As discussed in Chapter 1, Establishment and approach, the Board of Inquiry engaged directly with several individuals and organisations through a series of targeted consultation meetings.
Those who participated in these targeted meetings were generous in sharing their knowledge and expertise with the Board of Inquiry.
Individuals
- Associate Professor Joanne Evans is an archival and record-keeping researcher and educator in the Department of Human-Centred Computing, in the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University. Associate Professor Evans established the Archives and the Rights of the Child Research Program, which supports projects focused on improving record-keeping and access to information for people who lived in out-of-home care as children.
- Associate Professor Graham Gee is an Aboriginal clinical psychologist and is employed at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Associate Professor Gee has 15 years' experience working in the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector. He currently provides supervision and leads research with a focus on supporting the workforce and victim-survivors of child sexual abuse.
- Dr Cate O’Neill is the National Editor and Research Coordinator of the Find & Connect web resource and Kirsten Wright is the Program Manager of Find & Connect. Both Dr O’Neill and Ms Wright are based in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Melbourne. Find & Connect brings together historical resources relating to institutional care in Australia, including information about children’s homes. It helps individuals to find personal records, and provides information on support groups and services.
Organisations
- The Blue Knot Foundation provides advocacy and support for people who have experienced complex trauma. The Board of Inquiry consulted with Blue Knot due to its leadership and expertise in the field of complex trauma and its extensive work with victim-survivors of child sexual abuse. The Board of Inquiry engaged with Dr Cathy Kezelman AM, the President and Executive Director of Blue Knot.
- The Centre for Innovative Justice was consulted with regard to its research that seeks to expand the capacity of the justice system to meet and adapt to the needs of its diverse users, with a primary focus on restorative justice. The Board of Inquiry engaged with Stan Winford, Associate Director, Centre for Innovative Justice and Renee Handsaker, Open Circle Practice Lead.
- The Heal For Life Foundation was consulted to discuss victim-survivors’ healing. Heal for Life delivers peer-led programs to support survivors heal from childhood trauma, as well as providing training for therapists in trauma-informed practice. The Board of Inquiry engaged with Liz Mullinar, who is a survivor of childhood trauma and abuse, and the founder of Heal for Life.
- The Social Research Centre and the Australian Catholic University were consulted to discuss their development of the Evaluation Framework for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which sought to evaluate the implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations, 10 years after the Royal Commission’s conclusion. The Board of Inquiry engaged with Sue Khor, the then Director of Evaluation at the Social Research Centre, Pam Muth, the then Executive Director at the Social Research Centre, and Professor Daryl Higgins, Director, Institute of Child Protection Studies at the Australian Catholic University.
- The Board of Inquiry consulted with staff of the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service to learn more about how they run the Garra Kombrook Cultural Healing Program for Aboriginal people who have experienced sexual abuse or assault. The Victorian Aboriginal Health Service provides medical, dental and a range of social services to Victorian Aboriginal communities, and is one of four Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations funded by the Victorian Government to provide Aboriginal community-led sexual assault support services.
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