News

ICPS Staff news

We would like to acknowledge recent achievements of some of our staff members and PhD students.

Firstly, Sebastian Trew, who works from our Canberra office, has recently been awarded a doctorate for his research that explored families’ lived experience of autism. Congratulations Sebastian on this milestone and on your latest publication: Parents' experiences with child protection during pregnancy and post-birth.

We are fortunate to welcome back Jacqui Stewart who brings her astute skills to the role of Program Manager. Jacqui is an accomplished project manager and has also contributed as an author to many reports. You can read her most recent publication: Safeguarding in Church: Children and Young People’s Perceptions of Safety in Religious and Other Faith-Based Settings. 

Douglas Russell, our Senior Research Officer, 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. Congratulations Douglas!

And we also congratulate two ACU students (supported by Professor Daryl Higgins) who have had their candidature for their PhD topics confirmed. Lottie Harris is studying the health impacts of child multi-type maltreatment, and Gabby Hunt is focusing on organisational risk factors for child sexual abuse in faith-based settings. Both are basing their research on data from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study.

Finally, Ulrike Marwitz is a few months away from completing her PhD thesis on domestic violence. She is exploring how coercive control and situational couple violence are differing dynamics of domestic violence that may require different kinds of intervention and support to reduce violence and increase safety for both adult victims and children. 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. We’ll keep you posted on Ulrike’s findings. 

Read more