Hawke Centre and UniFEM: Informing the Community on Child Protection
March 2006
The Hawke Centre is forging ahead with UNIFEM – the UN body for women –
to present a series of seminars designed to inform the community on tough
issues for women and families, with the next focusing on Child Protection.
Hawke Centre Director Elizabeth Ho who chairs the proceedings has had to
moderate some contentious issues in past seminars on domestic violence and
expects that this seminar will also project some difficult stories and
perspectives.
“UniFEM and the Hawke Centre do not shy away from this reality. Our job is
to ‘inform’ through the INFORM Series and to expose positive ways to move
forward. With expert speakers, something new will be learnt out of the
exercise – even for those who think they have heard it all before.”
In the face of escalating notifications of alleged child abuse and a marked
increase in the number of children coming into State care in Australia,
there is growing interest in alternative policy approaches to child
protection. In both the UK and in parts of Australia, including South
Australia, whole-of-government public health approaches, at both policy and
service delivery levels, are beginning to emerge. This raises a number of
interesting philosophical and practical issues about the protection of
vulnerable children in today’s society.
Notable experts Professor Dorothy Scott, Foundation Chair of Child
Protection and the Director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection at
UniSA and Professor Brigid Daniel, Professor of Child Care and Protection,
from the University of Dundee will compare experiences from a UK and
Australian perspective and discuss a whole-of-government public health model
of child protection.
The Seminar will be held on Thursday 6 April at the Mercury Cinema from
5.30pm. Bookings may be made via the Hawke Centre web site and additional
information on both speakers is available: go to
www.hawkecentre.unisa.edu.au
or RSVP phone line 08 8302 0215.