Engage with stakeholder and advisory groups
National Strategy Advisory Group
The National Strategy Advisory Group provides regular advice and input on the implementation of the National Strategy’s First National Action Plan and First Commonwealth Action Plan.
The National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030 (National Strategy) is a national framework for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse in all settings, including within families, in institutions, and online.
The National Office is committed to consultation with non‑government stakeholders over the National Strategy’s 10-year lifetime. A key way the National Office will engage and partner with non-government stakeholders is through the National Strategy Advisory Group.
The National Office recognises the need to design and implement measures in a way that meets the diverse needs of all Australians, including the National Strategy’s priority groups. Our priority groups are:
- victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and their advocates
- children and young people and their support networks
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities
- people with disability
- LGBTQIA+ people
- people living in regional and remote communities
The National Strategy Advisory Group is one way to ensure the views and experiences of our priority groups, as well as non-government organisations, academics, community members and individuals, are embedded in the design, implementation and evaluation of the National Strategy’s measures. The National Strategy Advisory Group is supported by two specialist advisers - the National Children’s Commissioner and a representative from the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse.
Read a list of the advisory group's members
Read biographies of members and specialist advisers
Read Communiqués of the National Strategy Advisory Group
National Clinical Reference Group (NCRG)
The National Clinical Reference Group supports governments’ work to better design and implement responses to children with harmful sexual behaviours.
The Royal Commission found there was no nationally comprehensive and coordinated policy approach for preventing, identifying or responding to children with harmful sexual behaviours.
As part of the National Strategy, Australian, state and territory governments are working together to develop a public health framework to prevent and respond to children with harmful sexual behaviours. This includes developing national standards, setting up a national clinical framework, increasing workforce capability, and supporting the community to better understand and respond to appropriate and harmful sexual behaviours in children and young people.
The National Clinical Reference Group provides expert advice on the design, implementation and evaluation of measures related to children with harmful sexual behaviours under the National Strategy. The work of the National Clinical Reference Group reflects the geographic, social and cultural diversity of Australia.
The Reference Group is co-chaired by Dr Joe Tucci, Chair of the Board of the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse, and Amanda Paton, Deputy Director Practice at the Australian Centre for Child Protection, University of South Australia.
Members of the National Clinical Reference Group bring a wealth of expertise in children with harmful sexual behaviours across service settings and professional groups.
Members include health professionals and clinicians from across Australia with direct experience supporting and treating children with harmful sexual behaviours and their families. Members also include leading researchers with academic expertise in children with harmful sexual behaviours, child sexual abuse, childhood development and childhood sexuality.
Read a list of the reference group's members
Read biographies of members of the reference group
Read communiqués of the National Clinical Reference Group
Child Safe Sectors Leadership Group
The Child Safe Sectors Leadership Group gives advice and shares information about what governments and organisations can do to keep children and young people safe and well.
Note: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the face-to-face meetings of the Child Safe Sectors Leadership Group. The group adapted by increasing the level of information shared by email and holding online webinar meetings. The group is committed to returning to normal activities as soon as practical and the first hybrid (virtual and in person) meeting was held in June 2022.
Children and young people spend a lot of time engaging with organisations and communities outside of school and home through their hobbies, sport clubs, faith groups, and other activities. It is important that these organisations and communities operate in ways that are positive for children’s safety and wellbeing. Organisations and communities that work with children and young people also know a lot about the needs and challenges of keeping an organisation child safe, and this group provides the opportunity to share good practices.
The National Office established the Child Safe Sectors Leadership Group to help us understand, through collaborative discussions and feedback, how we can better develop and deliver national initiatives that help keep children safe. These initiatives include rolling out the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations across organisations and communities that work with children and young people, and informing the development and now implementation of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse.
The Child Safe Sectors Leadership Group also works together to promote and share information about how communities and organisations can improve child safety in practice.
Members of the group are representatives of national peak bodies and large national organisations that work with children and young people.
Read a list of the Child Safe Sectors Leadership Group's members