The ACMS team continues its focus on engagement ahead of the public launch in April. Professor Ben Mathews (Lead Investigator) provided advanced in-confidence briefings to the Office of the Prime Minister and the Sex Discrimination Commissioner about the primary findings including the prevalence of different types of child maltreatment and the associated impact of these over life. "It is essential these national policymakers have access to this data which are able to inform p

In the lead-up to the public launch of the Australia Child Maltreatment Study results, Prof Ben Mathews, Lead investigator of the ACMS, has been providing requested in-confidence briefings to senior members of Australian Government departments about key ACMS findings. In-confidence briefings have been provided to the National Office for Child Safety, the Australian Inter-departmental Executive Group, the Attorney-General, and the Office for Women. These invited in-confidence

Yesterday as a part of Child Protection Week Prof Ben Mathews, Prof Daryl Higgins, and Dr Divna Haslam shared some early ACMS findings about the link between child maltreatment, specifically neglect and exposure to domestic violence (EDV), and clinical diagnosable mental health outcomes such as Major Depressive Disorder and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. ACMS data shows there are clear links between neglect and EDV and later mental health. Children who experience maltreatment

ACMS investigators Prof Ben Mathews, Prof Daryl Higgins, and Prof James Scott presented some of the preliminary findings of the ACMS youth sample at the Australian Institute of Family Studies national conference today. The symposium covered a number of early findings from the Australian Child Maltreatment youth sample comprising of 3500 young people (aged 16-24 years) from across Australia. This is a nationally representative sample so conclusions are likely to be represent

On 9 December 2020, Professor Ben Mathews delivered a presentation on the Australian Child Maltreatment Study to the Australian Child Safe Sectors Leadership Group. The audience included representatives from child sector peak bodies and organisations with a national footprint that engage with children and young people. We were delighted to provide an update on our progress and future planning. Thanks to the National Office of Child Safety for hosting the presentation and prov

On 20 November 2020, Professor Ben Mathews and Professor Daryl Higgins delivered a presentation on the Australian Child Maltreatment Study to the Australian State and Territory Government Children and Family Secretaries (CAFS) Child Safety Working Group. The audience included over 100 representatives of 21 agencies from State and Territory government departments of health, education, families, communities, child protection, youth justice, and Treasury, and the Australian Depa

As part of the ACMS team’s expanding engagement with peak sector organisations, we were invited to discuss the Study at the Annual General Meeting of Families & Children Tasmania, the peak body for organisations providing child and family services in Tasmania. Thanks to Caroline Brown, Noel Mundy and the FACT Board for the invitation, and we look forward to further discussions in coming months and years! The presentation is available here .

On 21 September 2020, Professor Ben Mathews and Professor Daryl Higgins delivered a presentation on the Australian Child Maltreatment Study to 30 participants from 12 Australian Government agencies. The Presentation was hosted by the Department of the Prime Minister & Cabinet. We were delighted to provide an update on our progress, pilot study results, and future planning. Thanks to the National Office of Child Safety for hosting the presentation and providing continuing supp

On 8 October 2020, Professor Ben Mathews and Professor Daryl Higgins delivered a webinar on the Australian Child Maltreatment Study to Victoria’s Tri-Peaks Project. Tri-Peaks is a collaboration between the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, the Victorian Healthcare Association (VHA) and the Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA), to support integrated practice and good governance. We were delighted to provide an update on our progress, including a disc

On 20 August, Professor Ben Mathews delivered a presentation on behalf of the ACMS team about the Australian Child Maltreatment Study to the Out of Home Care Philanthropic Funders Network. This Funders Group is a collaborative initiative between The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare and Equity Trustees. The presentation focused on the nature and significance of the ACMS from scientific and policy impact perspectives. Further discussion centred on the relevance

In February 2020, Emma Fenby from the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare invited Professor Ben Mathews who provide an update to centre staff and associates about the Australian Child Maltreatment Study. In his presentation Professor Mathews provided an overview of the ACMS goals and progress to date. The presentation covered the reasons an Australian prevalence study is needed as well as a detailed update on progress to date. This focussed primarily on substant

Dr Divna Haslam and Prof Daryl Higgins presented at the biennial Helping Families Change conference in Brisbane this February. This conference, hosted by the Parenting and Family Support Centre at The University of Queensland, showcases some of the best family based research and innovation from around the globe. On behalf of the ACMS team Dr Haslam presented a paper tilted “Issues in child maltreatment research: A case study of an Australian population survey”. The presentati