risk oversight, in Government and in NGOs. She volunteered in Rape Crisis for over 20 years, as a counsellor, group facilitator and community educator, and was Chair of the London Rape Crisis Centre Board.

Morag is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Recovery Alliance. Morag is the author of Do You See Me? Do You Hear Me? a research to practice guide for agencies working with child victim-survivors of domestic violence. She is particularly interested in how we can scaffold trauma services really well, so that they simultaneously support recovery for survivors and resilience for practitioners.

 

Moderator:

 

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 and 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.

 

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 12.00 – 1.00pm (AEST: QLD)

1.00 – 2.00pm (AEDT: NSW, VIC, TAS, ACT)

Where: Online

Please note this webinar will be recorded.

Subscribe to
news and updates

Stay informed: Join our mailing list.

Do you work or volunteer in any human service-related area supporting or assisting children, young people or adults? If so, the National Centre needs your help!

Understanding child sexual abuse

Preventing child sexual abuse by understanding perpetrators’ motivations
Supporting Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: Rapid Evidence Reviews
Ngagagee Ngulu Murrup Durra (‘The Ngagagee project’)
Preventing repeat child exploitation material offending: An international evaluation of the CEM-COPE Program
Conceptualising and Estimating the Costs of Child Sexual Exploitation (Phase One of Australian Study into Economic Costs of Child Sexual Exploitation)
An environmental scan of Child Sexual Abuse related workforce training offerings in Australia
Enhancing the capability of Australia’s Primary Health Workforce to respond to child sexual abuse
CHANGE – curtailing harm and navigating growth: evidence for change pathways of young people who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour
Amplifying the voices of victim-survivors: Advancing the harmful sexual behaviour evidence base – the Ava project
Reshaping the Conversation: Development of a shared language and preferred definitions guide endorsed by victims and survivors of child sexual abuse
Building a knowledge frame for responding to the needs of children and young people who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour
Children and Young People’s Safety Project
Child safe practices using contextual safeguarding strategies
The more I talk, the stronger I get: unlocking our past to free our future
Delivering trauma-informed support for child sexual abuse victims in Victoria: mapping the knowledge gaps and training needs of the specialist sectors
Online child sexual victimisation and associated mental health outcomes
Differentiating adverse childhood experience profiles of male youths who exhibit harmful sexual behaviours

Response to child sexual abuse

From bystanders to allies: a structural feminist perspective for supporting child victims and adult survivors of child rape and torture.
Supporting Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: Rapid Evidence Reviews
Ngagagee Ngulu Murrup Durra (‘The Ngagagee project’)
Preventing repeat child exploitation material offending: An international evaluation of the CEM-COPE Program
Evaluation of the Multi-Agency Investigation & Support Team
Conceptualising and Estimating the Costs of Child Sexual Exploitation (Phase One of Australian Study into Economic Costs of Child Sexual Exploitation)
Effect of multi-agency deliberation on perceptions of risk in responses to child abuse and neglect
The Australian child sexual abuse attitudes, knowledge and response study
CHANGE – curtailing harm and navigating growth: evidence for change pathways of young people who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour
Improving legal, policy and practice responses to the intersection of domestic violence perpetration and child sexual abuse offending
Investigating experiences of child sexual abuse disclosure and disbelief in the Family Court
Understanding the experiences of child sexual abuse disclosure in Australia in the wake of the Royal Commission
Building trauma-responsive sexual health and relationship education
Learning from victims and survivors about what helps disclosure and responses to child sexual abuse
Amplifying the voices of victim-survivors: Advancing the harmful sexual behaviour evidence base – the Ava project
The dignity by design project: survivor-led system redesign
Evaluating a harmful sexual behaviour education program in a residential care setting
Community as experts: investigating the context, needs and help-seeking pathways for child sexual abuse survivors and their supporters in the NSW Bega Valley
Developing and implementing a framework for abuse prevention through culture change and organisational development
Reshaping the Conversation: Development of a shared language and preferred definitions guide endorsed by victims and survivors of child sexual abuse
Building a knowledge frame for responding to the needs of children and young people who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour
Australian Child Maltreatment Study
Children and Young People’s Safety Project
Child safe practices using contextual safeguarding strategies
Enhancing the capacity of rural and regional respectful relationship educators
Strengthening relationships and connections for young people in therapeutic residential care
The safeguarding capability of adults in Catholic Church ministries: a global perspective
Creating safer futures: raising public awareness of child sexual abuse among young adults through digital storytelling
Survivor perspectives on institutional use of child sexual abuse material
The more I talk, the stronger I get: unlocking our past to free our future
Delivering trauma-informed support for child sexual abuse victims in Victoria: mapping the knowledge gaps and training needs of the specialist sectors
Online child sexual victimisation and associated mental health outcomes
Differentiating adverse childhood experience profiles of male youths who exhibit harmful sexual behaviours

Needs of victims and survivors

From bystanders to allies: a structural feminist perspective for supporting child victims and adult survivors of child rape and torture.
Supporting Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse: Rapid Evidence Reviews
Ngagagee Ngulu Murrup Durra (‘The Ngagagee project’)
Evaluation of the Multi-Agency Investigation & Support Team
The Australian child sexual abuse attitudes, knowledge and response study
An environmental scan of Child Sexual Abuse related workforce training offerings in Australia
Enhancing the capability of Australia’s Primary Health Workforce to respond to child sexual abuse
Improving legal, policy and practice responses to the intersection of domestic violence perpetration and child sexual abuse offending
Investigating experiences of child sexual abuse disclosure and disbelief in the Family Court
Understanding the experiences of child sexual abuse disclosure in Australia in the wake of the Royal Commission
Building trauma-responsive sexual health and relationship education
Learning from victims and survivors about what helps disclosure and responses to child sexual abuse
Amplifying the voices of victim-survivors: Advancing the harmful sexual behaviour evidence base – the Ava project
The dignity by design project: survivor-led system redesign
Supporting continuous quality improvement in safeguarding at Hockey Australia and other national sporting organisations
Evaluating a harmful sexual behaviour education program in a residential care setting
Community as experts: investigating the context, needs and help-seeking pathways for child sexual abuse survivors and their supporters in the NSW Bega Valley
Enhancing the capacity of rural and regional respectful relationship educators
Creating safer futures: raising public awareness of child sexual abuse among young adults through digital storytelling
Survivor perspectives on institutional use of child sexual abuse material
The more I talk, the stronger I get: unlocking our past to free our future

Prevention of child sexual abuse

From bystanders to allies: a structural feminist perspective for supporting child victims and adult survivors of child rape and torture.
Preventing child sexual abuse by understanding perpetrators’ motivations
Ngagagee Ngulu Murrup Durra (‘The Ngagagee project’)
Preventing repeat child exploitation material offending: An international evaluation of the CEM-COPE Program
Conceptualising and Estimating the Costs of Child Sexual Exploitation (Phase One of Australian Study into Economic Costs of Child Sexual Exploitation)
The Australian child sexual abuse attitudes, knowledge and response study
An environmental scan of Child Sexual Abuse related workforce training offerings in Australia
CHANGE – curtailing harm and navigating growth: evidence for change pathways of young people who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour
Evaluating a harmful sexual behaviour education program in a residential care setting
Developing and implementing a framework for abuse prevention through culture change and organisational development
Building a knowledge frame for responding to the needs of children and young people who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour
Australian Child Maltreatment Study
Strengthening relationships and connections for young people in therapeutic residential care
Differentiating adverse childhood experience profiles of male youths who exhibit harmful sexual behaviours

Identification of child sexual abuse

From bystanders to allies: a structural feminist perspective for supporting child victims and adult survivors of child rape and torture.
The Australian child sexual abuse attitudes, knowledge and response study
An environmental scan of Child Sexual Abuse related workforce training offerings in Australia
Enhancing the capability of Australia’s Primary Health Workforce to respond to child sexual abuse
Supporting continuous quality improvement in safeguarding at Hockey Australia and other national sporting organisations
Evaluating a harmful sexual behaviour education program in a residential care setting
Developing and implementing a framework for abuse prevention through culture change and organisational development
Children and Young People’s Safety Project
The safeguarding capability of adults in Catholic Church ministries: a global perspective

Disclosure of child sexual abuse

Ngagagee Ngulu Murrup Durra (‘The Ngagagee project’)
The Australian child sexual abuse attitudes, knowledge and response study
An environmental scan of Child Sexual Abuse related workforce training offerings in Australia
Enhancing the capability of Australia’s Primary Health Workforce to respond to child sexual abuse
Improving legal, policy and practice responses to the intersection of domestic violence perpetration and child sexual abuse offending
Investigating experiences of child sexual abuse disclosure and disbelief in the Family Court
Understanding the experiences of child sexual abuse disclosure in Australia in the wake of the Royal Commission
Learning from victims and survivors about what helps disclosure and responses to child sexual abuse
Supporting continuous quality improvement in safeguarding at Hockey Australia and other national sporting organisations
Community as experts: investigating the context, needs and help-seeking pathways for child sexual abuse survivors and their supporters in the NSW Bega Valley