BACK
Bravehearts Research
Bravehearts’ Research supports our lobbying and legislative reform initiatives to promote the protection of children.
Bravehearts’ research promotes an evidence-based approach to addressing child sexual abuse. Through our research initiatives, we strive to make an original contribution to the knowledge and understanding of this horrendous crime by ensuring that the voices and rights of children and victims are heard and that their contributions are included in the debate and development of community and government responses.
Bravehearts’ Research Team and Advisory Groups
Our research team works collaboratively with knowledge partners including leading researchers, Universities, State & Federal government departments and agencies, and is supported by our Executive Research Advisory Panel. Some of this work includes:
- ACCCE Research Working Group
- ANZSOC ‘Understanding, preventing and responding to sexual violence and abuse’ group
- Child Rights Taskforce
- Power to Kids National Advisory Committee
- Out of the Dark Committee, Qld Family and Child Commission
- Queensland Child Protection Advocates Group
- Sexual Violence Research & Prevention Unit, University of the Sunshine Coast
- Stopping Gender Violence Advisory Board, QUT Centre for Justice
- Twitter Trust and Safety Council
- Westpac Advisory Group, Child Sexual Exploitation Advisory Group
Current Bravehearts Research Projects
This research is funded by the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse and is being conducted by a research team from the Ai for Law Enforcement and Community Safety (AiLECS) lab at Monash University and Bravehearts Foundation.
The purpose of this research is to establish a lived-experience evidence base to assure that victim and survivor perspectives are more clearly acknowledged and addressed in the design and implementation of tools and processes that support institutional uses of CSAM (this may include use for investigation or prosecution of child sexual abuse cases, or as data in broader crime prevention research, including development of technology solutions to counter CSAM). The study is primarily focused on the views of victims and survivors, but will also gather the views of individuals who may use CSAM in a professional capacity, such as law enforcement officers; and with other individuals who work in advocacy or support services for child abuse victims and survivors. The research aims to draw on the lived expertise of survivors to develop and validate trauma-informed and survivor-centred policy/practice guidance for the use of CSAM in institutional contexts.
Reports and Publications
See: Chapman, R.L., Baselmans, C., Howell, T.J., Ronken, C., & Butler, D. (2024). Exploring the Benefits of Dog-Assisted Therapy for the Treatment of Complex Trauma in Children: A Systematic Review. Children, 11. https://
DOI: 10.3390/children11081017
Research Information & Applications
Bravehearts endeavours to ensure that all research, undertaken by the organisation or in collaboration with the organisation, is underpinned by the values and principles outlined in the Bravehearts Research Policy document.
This policy is designed to outline the principles adopted by Bravehearts to ensure the ethical conduct of its research and research conducted in collaboration with external researchers. Bravehearts adopts the principles outlined in the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, and the Ethical Considerations in Quality Assurance and Evaluation Activities.
To provide a transparent ethical approach to Bravehearts research, Bravehearts has an established Ethical Research Advisory Committee (ERAC).
To promote transparency and good research practice, the ERAC will at all times include, as a minimum, Bravehearts’ Director of Research, one other senior member of Bravehearts’ staff, and two external academics or researchers.
Contact our research team on research@bravehearts.org.au to obtain a copy of our latest research policy.
Sign up to receive Research Updates from Bravehearts
The Government understands the importance of preventing child sexual abuse, increasing understanding of child abuse and providing advice and support to survivors… I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the important contribution your organisation makes in helping to keep Australia’s children safe.
– The Hon Jenny Macklin