As survivors, we know what could have helped us, we know what hurt us.

Efforts to protect children from abuse which do not centre the wisdom of people who were abused as children themselves are fundamentally limited in their effectiveness.

‘Emma’s Project’ was always the temporary name for a much more collective effort for the protection of children, guided by the shared wisdom of survivors of sexual abuse during childhood.

After having read every single word from every single person who responded to the survey – three times over – ACF have a roadmap forward.

It is with pride that ACF share their survivor-renamed Our Collective Experience Project, and our first report from it: Hear us now, act now.

We encourage you to download, read and share this report with people you know who may be interested in the protection of children. The content of the report which includes extensive quotes from survivors is very powerful.

But also be aware that it may affect you as you read it. Seek out support if you find that it makes you feel distressed or upset. There are helplines in the report itself.

Read report here

The Safe & Together Institute is proud to release a new paper entitled: “Ensuring the Voice of the Child is Heard, and Child’s Best Interests are Considered in Domestic Abuse Cases: Safe & Together Model and the Rights of Children” by David Mandel, CEO and creator of the Safe & Together Model. Developed in response to requests for more information on Model’s relationship to the rights of children and with contributions from Safe & Together Model practitioners from around the globe, this paper represents the most up to date articulation of the Model’s relevance to the rights of children in domestic violence situations.

For more information see

To download full paper

Safe and Equal have launched a new suite of online training about pornography, young people and sexuality available through a dedicated resource hub on the It’s time we talked website.  

These resources have been developed as a part of the Addressing Pornography’s Influence Project (API) with funding from The Ian Potter Foundation and The Myer Foundation. The API project is a collaboration between Maree Crabbe (Director of It’s time we talked) and Safe and Equal. The project aims to broaden the reach and sustainability of Maree’s ground-breaking work through It’s time we talked – a violence prevention project addressing the influence of pornography on young people and how it shapes their understanding of gender, sex, sexuality and healthy relationships.  

The project has also included development of tailored video resources for Safe and Equal to use within trainings and communities of practices. The videos support us to assist prevention practitioners, particularly those working with young people, to understand how pornography contributes to young people’s sexual socialisation and reinforces the drivers of gender-based violence, and what they can do to respond. 

Read more and access training here

Take the 2023 National Workforce Survey for Child, Parent and Family Mental Health and help shape child mental health planning and policy.

Emerging Minds is conducting the National Workforce Survey for Family, Parent and Child Mental Health again following the success of the inaugural survey in 2020-21. The survey will inform strategies and policy to meet the needs of health, social and community services workers across Australia, and support improved outcomes for infants, children and families. Complete the survey for your chance to win an iPad. There are 5 iPads to be won over two draws.  Be sure to complete the survey early for a chance in both draws. The survey closes on Wednesday, 15th November 2023. If you’re interested in learning more about the survey, the results from more than 1,500 workers who completed the 2020-21 National Workforce Survey are now available on the Emerging Minds website. You can also find free resources for enhancing practitioner learning and more.  

To complete the survey, click here

“Ask Me Anything,” is an engaging online video series where knowledge experts tackle candid questions about sexual and reproductive health, gendered violence prevention, mental health, and gender equality in a light-hearted manner, and with a sense of humour. 

Aimed at promoting open and informed discussions, WHISE was thrilled to launch the first episode, “Teens Ask”, which focused on questions from young people about sexual health. It offers viewers an opportunity to explore evidence-based information and gain a foundational understanding of key sexual health concepts. The episode features Vanessa Hamilton of Talking the Talk Sexuality Education and Sarah Lorrimar, Sexologist and Sexual & Reproductive Health Team Leader at GenWest. 

“Ask Me Anything” is now live and you can follow the series on WHISE’s YouTube channel  

This snapshot examines risk and protective factors for intimate partner violence victimisation among Australian adolescents. The aim of this resource is to help you identify populations who could be at increased risk, so that protective factors can be strengthened. Although the current snapshot focuses on victim-survivors, we emphasise that prevention of intimate partner violence perpetration should be a core focus of policy intervention.

This snapshot focuses on victim-survivors of intimate partner violence. As such, the core aim of this work is to further understand the scope of intimate partner violence victimisation among Australian 18–19 year olds. Specific focus is given to different forms of intimate partner violence victimisation, and rates of intimate partner violence among adolescent females and males. The potentially protective role of peers and parents against intimate partner violence is considered.

The following questions are addressed: (1) How prevalent is intimate partner violence and abuse victimisation among adolescents aged 18–19 years? (2) What are the most common violent or abusive behaviours experienced by adolescents in an intimate relationship? (3) Do supportive friendships in the teen years reduce the risk of intimate partner violence and abuse victimisation at ages 18–19 years? (4) Do supportive relationships with parents in the teen years reduce the risk of intimate partner violence and abuse victimisation at ages 18–19 years?

Click here to read full report

The ‘middle years’, or early adolescence (8–14 years), of a child’s life are a period of key developments in sexual maturity, the brain, social and emotional cognition and self-awareness. During the middle years, the influence of peer relationships on a young person’s social and emotional development also begins to intensify. Australian research indicates that although friendships are important to young people in this age group, they can also be a source of anxiety and stress. Therefore, it is important to understand what factors influence peer relationships in the middle years to be able to better support young people’s mental health, development and wellbeing.

This short article summarises key findings from a systematic review by Mitic and colleagues (2021) that looked at the determinants of supportive peer relationships in early adolescence.

Read article here

In Australia, Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander youth are over-represented at all stages of the child protection system. This includes over-representation among care leavers; approximately 1,265 First Nations youth aged 15–17 years exit out of home care (OOHC) annually, and this figure is rising (Productivity Commission, 2021). First Nations care leavers commonly face poor social, economic, and health outcomes. Inadequate and culturally insensitive services contribute to these poor outcomes. This resource is aimed at supporting front-line practitioners to:

Read Practice Guide here

This is Yoorrook’s second interim report. It considers systemic injustices in the child protection and criminal justice systems. It fulfils the requirement in the amended Letters Patent dated 4 April 2023 to deliver a second interim report by 31 August 2023.

A note on content: First People’s are advised that this report may contain photos, quotations and names of people who are deceased. This report discussed sensitive topics that some readers may find distressing. Yoorrooks urges you to consider how and when you read this report and what supports you might need.

Read report here

The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) is leading a consortium research team, including the Centre for Excellence for Child and Family Welfare (the Centre), Drummond Street Services, the Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ) and Tjallara Consulting. Commissioned by the Department of Social Services (DSS), this consortium is investigating workforce requirements for work with young people who are using violence.

We are conducting a nation-wide survey to gain insight into practitioners’ levels of experience, knowledge and confidence in responding to young people (12-18 years) who are using – or at risk of using – violence, either in the home against parents/carers/siblings or in their intimate partner relationships.

This survey is looking for respondents all over Australia who are involved in any type of direct service with children, young people and families. Even if you don’t work with young people using violence, we would still like to hear from you!

The survey will take around 11 minutes. The information you provide us will be de-identified and summarised in a report and submitted to DSS.

The survey will remain open until Thursday 7 September 2023.

Please contact Anagha Joshi (Australian Institute of Family Studies) if you would like further information about this project.

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