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From October 2023 to January 2024, we ran consultations with government and non-government stakeholders to inform the design and delivery of a national point of referral under the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030. The national point of referral will help victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, practitioners and the general public to navigate the service system and access information and resources.

We engaged First Nations Collective Consulting, who partnered with Impact Co., to undertake dedicated trauma-informed, culturally safe, accessible and inclusive consultations with individuals and communities, including people with lived experience, First Nations people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and people with disability. We also captured feedback through an online survey on the Attorney-General’s Department Consultation hub.

Stakeholders included:

• people with lived experience of child sexual abuse and their advocates
• First Nations people
• people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities
• people with disability
• people who identify as LGBTQIA+
• health services
• service providers
• government agencies
• advisory groups
• Children’s Commissioners
• legal services
• peak bodies
• advocacy services
• research organisations
• religious organisations.

Thank you to the stakeholders who took part and provided their time and expertise.

The Final National Point of Referral –  Community Consultations Summary 2023 summarises feedback from individuals and communities. The Final National Point of Referral – Service Sector and Government Consultations Summary 2023 outlines the feedback heard from sector representatives, peak bodies and government agencies.

We invited stakeholders who participated in these consultations to provide feedback on the draft summaries, which wen incorporated into the final documents.

As part of the Supporting Quality Engagement with Children project, the National Children’s Commissioner consulted with children and young people to inform approaches to help seeking and service access. These consultations took place in urban, regional, and remote locations across all Australian states and territories. They will contribute to the evidence base informing the design and implementation of the national point of referral. Visit the Supporting Quality Engagement with Children- external site page for more information.

The consultation outcomes will inform our approach to developing, delivering and evaluating the preferred service model for the national point of referral. We are working with states and territories to finalise the proposed service model.

In 2022, we contracted Lonergan Research to undertake public consultations to inform the design and delivery of:

• a national support service for non-offending family members of child sexual abuse perpetrators (First National Action Plan Measure 10)
• a national offending prevention service for adults who have sexual thoughts about children or young people (First National Action Plan Measure 21).

From June to December 2022, Lonergan Research undertook extensive public consultations to inform the design and delivery of both services. Stakeholders included:

• members of, and advocates for, relevant National Strategy priority groups (including First Nations people, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people with disability, and the LGBTQIA+ community)
• domestic and international organisations working in the sector
• academics
• clinicians
• law enforcement
• clients of similar services.

Thank you to the stakeholders who took part and provided their time and expertise.

Lonergan Research has compiled consultation reports for each service. Read the executive summaries:

• Measure 10 Lonergan Research Consultation Report – Executive Summary
• Measure 21 Lonergan Research Consultation Report – Executive Summary

The full consultation reports will not be shared publicly.

Consultation outcomes, including those reflected in the executive summaries, have directly shaped the service design for both new services.

For questions about this work, please contact us.

From January to February 2022, the National Office conducted consultations with government and non-government stakeholders to inform the establishment of the National Strategy's Advisory Group. The National Strategy Advisory Group Consultation Paper was released on 20 January 2022 and outlined a proposed model for an Advisory Group, as well as alternative mechanisms to consult stakeholders on the design and implementation of National Strategy measures.

The National Office received 54 submissions in response to the consultation paper from a range of stakeholders, including victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and their advocates, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, clinical practitioners, non-government organisations, and academics.

The National Strategy Advisory Group Consultation Report 2022 provides an overview of feedback from stakeholders. The consultation also informed the establishment of the National Strategy Advisory Group in April 2022. You can find out more about the Advisory Group here.