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Research
In order to make recommendations we needed to understand more about child sexual abuse in institutional contexts. The Royal Commission established a program of research to answer some key questions and respond to gaps in the Australian and international evidence base.
We commissioned and conducted research in three broad categories:
- descriptive research to establish necessary background information
- primary research to fill critical evidence gaps
- research that summarised existing findings about child sexual abuse in institutional contexts, as well as practices that successfully prevent or respond to it.
Our research agenda had eight themes.
Why does child sexual abuse occur in institutions?
Reports
Child exploitation material in the context of institutional child sexual abuse (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Jeremy Pritchard and Dr Caroline Spiranovic
Taking us seriously: Children and young people talk about safety and institutional responses to their safety concerns (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Tim Moore, Professor Morag McArthur, Debbie Noble-Carr and Professor Deborah Harcourt
Our safety counts: Children and young people’s perceptions of safety and institutional responses to their safety concerns (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Tim Moore, Professor Morag McArthur, Dr Jessica Heerde, Steven Roche and Professor Patrick O’Leary
Scoping study for research into the prevalence of child abuse in Australia (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Ben Matthews, Associate Professor Kerryann Walsh, Professor Michael Dunne, Professor Ilan Katz, Professor Fiona Arney, Associate Professor Daryl Higgins, Olivia Octoman, Samantha Parkinson and Shona Bates
Evidence and frameworks for understanding perpetrators of institutional child sexual abuse (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Michael Proeve, Catia Malvaso and Dr Paul DelFabbro
Risk profiles for institutional child sexual abuse: A literature review (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Keith Kaufman and Marcus Erooga
Disability and child sexual abuse in institutional contexts (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Gwynnyth Llewellyn, Dr Sarah Wayland and Ms Gabrielle Hindmarsh
The role of organisational culture in child sexual abuse in institutional contexts (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Donald Palmer
Safe and sound: Exploring the safety of young people in residential care (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Tim Moore, Professor Morag McArthur, Dr Jodi Death, Steven Roche and Professor Clare Tilbury
Assessing the different dimensions and degrees of risk of child sexual abuse in institutions (PDF)
Conducted by Professors Patrick Parkinson and Judy Cashmore
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and child sexual abuse in institutional contexts (PDF)
Conducted by Patricia Anderson, Adjunct Professor Muriel Bamblett, Professor Dawn Bessarab, Professor Leah Bromfield, Dr Sharni Chan, Gabriel Maddock Karen Menzies, Margaret O'Connell, Glenn Pearson, Dr Roz Walker and Dr Michael Wright
Child sexual abuse in Australian institutional contexts 2008–13: Findings from administrative data (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Leah Bromfield, Craig Hirte, Olivia Octoman and Professor Ilan Katz
Child sexual abuse in institutional contexts: The reliability of police data, nature of allegations reported to police, and factors driving reporting rates (PDF)
Conducted by Samantha Parkinson, Dr Kerry Lewig, Catia Malvaso, Professor Fiona Arney, Professor Ilan Katz and Dr BJ Newton
Life journeys of victim/survivors of child sexual abuse in institutions: An analysis of Royal Commission private sessions (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Ilan Katz, Anna Jones, Dr BJ Newton and Dr Elizabeth Reimer
Framework for historical influences on institutional child sexual abuse: 1950 – 2014 (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Antonia Quadara
How can child sexual abuse in institutions be prevented?
Reports
Scoping review: Evaluations of pre-employment screening practices for child-related work that aim to prevent child sexual abuse and Supplementary Materials (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Sandra South, Professor Aron Shlonsky and Dr Robyn Mildon
Child sexual abuse prevention programs for pre-schoolers: A synthesis of current evidence (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Claudia Pitts
Scoping review: Evaluations of out-of-home care practice elements that aim to prevent child sexual abuse (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Sandra South, Professor Aron Shlonsky and Dr Robyn Mildon
Key elements of child safe organisations: Research study (PDF)
Conducted by Associate Professor kylie Valentine, Professor Ilan Katz, Dr Ciara Smyth, Cathy Bent, Sophia Rinaldis, Catherine Wade and Bianca Albers
Creating child safe institutions (PDF)
Conducted by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
Grooming and child sexual abuse in institutional contexts (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Patrick O'Leary, Emma Koh and Andrew Dare
Help-seeking needs and gaps for preventing child sexual abuse (PDF)
Conducted by Vicky Saunders and Professor Morag McArthur
Rapid evidence assessment: Current best evidence in the therapeutic treatment of children with problem or harmful sexual behaviours, and children who have sexually offended (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Aron Shlonsky, Bianca Albers, Dale Tolliday, Dr Sandra Jo Wilson, Jennifer Norvell and Lauren Kissinger
Audit of primary school-based sexual abuse prevention policy and curriculum: Volumes 1 to 5 (PDF)
Conducted by Associate Professor Kerryann Walsh, Leisa Brandon and Dr Lisa Kruck
How can child sexual abuse be better identified?
Reports
Mandatory reporting laws for child sexual abuse in Australia: A legislative history (PDF)
Conducted by Associate Professor Ben Matthews
Hear no evil, see no evil: Understanding failure to identify and report child sexual abuse in institutional contexts (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Eileen Munro and Dr Sheila Fish
What is best practice for institutional responses where child sexual abuse has occurred?
Reports
History of Australian inquiries reviewing institutions providing care for children (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Shurlee Swain
History of institutions providing out-of-home residential care for children (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Shurlee Swain
History of child protection legislation (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Shurlee Swain
Analysis of claims of child sexual abuse made with respect to Catholic Church institutions in Australia (PDF)
Conducted by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
A national comparison of carer screening, assessment, selection and training and support in foster, kinship and residential care (PDF)
Conducted by Murray Benton, Rohan Pigott, Megan Price, Patrick Shepherdson and Dr Gail Winkworth
Analysis of complaints of child sexual abuse received by Anglican Church dioceses in Australia (PDF)
Conducted by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
What is best practice for government and statutory authorities responding to child sexual abuse?
Reports
Historical review of sexual offence and child sexual abuse legislation in Australia: 1788-2013 (PDF)
Conducted by Hayley Boxall, Dr Adam Tomison and Shann Hulme
Brief review of contemporary sexual offence and child sexual abuse legislation in Australia (PDF)
Conducted by Hayley Boxall
Brief review of contemporary sexual offence and child sexual abuse legislation in Australia: 2015 update (PDF)
Conducted by Hayley Boxall and Georgina Fuller
Sentencing for child sexual abuse in institutional contexts (PDF)
Conducted by Emeritus Professor Arie Freiberg, Hugh Donnelly and Dr Karen Gelb
The admissibility and use of tendency, coincidence and relationship evidence in child sexual assault prosecutions in a selection of foreign jurisdictions (PDF)
Conducted by Associate Professor David Hamer
A statistical analysis of sentencing for child sexual abuse in institutional contexts (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Karen Gelb
The use and effectiveness of restorative justice in criminal justice systems following child sexual abuse or comparable harms (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Jane Bolitho and Karen Freeman
A systematic review of the efficacy of specialist police investigative units in responding to child sexual abuse (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Nina Westera, Dr Elli Darwinkel and Professor Martine Powell
Specialist prosecution units and courts: A review of literature (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Patrick Parkinson
A study into the legislative – and related key policy and operational – frameworks for sharing information relating to child sexual abuse in institutional contexts (PDF)
Conducted by Carolyn Adams and Krista Lee-Jones
Jury reasoning in joint and separate trials of institutional child sexual abuse: An empirical study - Trial Scripts (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Jane Goodman-Delahunty, Professor Annie Cossins and Natalie Martschuk
The impact of delayed reporting on the prosecution and outcomes of child sexual abuse cases and appendices to the appeals study (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Judy Cashmore, Dr Alan Taylor, Associate Professor Rita Shackel and Professor Patrick Parkinson
An evaluation of how evidence is elicited from complainants of child sexual abuse and online supplementary materials (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Martine Powell, Dr Nina Westera, Professor Jane Goodman-Delahunty and Anne Sophie Pichler
Oversight and regulatory mechanisms aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse: Understanding current evidence of efficacy (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Ben Matthews
Empirical guidance on the effects of child sexual abuse on memory and complainants' evidence (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Jane Goodman-Delahunty, Associate Professor Mark A Nolan and Dr Evianne L van Gijn-Grosvenor
Police responses to child sexual abuse 2010-14: An analysis of administrative data for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (PDF)
Conducted by Associate Professor Anna Ferrante, Dr Joe Clare, Sean Randall and Associate Professor James Boyd
What are the treatment and support needs of victims/survivors and their families?
Reports
Family relationships and the disclosure of institutional child sexual abuse (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Antonia Quadara, Mary Stathopoulos and Dr Rachel Carson
Service and support needs of specific population groups that have experienced child sexual abuse (PDF)
Conducted by Associate Professor Jan Breckenridge and Gabrielle Flax
Principles of trauma-informed approaches to child sexual abuse: A discussion paper (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Antonia Quadara and Cathryn Hunter
Pathways to support services for victim/survivors of child sexual abuse and their families (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Antonia Quadara, Mary Stathopoulos, Dr Rachel Carson, Serpil Bilgic, Rae Kaspiew, Helena Romaniuk, Briony Horsfall and Jessie Dunstan
Impacts of institutional child sexual abuse on victims/survivors: A rapid review of research findings (PDF)
Conducted by Dr Tamara Blakemore, Dr James Herbert, Professor Fiona Arney and Samantha Parkinson
Capturing practice knowledge from the Royal Commission support model (PDF)
Conducted by Claire Grealy, Joanna Farmer, Karen Milward and Morag McArthur
Rapid evidence review on the availability, modality and effectiveness of psychosocial support services for child and adult victims and survivors of child sexual abuse (PDF)
Conducted by Professor Aron Shlonsky, Bianca Albers and Nicole Paterson
What is the history of particular institutions of interest?
No external Publications
How do we ensure the Commission's work has a positive impact?
Reports
Implementation best practice: A rapid evidence assessment (PDF)
Conducted by Bianca Alders and Robyn Mildon
Inquiries and reports relevant to the Royal Commission (PDF)
Conducted by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
Timeline of inquiries and reports relevant to the Royal Commission (PDF)
Conducted by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse