This week's announcement of a large-scale investigation into alleged child sexual abuse across multiple Victorian childcare centres has left many in the sector feeling shocked and needing support. Our thoughts are with all the affected children, their families, educators and communities.

At Body Safety Australia we are dedicated to protecting every child in the country from sexual violence by partnering with the adults who care for them.

We are hosting a free online forum for educators, teachers and sector leaders:

An In Conversation With panel will feature guest speaker Professor Daryl Higgins, Justeen Fitzgibbon and Lisa Bryant and will be facilitated by our CEO, Deanne Carson.

This session will cover:

Child sexual abuse
Responding to families concerns
Identify grooming and intercepting grooming
Digital technology as a tool for abuse
Reportable Conduct Scheme

This is part of a two-part response. The other webinar will be hosted by Semann and Slattery on Tuesday 8 July 7:40 - 8:40pm and will cover safeguarding compliance, reportable conduct, improving practice and addressing sector vulnerabilities. Click here to access the link to that webinar.

Who You'll Be Hearing From:

Deanne Carson

Deanne Carson is founding CEO of Body Safety Australia.

Carson has researched and developed evidence-based programs for early childhood education, primary and secondary schools, parents, caregivers, educators and teachers to prevent childhood sexual abuse and exploitation, promote respectful relationships and address technology facilitated abuse experienced by children and young people.

Justeen Fitzgibbon

Team Leader of Pedagogy & Practice

Yarra Family, Youth and Children’s Services

Justeen has worked in Education for the last 30+ years. This journey has been spread across sectors, spending time teaching in primary school programs in central Victoria before moving to the metropolitan area where her career shifted trajectory and dropped deep roots into Early Childhood Education. Justeen’s current role in leadership is set in inner-city Melbourne working in local government in Melbourne’s smallest municipal area- a community that is diverse, culturally rich and vulnerable. Justeen supports teams to provide excellent Early Childhood Education and care across settings. Justeen’s advocacy and commitment to quality Early Childhood Education and Care and Child Safety is unwavering.

Daryl Higgins

Daryl Higgins is Director of the Institute of Child Protection Studies at Australian Catholic University (ACU). His research focuses on public health approaches to protecting children and child-safe organisational strategies. A registered psychologist, Daryl has been researching child abuse impacts and prevention, family violence and family functioning for over 25 years.

Prior to joining ACU, Daryl was the Deputy Director (Research) at the Australian Institute of Family Studies, where he had responsibility for the research program, knowledge translation and exchange functions focusing on issues affecting families in Australia.

Lisa Bryant

Lisa is a one woman ChatGPT.
Lisa is a subject matter expert in early education and care provision and has over 40 years of experience successfully guided governments, organisations, and communities to better understand and meet the needs of children and families.
A strong advocate for high quality education and care, Lisa is a sought-after communications specialist, keynote speaker, and policy writer. Her in-depth knowledge of Federal and State Government policies, academic research, and industry trends, positions her as a leading figure in early education research and consultancy.

We look forward to seeing you there!