We work with experts in social work, youth work, anthropology, psychology, public health and related fields. They're well versed in using participatory approaches to engage with ad promote the views of children.
Professor Daryl Higgins is Director of the Institute of Child Protection Studies. 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 nearly 30 years. Throughout his career he has published numerous articles, papers and reports that have made a significant impact on policy related to child maltreatment, both in Australia and internationally.
Associate Professor Tim Moore is Deputy Director at the Institute of Child Protection Studies. He is an internationally recognised child and youth researcher and children's rights advocate. His research spans two decades, addressing issues such as homelessness, youth justice, child protection, residential care, young carers, and child sexual abuse prevention. Tim has provided advice to several inquiries and Commissions, including the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and shaped local, national and international initiatives to improve the lives of children, young people and their families.
Tim leads the Institute's child-inclusive and child-informed research and practice work which aims to strengthen services and systems and making them more responsive to children and young people needs and expectations.
Dr Mary Ann Powell is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Child Protection Studies. Her research focus is participatory research that aims to inform and strengthen policy and practice, particularly around child protection, out-of-home care, and children's safety and wellbeing. Mary Ann has worked with children, young people and families, as a youth worker, child psychotherapist and researcher. Over the past 20 years, her key research interests have included children's human rights, children and young people's wellbeing, research ethics and rural childhoods. Read more on LinkedIn and ORCID.
Douglas started at ICPS in 2017, and is leading research in two key areas: the participation of children and young people in child safe organisations, and the capabilities of staff and volunteers to prevent and respond to organisational child sexual abuse. He is a qualified primary school teacher with 15 years' experience teaching in Australia, the UK and Dubai, and his key focus has always been on the wellbeing of children. Douglas has received confirmation from The University of Melbourne for his PhD studies investigating cognitive development and the relationship between sex hormones and neurocognitive development in adolescence, and the effect puberty blockers have on this.
Jacqui Stewart is Program Manager with the Institute of Child Protection Studies. She supports the successful delivery of applied research, training, and engagement projects within the Institute. Jacqui specialises in monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). She has organised, implemented and supervised MEL processes in both government and non-government sectors. Jacqui is passionate about generating quality evidence on program outcomes and promoting data-driven decision making.
Jacqui feels fortunate to have worked for First Nations peoples on a range of research studies designed to have positive wellbeing outcomes for individuals, families and communities. Prior to her research and evaluation career, Jacqui worked as a change management consultant in the corporate sector. This time established her as an accomplished project manager. She also gained extensive experience designing and implementing training in various modalities to facilitate organisational change.
View Jacqui's profile
Sebastian began working at ICPS in 2018, and is supporting a range of research projects. He was awarded a Doctorate by ACU in 2022 for research into families with lived experience of autism. He also has a Masters in Human Rights from Curtin University. Seb has worked within the out-of-home care sector including residential care, intensive family support, youth housing and homelessness, disability support, academic mentoring, and executive program support.
Maria is dedicated to promoting the work of ICPS and raising awareness of how to improve child protection, and prevent and respond to the abuse and neglect of children. She creates marketing and communications campaigns that promote the mission of the Institute to advocate for children's participation, strengthen service systems, inform practice and support child-safe communities. Maria brings extensive experience in stakeholder engagement, brand positioning aligned to corporate strategy, targeted promotional campaigns, social media campaigns, event management, outcomes analysis and reporting, editing, and production of publications (print and digital) at all stages of development.
Anna has over 30 years experience in financial services, specialising in accountancy, financial analysis and project management. She has contributed to the development of budgets for project proposals, overseen budget execution and supported effective delivery of financial management for ICPS.
As Finance and Administration Officer, Anna is responsible for day-to-day management of ICPS finances. She is instrumental in developing and maintaining effective relationships and constructive engagement with internal units, external funding bodies and ACU stakeholders to advise and support in applying administrative and financial processes.
We recognise that protecting children is a shared responsibility and that only through partnerships with like-minded agencies, centres and academics can we realise our vision. We welcome academics within ACU and beyond to join us as affiliate members to explore ways to support children and young people.
Morag is the foundation director of ICPS. As a social work academic with over 25 years of teaching and research experience, Morag has worked with Commonwealth, State and Territory Government departments, non-government and community organisations on a wide range of research and evaluation projects. She has taught both undergraduate and post-graduate students research methods, public policy and social theory. She had a key role in designing and implementing the first specialised postgraduate courses in child welfare in Australia.
Associate Professor Aino Suomi was appointed Senior Fellow of ACU in 2022. Aino is a clinically trained psychologist and has been conducting research with vulnerable populations, with a family-specific focus, since 2006. She contributed to numerous research projects in her former role as Research Fellow at the Institute, including kContact, an ARC-funded study that developed and trialled an enhanced model of managing and supporting contact between children in care and their birth parents; research on the lived experience of gamblers who seek help while living with gambling-related harms and mental ill health; and gambling harm experienced by children of gamblers. Aino is now Director of the Centre for Gambling Research in POLIS: The Centre for Social Policy Research, Australian National University.
The following students are undertaking postgraduate research at ACU. Their work is being supervised by ICPS staff. Read more about their research interests below.
Lisa is undertaking a Doctor of Philosophy on comparative conceptualisations of childhood across policy domains. Lisa is a sociologist based in Canberra, where she worked most recently as Deputy to the Children and Young People Commissioner at the Australian Capital Territory Human Rights Commission. Her work there included consultations with children about their rights, and the design and implementation of a study on young people's experience of family violence. Associate Professor Tim Moore (ICPS Deputy Director) is Principal Supervisor and Dr Elise Woodman (School of Allied Health) and Emeritus Professor Morag McArthur are Associate Supervisors.
Lottie is undertaking a Doctorate of Philosophy as part of the Australian Child Maltreatment Study, the first Australian study of the prevalence of child maltreatment. Lottie's research focus is on the health impacts of child multi-type maltreatment, and the subsequent best-practice assessments and interventions for children and young people in out-of-home care. This research is expanding on Lottie's professional experience in child welfare, which includes both policy and research and direct practice in the homelessness and out-of-home care sectors within NSW non-government organisations. Read more about the project.
As part of her PhD, Lottie is conducting research into practice and interventions for children and young people in out-of-home care. Her research includes interviewing practitioners to understand their practice in this field.
As part of her PhD, Lottie also engaged in an ACU Industry PhD internship with the peak body Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare. Watch this video clip of her reflections on the experience.
Professor Daryl Higgins (ICPS Director) is Principal Supervisor and Dr Megan Willis (Faculty of Health Sciences) is Co-Supervisor.
Gabby is a registered psychologist and is undertaking a Doctor of Philosophy as part of the Australian Child Maltreatment Study. Gabby's research focus is on organisational risk factors for child sexual abuse in faith-based settings and implementing evidence-based prevention and risk mitigation strategies.
Her research and ongoing work is informed by her experience as a psychologist working with survivors of child sexual assault as well as young people engaging in harmful sexual behaviours.
As part of her research, Gabby is doing a qualitative study on safeguarding practices of religious leaders from a range of denominations. She is inviting religious leaders to share their experiences on child safeguarding practices. Read more about this aspect of her research. Read more about the project.
As part of her PhD, Gabby also engaged in an ACU Industry PhD internship with a philanthropic organisation. Watch this video clip of her reflections on the experience.
Gabby is supervised by Professor Daryl Higgins (ICPS Director) and Dr Megan Willis (Faculty of Health Sciences).
Ulrike completed her Doctorate of Philosophy in 2024. She explored family violence typology in the context of statutory child protection and how differentiating between types of intimate partner violence could improve practice and outcomes for women and children in the child protection system. Differentiating between coercive control and situational couple violence may require different kinds of intervention and support to reduce violence and increase safety for both adult victims and children. Her project used analysis of child protection practice guides, interviews with child protection practitioners, and analysis of child protection intake reports. A differential approach to these violence types could improve the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in families impacted by domestic violence and involved with statutory child protection systems.
Dhatsayini (Shayini) is a psychologist with extensive experience working in NHS primary healthcare in the United Kingdom, where she specialised in addictions and mental health. She also served as a child and adolescent mental health research liaison.
She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience and Addiction, focusing on the long-term neurodevelopmental impacts of childhood adversities and early alcohol exposure on youth brain development. Her research draws on data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study and the Australian Child Maltreatment Study.
Shayini is supervised by Associate Professor Michael Cole (Faculty of Health Sciences), Professor Daryl Higgins (ICPS Director), and Professor Sarah Whittle (University of Melbourne).
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