The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse
The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse

We’re forging partnerships with survivors and growing our knowledge base. We’re working to drive generational change through action on child sexual abuse.

About The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse

The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (the National Centre) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation established to increase understanding of child sexual abuse, promote effective ways for protecting children, guide best practice responses and pathways to healing for survivors, and reduce the harm it causes.

The National Centre is a joint venture between Blue Knot Foundation, The Healing Foundation and the Australian Childhood Foundation with initial funding from the Australian Government. The three organisations have united to form an Australian-first partnership that will commission critical research, evaluate interventions and therapeutic programs, raise community awareness, reduce stigma and provide training.

The National Centre will give voice to the experiences of survivors of all ages, life stages and communities. It will work in collaboration with survivors, major research institutions, representatives from state and commonwealth governments, service providers, schools, and law enforcement agencies.

 

National Centre’s path ahead

View our Draft Five-Year Strategy 

Find out more about the National Centre’s competitive grants round

Find out more

Latest News & Blog

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Tuesday, May 30, 2023

In Conversation: upcoming webinars and recordings

The National Centre for Child Sexual Abuse’s In Conversation series continues. On 6 June at 5pm AEST, Professor Paul Gilbert […]

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Monday, May 22, 2023

Building capability about child sexual abuse

Over the last year, victims and survivors of child sexual abuse have told the National Centre for Action on Child […]

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Thursday, April 20, 2023

Help govern the National Centre

We are currently seeking applications from senior executives wishing to join the National Centre Board in a volunteer capacity. Our founding […]

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Where can I get help?

      If you or a child is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000).

      If you want to talk to someone about child sexual abuse or need support, help is available:

      Lifeline – 13 11 14 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

      13YARN – 13 92 76 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) – a culturally safe crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

      1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) – for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic and family violence and abuse

      Blue Knot Helpline and Redress Support Service – 1300 657 380 (9am-5pm, 7 days a week) – for adults impacted by childhood trauma including child sexual abuse

      Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

      If you need to report child abuse, search for ‘child abuse’ in your state or territory.

  • Why do we need a National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse?

      Child Sexual Abuse is a crime. It is common and it can cause a lot of harm. Without the right responses, its impacts can continue across the lifespan. In its final report, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recommended the Australian Government, along with state and territory governments invest in a national centre to raise awareness and understanding of the impacts of child sexual abuse, support help-seeking and guide best practice advocacy and support and therapeutic treatment. The National Centre is committed to substantially addressing the harm from child sexual abuse, now and well into the future.

  • Will people with lived experience of child sexual abuse play a part in the National Centre?

      The Centre not only recognises the vital importance of the knowledge and expertise of people with lived experience of child sexual abuse but will ensure that it will be at the heart of everything the Centre does. One of the first ways the Centre will be informed by survivors is through three Colleges: a Survivor-led Adult College, a First Nations College and a Children and Young People College. Each college will include broad membership and engage extensive networks to significantly influence the outcomes of the Centre. The Colleges will provide input and feedback on the Centre’s strategic directions and activities and share knowledge with and from their communities about what is needed as well as the Centre’s work and its impact.

      College members will be appointed following a stakeholder-led process in early 2022.

  • Where is the National Centre based?

      The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse is truly a ‘national’ Centre. Its Board, staff and members of Colleges, Expert Advisory Panels and the Advisory Group will be appointed from all over Australia, and it will collaborate and engage with people and diverse communities from across the country. It will use online and digital platforms, as well as face-to-face opportunities to engage with all Australians.

  • How can I get involved in the work of the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse?

      To ensure a collaborative approach honouring the different types of knowledge of people with lived expertise, academics, service providers and policy makers the National Centre will establish the three Colleges and a Government, Sector and Academic Advisory Panel, the collective wisdom of which, will inform its Advisory Council which will in turn provide strategic input to the Board of the Centre. The Centre is committed to ensuring diverse and inclusive membership for the Colleges and Panels taking into account age, gender, culture, ability, language, survivor experience, geographical location and expertise. Each of these Colleges and Panels will be established in early 2022.

      To receive updates about the recruitment and appointment of each of the Colleges and Advisory Panels, as well as keep abreast of any upcoming roles, connect with us using the link below.

  • How were people appointed to the Survivor-led Adult College?

      What is the role of the Survivor-led Adult College?

      The Survivor-led Adult College is one of the three foundational colleges of the National Centre.

      It provides a forum for adult and older survivors of child sexual abuse to draw on their lived and living expertise, knowledge and views to inform the strategic directions, activities and functions of the National Centre.

      It recognises the critical value of the lived and living experience to support enhanced outcomes for survivors from diverse backgrounds who have a range of needs.

      How many members are on the Survivor-led Adult College?

      Membership is comprised of twelve to fifteen persons including two National Centre Directors.

      People are appointed to the College for a period of two years, and a member may be reappointed for a further two years, depending upon the strategic priorities of the College and the National Centre.

      How were members of the Survivor-led Adult College appointed?

      Appointments to the College were overseen by the Nominations Committee of the National Centre Board of Directors. Participants were contacted through networks of the Founding Members and other survivor and advocacy groups.

      As part of the appointment process participants were invited to share their personal experience, interest in the work of the National Centre and hopes for what the Survivor-led Adult College could achieve.

      The Survivor-led Adult College was formed with broad representation from across Australia with consideration of a diversity of personal experiences, geographical location, age, and gender, as well as cultural and other backgrounds.

  • What is the National Centre's complaints procedure?

      The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) believes that anyone should be able to make a complaint regarding our services, knowing it will be fairly investigated. To this end, we have a detailed our complaints procedure.

      You can make a complaint in two ways:

      1. An informal complaint using the contact details below. We will contact you within 2 working days and will endeavour to resolve these quickly, without the need for further action.
      2. A formal complaint using the contact details below which may follow on from informal complaints. These will be acknowledged within 2 working days and we will aim to resolve within 14 working days. Where we’re not able to resolve the complaint within 14 working days, we will inform you of the progress of the investigation and any further steps.

      If you feel your complaint has not been resolved following this, we have an appeals process. You can appeal a complaint using the contact details below. Please note that complaints received by the National Centre will be treated as confidential but may be passed to the Department of Social Services.

      Contact details:

      Email us: info@ncacsa.org.au
      Telephone: 0417 919 722
      In writing: PO Box 3335, Richmond, VIC, 3121

  • How can I provide feedback to the National Centre?

      The National Centre recognises feedback as a valuable tool to measure the organisation’s performance, promote engagement and continuously improve. We welcome feedback from all stakeholders to maintain quality standards, improve performance and stakeholder satisfaction. Your feedback will be treated as confidential but may be shared internally or with our partners if necessary.

      Contact details:

      Email us: info@ncacsa.org.au
      Telephone: 0417 919 722
      In writing: PO Box 3335, Richmond, VIC, 3121

  • How can I contact the National Centre directly?

      We encourage and welcome you to contact us directly by email, telephone or written mail.

      Email us: info@ncacsa.org.au
      Telephone: 0417 919 722
      In writing: PO Box 3335, Richmond, VIC, 3121

       

 

Helpful contacts

If you or a child is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000).

If you want to talk to someone about child sexual abuse or need support, you can contact one of these services:

Lifeline – 13 11 14 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

13YARN – 13 92 76 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) – a culturally safe crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) – for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic and family violence and abuse

Blue Knot Helpline and Redress Support Service – 1300 657 380 (9am-5pm, 7 days a week) – for adults impacted by childhood trauma including child sexual abuse

Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

If you need to report child abuse, search for ‘child abuse’ in your state or territory.

Connect with us

Sign up for our newsletter.

Contact us

Get in touch with us via email, phone or letter to send us a message or give us feedback.

Email us: info@ncacsa.org.au
Telephone: 0417 919 722
In writing: PO Box 3335, Richmond, VIC, 3121