Preventing and responding to child abuse and neglect: A review of best practice system approaches

The point of disclosure of severe child abuse is an important opportunity to ensure the mental health needs of children are addressed, along with addressing the risk factors for re-victimisation. Families often have a range of complex barriers to accessing these services. Drawing on research by presenter Dr James Herbert, this presentation makes the case for taking a public health approach to the accessibility of specialist mental health services post-disclosure and the need for a joined-up approach across government and non-government agencies that addresses the harms of abuse and the conditions that lead to high rates of re-victimisation.

Presenter

Dr James Herbert, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Social Impact UWA

James is a social researcher undertaking research and evaluation on the topic of cross-agency collaboration in responses to child sexual abuse, particularly the design and implementation of investigation and therapeutic support teams and addressing institutional barriers to effective collaboration. He is currently undertaking research on addressing the barriers to therapy engagement for children who have disclosed sexual abuse. Working across child protection topics, James also has a key interest in the translation of research evidence into policy and practice change and building the capacity of the sector to apply evaluative thinking to complex social policy issues.

Date: Tuesday 9 April 2024

Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm (AWST)

Online only

Free event but registration is essential to access the webinar