Celebrating 20 years of impactful research and advocacy

The Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) was established as a partnership between the ACT Government and the Australian Catholic University, in response to the growing need for independent, high-quality research in child protection.

From the outset, ICPS focused on addressing the challenges faced by children in vulnerable circumstances, such as out-of-home care, youth detention, homelessness and family violence. Taking a broad view of child protection and basing our work on the premise that child abuse prevention is a community responsibility, our research focused on children and families brushing up against the statutory child protection system and beyond. We also began addressing the big gap in knowledge and practice on how to involve children and young people in research. We created a stream of research that listened to their unique views and experiences, and engaged them in research in an ethical way about issues that affect their lives.

"Our research focuses on children and families brushing up against the statutory child protection system and beyond."

Throughout the first years, the The Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) forged important partnerships with government agencies, non-government organisations, and academic institutions. These collaborations laid the groundwork for our extensive community engagement work, allowing us to share research findings and translate them into practical tools for child protection professionals and service providers. 

The research team co-designed the Kids Central Toolkit with children and workers in the homelessness sector. ICPS also commenced supervision of PhD students, helping to build the next generation of child protection researchers. Read more about our post-graduate students.

Our supervision of PhD students helped to build the next generation of child protection researchers.

Key projects included:

• Principles for child-centred practice (2005)
• Good practice for placement planning (2005)
• Family Group Conferencing (2006)
• Understanding the experiences of child accompanying families during homelessness (2007)
• Supporting young people transitioning from youth detention to the community (2008)
• Strengthening child wellbeing and protection curriculum for academic courses in social work (2008)
• Children and young people’s experiences of separation and divorce (2009)
• Children and young people in families affected by alcohol or other drug use (2009)

The Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) expanded its research focus to address critical issues such as homelessness, refugees settlement, parental drug and alcohol use, young carers, juvenile justice, children of prisoners and family and domestic violence.

Our work helped inform national policy on child welfare and contributed to key reforms in child protection systems. We also published influential reports on out-of-home care, young carers and children of prisoners, establishing ICPS as a leader in the field. ICPS staff continued to engage in supervision of PhD students to further strengthen its research capacity.

Key projects included:

• Understanding the experiences and aspirations of younger mothers (2010)
• Supporting fathers who are homeless (2011)
• Child protection practitioners values survey (2011)
• Identity and meaning for vulnerable young people (2012)
• Refugee and family experiences of resettlement (2012)
• Children of prisoners (2013)
• Children’s experiences of family and domestic violence (2014)

In 2015, the Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) celebrated its 10th anniversary. We broadened our reach, establishing offices in Sydney and Melbourne. Reflecting on the contributions ICPS had made to research with children, Emeritus Professor Dorothy Scott AOM who delivered the keynote at the anniversary celebrations remarked:

"The window such research gives us into the inner world of vulnerable children and young people, and how their inner world affects their outer world, and how their outer world affects their inner world, is profound. It gives us a far deeper understanding than that which emerges from the traditional research focus on children as ‘objects of concern’."

As a lead research institute with expertise in child abuse prevention and the engagement of children and young people in participatory research, we worked in partnership with colleagues and with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2013-17) to roll out what was described by the Hon. Justice Peter McClellan AM as some of the Commission’s “most important research projects”. We continued to conduct research to enhance child protection and abuse prevention strategies.

Key projects included:

• Children and young people’s understanding and experience of safety in Australian institutions (2015)
• Safe and Sound: increasing safety for young people in residential care (2017)
• Help seeking and primary prevention (2017)
• Causes of family conflict contributing the youth homelessness (2017)
• Managing Ethical Studies on Sensitive Issues: involving children in social research (2018)
• Child protection interventions: statutory responses for children experiencing family violence (2018)
• Child and Young People Safety Studies (2025)

Read more about our projects from 2015-2020

"We worked in partnership with colleagues and with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2013-17) to roll out important research projects."

Marking our 15th anniversary, the Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) became an even stronger voice in policy advocacy, providing expertise to government agencies on issues ranging from child sexual exploitation to the mental health needs of children in care.

As collaborators in the Australian Child Maltreatment Study we engaged in once-in-a-generation opportunities to reframe approaches to child abuse prevention and taking a public health approach.  We launched a number of successful initiatives, including trauma-informed training programs for safeguarding officers, and advocated for the inclusion of young people's voices in policy and practice. Our safeguarding work continued.

Key projects included:

• Child sexual abuse prevention in developing countries (2020)
• Effective teaching strategies for child sexual abuse prevention (2021)
• kContact: keeping contact between parents and children in care (2021)
• Keeping Tasmanian children safe: research for the Tasmanian Commission of Inquiry (2023)
• Beyond safety: ethical practice with children (2023)
• From strength to strength: supporting young people transitioning from out-of-home care (2023)
• Preventing harmful sexual behaviours of young people in need: autistic adolescents and siblings (2023)

Throughout these years, we also expanded our international collaborations, engaging with researchers, practitioners, and policymakers and playing a key role in international efforts to prevent maltreatment and strengthen safeguarding efforts.

"We advocate for the inclusion of young people's voices in policy and practice."

In 2025, the Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) proudly celebrates its 20th anniversary. This milestone marks two decades of dedicated work to improve child protection practices, promote child wellbeing, and contribute to the creation of safe and supportive environments for children and young people. Our anniversary celebrations will include a series of events that bring together experts, advocates, and community leaders to reflect on our achievements and discuss the future of child protection research and practice.