Media Release by The Hon Larry Anthony MP

Australian Council for Children and Parenting – Membership and Awards

Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Larry Anthony, today announced new members of the Australian Council for Children and Parenting (ACCAP).

“ACCAP comprises of 15 experts who bring together a vast amount of knowledge and experience that will provide vital advice to Government in the areas of early intervention and prevention, parenting and child abuse prevention strategies, early childhood and emerging early childhood initiatives.

“Professor Alan Hayes, Dean and Head of Division for the Australian Centre for Educational Studies at Macquarie University, will Chair the Council.”

Other newly appointed Council members include:

  • Ms Jo Comans, Executive Director of the National Family Day Care Council of Australia;
  • Ms Divonne Holmes a Court, Founder of Smart Population and Board Member of Good Beginnings Australia;
  • Dr Anne Graham, Senior Lecturer at the School of Education, Southern Cross University;
  • Ms Kelly Trewin, Manager of the Consulting Service at CREATE Foundation and Council Member of the Child Protection Council;
  • Mr Joe Tucci, Chief Executive Officer of Australians Against Child Abuse; and,
  • Mr Simon Schrapel Executive Manager of Family and Community Development at Anglicare SA.

A full list of ACCAP members is attached.

“I would like to thank the outgoing Chair, Mrs Rosemary Sinclair, for her hard work and dedication to building a brighter future for our children.

“Many thanks also to outgoing Council members – Dr Sue Packer (ACT), Ms Rae Walter (WA), Ms Christine Arnott (Tas) and Mr Mohamed Elsarky (NSW) – for their hard work and commitment.

“I also announce that ACCAP is seeking nominations for the third Biennial National Child Protection Awards.

“These awards recognise organisations that have made a significant contribution towards the reduction and prevention of child abuse. The 2003 Awards will help to acknowledge organisations that have demonstrated excellence in:

  • Community Development, Capacity Building and Strengthening
  • Indigenous Services
  • Valuing Cultural Diversity
  • Supporting Service Providers
  • Educational Programs or Campaigns, and
  • Early Childhood Care.

“Awards will be presented at the 9th Australian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in Sydney on 26 November 2003.

“Protecting our children is not an issue owned only by governments. It is an urgent issue for everyone to address and these Awards are great way to recognise outstanding community organisations for their invaluable work in protecting our children,” Mr Anthony said.

The closing date for nominations is Friday 18 July 2003. For a nomination package or further information about the Awards please contact the Australian Council for Children and Parenting Secretariat on (02) 6212 9199 or Email: accap@facs.gov.au

Membership of Australian Council for Children and Parenting

Professor Alan Hayes (NSW) – Chair

h3> Prof Alan Hayes is Professor of Early Childhood Studies and Dean and Head of the Division of Early Childhood and Education at Macquarie University, Sydney. His qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts and a PhD in Psychology and his publications, films and video productions are in the area of applied developmental psychology, with a particular focus on social contexts of development and issues related to risk, resilience and individual differences. His writings highlight the importance of early intervention, family and community focused promotion and prevention efforts and the need to resist short-term, single “program” approaches to complex multiply determined social and developmental problems.

Ms Muriel Cadd (Vic)

Ms Muriel Cadd is currently the CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency. Ms Cadd is active on many boards concerning children, families and the Indigenous population. Her recent activities include Chairperson of the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care and member of the Australian Council of Social Service. Ms Cadd is also an active member of a number of Indigenous and community organisations, including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, the ATSIC Indigenous Peoples Organisations Forum, and the Children’s Welfare Association of Victoria.

Ms Jo Comans (NSW)

Ms Jo Comans has held a range of executive positions in both state and national professional associations and is presently the Executive Director of the National Family Day Care Council of Australia (NFDCCA), the national peak body for the Family Day Care program. Ms Comans has over 20 years experience in the child care industry with a particular focus in Family Day Care, including managing large Family Day Care schemes in both NSW and the ACT.

Dr Anne Graham (NSW)

Since 1993, Dr Anne Graham has been a Lecturer at the School of Education at Southern Cross University, currently holding the position of Senior Lecturer. Dr Graham has over 20 years experience as a teacher and educator in university, school and community settings. She has received a number of awards for her teaching excellence.

Dr Bronwyn Gould AM (NSW)

Dr Bronwyn Gould has post graduate qualifications in both paediatrics and psychological medicine. Her research area concerned factors associated with resilience following adversity in childhood. Dr Gould has experience spanning over 20 years in general practice specialising in work with children, parents and young people. A major focus of her work is vulnerable young people. More recently, she has established and provides an on site medical service for homeless women and women with children at Lou’s Place, Darlinghurst. She is also actively involved working with children and young women in a voluntary capacity through Guides Australia. Dr Bronwyn Gould is a current member of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (ASPAC) and the Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies (ACWA). Dr Gould is a continuing member of the Council.

Divonne Holmes a Court (NSW)

Ms Divonne Holmes a Court is the founder of Smart Population, a non-profit venture aimed at raising broad-based education and participation levels for the existing and future population by focusing on improving the relationship between children and parents/carers. Ms Holmes a Court was educated at the Columbia University in New York, and the Boston University School of Law.

Mr Sandy MacKenzie (NSW)

Mr MacKenzie was Federal Member for Calare 1975-1983. Since 1983 Mr MacKenzie has acted as a consultant in fundraising, strategic planning, business development and corporate relations. Mr MacKenezie has been involved in working with the Population and Community Development Association of Thailand to develop on-the-job training programs with local businesses for ‘at risk’ youth, especially daughters of poverty stricken small farmers. As a consultant to the Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research, Mr MacKenzie developed a harm reduction model for dislocated youth, especially those affected by substance dependency, homelessness, abuse and minority isolation. Mr MacKenzie is a continuing member of the Council.

Mr Simon Schrapel (SA)

From May 1999, Mr Schrapel has held the position of Executive Manager, Family and Community Development, at Anglicare SA, where he is responsible for a broad range of services from Child Care to Alternative Care, Supported Accommodation, Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation, Refugee Programs, Emergency Relief, Community Development, Community Legal Services, Relationship Education and Family Support amongst other areas. Mr Schrapel originally trained in Social Work in Adelaide and has worked for several years in a variety of social work and community development positions in both the UK and Sri Lanka before returning to Australia in 1989. Mr Schrapel has been the Chairperson of the SA Council of Social Service since July 2002. He is also the current Chair of the Child and Family Welfare Association of Australia.

Ms Kelly Trewin (Qld)

Ms Kelly Trewin is currently the Manager of the Consulting Service at CREATE Foundation. She commenced this role in 1998 and is responsible for planning and development of the consulting service; research and policy development; project management; training development and delivery; and the support and development of young people and centre staff. Ms Trewin started her career as a Youth Worker. She has worked predominantly with children and young people within state care systems of Australia to ensure the rights of these young people are enshrined within legislation, policy and practice.

Mr Joe Tucci (Vic)

Mr Joe Tucci is the CEO of independent children’s charity, Australians Against Child Abuse since 1996. He is a qualified social worker and registered psychologist. He is a Clinical Member of the Victorian Association of Family Therapists (VAFT) and a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). His experience includes statutory child protection work, family counselling at the North Melbourne Community Health Centre, child abuse research with the Child Abuse and Family Violence Research Unit at Monash University and a period of work with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in England. He is also completing his PhD researching emotional child abuse at Monash University. He has lectured on child abuse and family therapy at Monash and Deakin Universities.

Professor Graham Vimpani (NSW)

Prof. Vimpani is currently the Director of the Community Child Adolescent and Family Health Service, Hunter Area Health Service. He is also Professor and Head of the Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Newcastle. He is the medical director of the child protection team of the John Hunter Children’s Hospital in Newcastle. Prof. Vimpani has a professional experience of almost 30 years in paediatrics and child health in universities, hospitals and community settings.

Prof Vimpani has held various professional memberships both in Australia and overseas, including the Division of Paediatrics of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians/Australian College of Paediatrics from 1978, and the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), APSAC. Prof. Vimpani is the founding member of the National Investment for the Early Years (NIFTeY Australia) and is a continuing member of the Council.

Government representatives

  • Mr David Hazlehurst, Commonwealth Representative, ACT
  • Ms Jane Brazier, State/Territory Member, WA
  • Ms Vicki Rundle, State/Territory Member, TAS
  • Ms Pam White, State/Territory Member, VIC