Our research strengths

Our research strengths include:

• Promoting children's participation: Eliciting the views and experiences of children and young people, and advocating for their meaningful participation, to enhance policy, practice, theory and research.
• Strengthening service systems and informing practice: Building knowledge and enhancing capacity to improve the safety and wellbeing of children, young people and families.
• Supporting child-safe communities: Promoting the safety of children and young people in policies, practice, organisations, families and communities.

The Institute of Child Protection Studies is committed to ensuring that our knowledge and research is accessible to those who support children, young people, families and their communities.

This page provides information on current and completed projects, and includes accompanying reports. To view all ICPS publications (including reports, journal articles, papers and other resources), visit publications.

Current research and other projects

1. Abuse prevention through culture change and organisational development
2. ACU Safeguarding children and young people portal
3. Affirmative consent: an evaluation of a program for young people
4. Arch evaluation of support for people affected by sexual harm
5. Australian Child Maltreatment Study
6. Building trauma-responsive sexual health and relationship education
7. Children and Young People's Safety Project
8. Children's safety in institutions: strengths and limitations of outcomes measures
9. Children's Safety in Tasmanian organisations
10. Child-safe practices using contextual safeguarding strategies
11. Corporal punishment: changing legislation and supporting parents
12. Effective teaching strategies for child sexual abuse prevention
13. Enhancing the capacity of rural and regional respectful relationship educators
14. Fostering school attendance for children in out-of-home care
15. Gambling and its harmful effect on children
16. Harmful sexual behaviour in autistic adolescents
17. HOPE program evaluation: supporting young families and children to thrive
18. Kids Central Toolkit: resources to support child-centred practice
19. Matrix to assess the needs of children and families across the community to prevent child maltreatment
20. Mental health care for children and young people in out-of-home care
21. Patterns of family contact for children in care
22. Preservation and restoration services in the ACT
23. Public health approach to protecting children
24. Queensland Intermediary Scheme evaluation
25. Religious leaders and safeguarding practices: a qualitative study
26. Risks for child maltreatment in the home
27. Safeguarding capabilities in Catholic ministries: a global perspective
28. Service system responses and culturally designed practice frameworks to address needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children exposed to domestic and family violence
29. State intervention with babies study
30. Strengthening relationships and connections for young people in therapeutic residential care
31. Voice to Parliament

Completed projects

• View our completed projects from 2010 - 2023
• View our completed projects from 2005 - 2009

About our research and services

ICPS provides a range of services, including small and large-scale research projects, designing research methodologies for partners, developing evaluation frameworks, providing consultancy support, and delivering training and professional development opportunities.

Collaborative research

ICPS undertakes research in collaboration with other community and research-based organisations that are interested in inquiry into the care and protection and general well-being of children and young people. We have worked with a number of programs and organisations that develop innovative programs.

Project design

ICPS designs individual research methodologies for research partners. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies are employed. Research tasks may include: literature reviews; design and analysis of surveys; interviews with key stakeholders, including service users; facilitation of focus groups and workshops; and document analysis.

Evaluation research

A key activity of ICPS is to provide evaluation research services. For further information about the types of evaluations that ICPS staff have undertaken, see Current and Previous Work.

Training and professional development services

ICPS can provide training and professional development opportunities to a range of stakeholder groups, including those who support children, young people and families. ICPS staff have expertise in the following areas:

• Action research
• Child-centred practice
• Research with children about sensitive issues
• Evaluation - developing an evaluation framework: process and outcome evaluations, developing program logics, what constitutes evidence