In recent times there has been a lot of progress in helping ensure community sport is a safe place for children and young people. National, state and local clubs have put in place policies and programs to protect children and young people, on the back of Royal Commission recommendations and National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

COVID-19 has disrupted that progress and thrown out new threats to child safety. While it’s not ‘back to the drawing board’ there will be new challenges for community sport in the months ahead. So, what do we know that will help guide us moving forward? What can we build upon and enhance to ensure new challenges are met with sound policy, programs and strategy on child safety in a post COVID-19 world?

In Play by the Rules Think Tank 6 we’ll hear from:

Professor Daryl Higgins.
Professor Daryl Higgins commenced as the Director of the Institute of Child Protection Studies in February 2017. His research focuses on public health approaches to protecting children, and child-safe organisational strategies. A registered psychologist, Prof Higgins has been researching child abuse impacts and prevention, family violence and family functioning for 25 years.

Douglas Russell
Douglas originally trained as a primary school teacher and taught across Australia, the U.K and the Middle East, where he completed his Master of Science in Applied Psychology. He returned to Australia and joined the Institute of Child Protection Studies, where he manages the Children and Young People's Safety Project, which focuses on supporting organisations to measure child safety and safeguarding culture.

Brooke Irvine
Brooke has worked at all levels of sport over the past 18 years, with her main focus being on education, participation and club development. Currently as the National Child Safe Manager at Gymnastics Australia, Brooke has implemented a national child safe framework which forms part of organisations proactive and preventative approach to the safety, wellbeing, participation and empowerment of all children in gymnastics.