$9.2 million funding over three years to help protect and create safer communities for children in Australia

The 27 organisations receiving a grant through our 2020 Impact Grants program.
 

26 October 2020

We are pleased to share the organisations that will receive a 2020 Impact Grant through our Safer Children, Safer Communities program. These organisations are helping to protect and create safer communities for children and their families in Australia, with a focus on helping prevent the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

Our 2020 Impact Grant recipients

A total of 27 organisations have been selected in our 2020 grants round. 

Scale Grants (8)

Eight multi-year grants of $300,000 per year over three years for organisations with existing evidence-based innovative models looking to scale and move to their next stage of growth. 
 

Organisation Program reach Program details 
Monash University (AiLECS Lab) National The AiLECS research lab is a collaboration between the Australian Federal Police and Monash University. The lab investigates how AI can accelerate investigation and prosecution of heinous crimes. AiLECS is actively developing machine learning tools that are designed to detect and classify online child sexual abuse material (CSAM). 
Playgroup Queensland National Sing&Grow is a national, evidence-based music therapy program that enhances the protective factor of a secure relationship between children and a safe parent/carer. Services are delivered in partnership with organisations who are engaged with families with children aged 0-5 years who have experienced trauma and adversity.
Jesuit Social Services National ‘Stop it Now’ is a pilot program focused on potential perpetrators to prevent child abuse. This is based on recent ‘tilting of practices’ to keep the perpetrator (who is responsible for the violence and abuse) in view and target interventions that enables early intervention in pattern of behaviour with the aim that the behaviour will not become entrenched.
Yourtown (Kids Helpline) National ‘Kids Helpline’ will expand its program by building a 24/7 national best practice multi-modal response for children and young people who have been or are at risk of being sexually exploited or abused.
Interchange Outer East VIC Porn Is Not the Norm (PINN) is a multi-strategy initiative that seeks to prevent pornography’s harms to young people with Autism by equipping them and their parents, carers and teachers to understand pornography’s prevalence and impacts, and how they can safely navigate healthy and respectful relationships.
Mackillop Family Services National ‘Power to Kids’ is an evidence-based program focused on preventing sexual exploitation of vulnerable children in residential care – this model has been piloted, tested and evaluated over the past three years in Mackillop residential homes and will be expanded to residential care providers across Australia.
Berry Street Victoria VIC ‘Multisystemic Therapy’ is an intensive trauma-informed response and recovery for children, families, victims and survivors of abuse, neglect, and violence. 
Parkerville Children and Youth Care WA The ‘Multiagency Investigation and Support Team’ is an integrated response model involving child and family advocates and psychologists within a community based model that supports children, young people and their families who have experienced child sexual abuse by co-locating all the services required to respond to the needs of the child and their family. 

Strengthen Grants (7)

Seven multi-year grants of $100,000 a year for two years to build the capacity of organisations, to facilitate the adaptation of an existing program or to deliver an existing program via a new medium.
 

Organisation Program reach Program details 
Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS) National A partnership model that will expand the ‘SAFE’ digital platform – an early intervention program that uses machine learning and language processing technology to identify children potentially at risk of abuse or neglect.
Ngaoara Ltd National An Aboriginal not-for-profit organisation that works with Aboriginal children and their families, service providers and government agencies to develop and deliver in-community, child centric, trauma informed assessment and care.
Jute Theatre Company Far North QLD Theatre and wrap around professional services focused on reducing the incidence of child sexual abuse and serious issues afflicting young Indigenous Queenslanders.
Life Education NSW National Expand the ‘bCyberwise’ program to include topics such as digital media risks, risk of under-age enrolment on social media, exposure to inappropriate and misleading material and exploitation communications and coercion for children in years 3-6. 
Act for Kids National Expand the ‘It’s Happening: Act Safe! Initiative’ with evidence-based abuse prevention education and resources applicable for children/young people and education resources for parents that increases knowledge and ability to keep kids safe online.
Kids First Australia VIC Develop ‘Stand Up!’ a school-based education program for Year 8 students focusing on negotiating authentic and healthy relationships, preventing exploitation and creating safety, space, and boundaries both offline and online.
Bravehearts Foundation National Expanding personal safety program ‘Ditto’s Keep Safe Adventure’, that supports educators in the early learning and school-based setting to teach personal safety and supports parents and carers to reiterate these messages in the home.

Seed Grants (12)

12 one-off grants of $50,000 for early stage programs and initiatives or organisations building, testing, or piloting an innovative idea.
 

Organisation Program reach Program details 
Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre NSW Pilot an innovative survivor-oriented, trauma-informed restorative justice project that works with the survivors and offender of sexual violence. 
Sexual Assault Support Service Tas Expand a peer education-based program, utilising school-based mentors to educate peers on sexual harm minimisation, sexual safety, grooming & exploitation.
The Trustee for The Cool Australia Trust National Develop and distribute free education resources to Australian schools that help reduce the risk of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE).
Youth off The Streets NSW Pilot a project providing at-risk youth with comprehensive support networks includes digital safety & wellbeing tools and 24/7 direct access to nurses & safety professionals.
Leisure Networks VIC Develop a ‘practical framework’ to deliver safeguarding education to children and young people, co-designed by children and young people, for implementation at all levels of sports. 
Multicultural Communities of SA SA Develop a program delivering youth e-safety education to vulnerable Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) children.
IFYS Limited QLD Develop a comprehensive Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) resource kit, supporting frontline practitioners in identifying, reporting, and responding to CSE.
NSW Crime Stoppers Limited NSW Develop a platform to raise awareness of online sexual exploitation and child abuse that brings together childcare providers, parents/carers and the broader community to safeguard children.
Settlement Services International NSW Expand the ‘Educating Newly Arrived Fathers’ program, which is an in-language and in-culture Men’s Behaviour Change program that works with men that use violence in a domestic setting.
KARI Foundation NSW Collaboration between KARI and South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) for a trauma-informed therapeutic intervention for Aboriginal children, their family and/or carers at KARI’s specialist clinics.
Australian Refugee Association SA Expand an evidence-based parenting support program that is focused on fostering the attachment between parents and children and improving parenting skills, particularly for children/parents from CALD and refugee/migrant background. 
Neighbourhood Watch Australasia Limited National Develop a high quality digital online safety product for children aged 13 and under.

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