Investigators 

Associate Professor Tim Moore, Emeritus Professor Morag McArthur, Professor Deborah Harcourt, Dr Debbie Noble-Carr, Dr Steven Roche (Australian Catholic University); Professor Patrick O’Leary (Griffith University); Associate Professor Jodi Death, Professor Bob Lonne (Queensland University of Technology)  

Funding

Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

Aims

The project aimed to better understand what children and young people want and need to keep them safe in organisational context. It aimed to:

• Explore how children and young people understand and experience safety in institutional settings
• Identify factors influencing their perceptions of safety
• Examine institutional responses to safety concerns raised by children
• Offer recommendations for fostering safer institutions.

Background

Children in institutional environments are at an elevated risk of abuse due to inherent vulnerabilities and inadequate protective structures. Prior studies have underscored the need for improved practices to protect children in these settings. However, few have centred on children’s own perspectives on safety.  

Project details

This project focused on creating a deeper understanding of safety from the viewpoint of children and young people, guiding institutions toward more responsive and child-centred safety practices. These insights were gained over a number of key phases including:

1. Interviews and focus groups: engaged 121 children and young people to discuss safety experiences
2. Survey: the Australian Safe Kids and Young People (ASK-YP) survey reached 1,600 children, assessing their feelings of safety and trust in institutional adults.

Community impact

The Children’s Safety Study has significantly influenced policy and practice in Australia regarding child safety in institutional settings.

Policy impact

• Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse: The report from our study insights contributed to the Royal Commission's understanding of children's perspectives on safety, informing its recommendations for creating child-safe institutions.
• National Principles for Child Safe Organisations: The findings influenced the development of these principles, emphasising the importance of involving children in safety planning and decision-making processes.

Practice impact

• Organisational policies: Many institutions have revised their child protection policies to incorporate children's views on safety, ensuring that practices are more responsive to their needs.
• Training programs: The report has been utilised in training programs for professionals working with children, highlighting the necessity of listening to and acting upon children's safety concerns.

Overall, the study has played a crucial role in reshaping how Australian institutions approach child safety, ensuring that children's voices are central to the development and implementation of protective measures. parents.

Publications 

Research reports 

Moore, T., McArthur., M., Heerde, J., Roche, S., & O'Leary, P. (2016). Our safety counts: Children and young people's perceptions of safety and institutional responses to their safety concerns. Melbourne: Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University. 

Moore, T., McArthur, M., Noble-Carr, D., & Harcourt, D. (2015). Taking us seriously: children and young people talk about safety and institutional responses to their safety concerns. Melbourne: Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University. 

Click here to download the report summary for kids. 

Journal articles 

Moore, T. P., McArthur, M., & Noble-Carr, D. (2018). More a marathon than a hurdle: towards children’s informed consent in a study on safety. Qualitative Research, 18(1), 88-107. 

Moore, T. P. (2017). Children and young people's views on institutional safety: It's not just because we're little. Child Abuse & Neglect, 74, 73-85 

Moore, T., & McArthur, M. (2017). 'You Feel It in Your Body': How Australian children and young people think about and experience feeling and being safe. Children & Society, 31(3), 206-218. 

Research summaries 

Moore, T., McArthur, M., Roche, S., Heerde, J., & Barry, E. (2016).Our Safety Counts: Key findings from the Australian Survey of Kids and Young People - Perceptions of interpersonal safety and characteristics of safe institutions. Research to Practice Series: Issue 13. Canberra: Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University. 

Moore, T., McArthur, M., Roche, S., Heerde, J., & Barry, E. (2016). Our Safety Counts: Key findings from the Australian Survey of Kids and Young People - help-seeking and institutional responses to safety concerns. Research to Practice Series: Issue 14. Canberra: Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University. 

Moore, T., McArthur, M., Noble-Carr, D., & Barry, E. (2016). Children's views about safety in institutions. Research to Practice Series: Issue 12. Canberra: Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University. 

Moore, T., McArthur, M., & Barry, E. (2015). Being Safe and Feeling Safe: Children's Conceptualisations of Interpersonal Safety. Research to Practice Series, Issue 11. Canberra: Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University. 

Moore, T., McArthur, M., & Barry, E. (2015, 18 August). What do children and young people have to say about safety in institutions? [Opinion Article]. The Conversation. 
Republished on Parenthub on 8 September 2015. 

Presentations 

ICPS. (2016).YouTube animation presenting findings of Children's Safety Studies. Canberra: Institute of Child Protection Studies, ACU. 

Moore, T., & McArthur, M. (2015, 25 August). Being safe, feeling safe: Children's perceptions and experiences of safety in institutions. LSIA Dialogue Series, Melbourne: Learning Sciences Institute Australia, ACU. [Presentation recording] 

Moore, T., & McArthur, M. (2015, 17 August). Launch of the Kids' Safety Report - Taking Us Seriously: Children and young people talk about safety and institutional responses to their safety concerns. Canberra: Institute of Child Protection Studies, ACU. [Prezi slides, no audio] 

Project timeline

Completed 2015

Contact

For more information contact: icps@acu.edu.au