Our students

Amy Cleland

Principal Supervisor: Prof Irene Watson
Co-Supervisor: Prof Leah Bromfield
Associate Supervisor: Dr Maria Giannacoplous (UNSW)
End user Advisor: Fiona Ward Industry and Commissioner April Lawrie

Thesis: Laws that Colonise: Aboriginal Children, Child Protection and the Australian Legal System

"It’s a privilege to undertake my PhD with the ACCP, along with the opportunity to partner with the Department for Child Protection. My thesis aims to address the increasing over-representation of Aboriginal children in the child protection system, through an analysis of the South Australian situation and the legal and social work practice stories that accompany the statistics. These stories will inform best practice in the sector in relation to effectively applying the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principles. The project will consolidate an understanding of the Australian legal system’s governance of relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, and the State and Commonwealth child protection laws and policies."

Ebony Tucker

Principal Supervisor: Prof Melissa O'Donnell
Co-Supervisors: Dr Olivia Octoman, Dr Jacynta Krakouer

Thesis: Improving the process and long-term outcomes of reunification for families: Exploring the barriers and facilitators for successful and safe reunification

"In pursuing my PhD with the ACCP, I have received the invaluable opportunity to contribute to critical child protection research that serves to improve the outcomes of those children and families who are most at risk. Specifically, my research aims to enhance the process and long-term outcomes for reunified families by exploring the environmental, social, and psychological barriers and facilitators to successful and safe long-term reunification. Being alongside a passionate team of child protection researchers who hold extensive academic and industry experience will be an indispensable element in the ability of my research to inform reunification policy and practice."

Helen Allport

Co-Supervisors: Prof Melissa O'Donnell, Dr Jacynta Krakouer

Thesis: Project Aboriginal Parenting: Challenging misconceptions and strengthening practice

"It is a privilege to be embarking on my PhD journey under the guidance and supervision of the ACCP. ACCP has provided a pathway for me to immerse myself in my research area and surrounded me with leaders who are experts in their fields. My research aims to shine a spotlight on the strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander childrearing, elevating the knowledge base of these practices within child protection systems, allowing the systems and the people who work in them to develop an up-to-date discourse that repositions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parenting from a deficit-based perspective, which is commonly labelled as risky or neglectful,  to a strength based narrative which may see a reduction in removals."

Kelly Winslade

Principal Supervisor: Prof Melissa O'Donnell
Co-Supervisor: Dr Miriam Maclean
Co-Supervisor: Dr Olivia Octoman

Thesis: Families with multiple and complex needs: refocusing on early intervention

Krystal Lanais

Principal Supervisor: Prof Leonie Segal
Co-Supervisors: Dr Miriam Maclean, Dr Emmanuel Gnanamanickam
Assoc Supervisor: Assoc Prof Odette Pearson

Thesis: Children with substantiated maltreatment - What is the effect of removal to alternate (out-of-home) care during early childhood on child development and well-being

Miranda Willet

Principal Supervisor: Prof Leah Bromfield
Co-Supervisors: Dr Sarah Cox, Dr Eden Thain

Thesis: Understanding Regulation Needs to Facilitate Therapeutic Management of Externalising Behaviours in Residential Care

Miranda is a Clinical Psychologist specializing in intervention for children aged 0-18, who have experienced abuse and neglect, and their caregivers. She joined the Australian Centre for Child Protection in June 2022, in the hope of expanding her scope of impact to systemic issues that affect the young people that she works with. Her PhD will focus on young people in the residential care setting.

Rachel Lever

Principal Supervisor: Assoc Prof Lesley-Anne Ey
Co-Supervisor: Prof Leah Bromfield
Co-Supervisor: Dr James Herbert

Thesis: Children’s Problematic and Harmful Sexual Behaviours: A case study to identify and address Australia Police and Youth Justice System responses, attitudes, and diversionary approaches.

“Being able to pursue my PhD with the ACCP is an absolute privilege, being surrounded by passionate and driven child protection researchers and practitioners will be imperative to implementing my research to allow for contribution of improved outcomes for those children that need it most".

Tracey Corcoran

Principal Supervisor: Dr Olivia Octoman
Co-Supervisor: Dr Sarah Cox
Co-Supervisor: Prof Leah Bromfield

Thesis: Monitoring the well-being of children in out of home care

Victoria Parsons

Supervisor: Prof Leah Bromfield
Co-Supervisors: Dr Sarah Cox, Dr James Herbert

Thesis: The general public's knowledge and beliefs about child sexual abuse

“Undertaking my PhD at the ACCP has been a great start to a lifetime career of making the world safer for children by preventing sexual abuse. At the ACCP, I have gained a strong grounding in child sexual abuse theory and empirical evidence, qualitative methodologies, and theory of psychometric instrument creation and validation. I have also had the opportunity to work on other related projects that have given me an understanding of intervention evaluation and I have access to the collective knowledge of a wide range of supportive staff, including my supervisory panel.”

Timothy Wong

Supervisor: Prof Leah Bromfield and Assoc Prof Lesley-Anne Ey

Thesis: Evidence-based interventions delivered in schools for students who display HSB and students who experience HSB

"It's a great privilege to be undertake my PhD with the ACCP. Being able to research an area that has the capacity to directly impact schools and improve support for children and young people is absolutely exciting."

Claire Fu

Supervisor: Sian Burgess

Jacqueline Hilfy

Supervisor: Sian Burgess

Ebony Roberts

Supervisor: Dr Eden Thain
Bachelor of Psychology (3rd year placement)

"Working with ACCP has been a transformative experience, aligning with my passion for protecting vulnerable individuals, particularly LGBTQIA+ children and youth. My work with ACCP has provided invaluable real-world insights, enhancing my understanding of evidence-based practices and fostering personal and professional growth. As a placement student, I've learned the importance of continuous learning and the profound impact research can have on improving support services for marginalised communities."

Zullynette Yanez

Supervisor: Dr Eden Thain
Bachelor of Psychology (3rd year placement)

Rosa Flaherty

Thesis: Pre-birth statutory child protection concerns: the characteristics of women and experiences of women and service providers
Conferred March 2022

"Doing my thesis through the Centre was an excellent choice because it is an engine room of enthusiastic child-focused, family-centred researchers who bring a diverse range of industry experience to their thinking. These attributes are invaluable to me, during my exploration of the support offered to at-risk pregnant women and their unborn babies, as this is a sensitive and complex topic to research."

Sarah Seekamp

Principal Supervisor: Assoc Prof Lesley-Anne Ey
Co-Supervisor: Dr Margarita Tsiros
Co-Supervisor: Dr James Herbert
End User Advisor: Ms Sue MacDonald

Thesis: Exploring child and family focused outcomes to enhance interprofessional collaboration for children who have experienced or are at risk of abuse or neglect.

“Completing my thesis with the ACCP provides me an invaluable opportunity to undertake research that aims to enhance interprofessional collaboration to improve outcomes for children and families known to child protection. Specifically, my research aims to critically explore child and family focused outcomes shared by child protection and family support services in their work with children and families. Further my research aims to identify the inter-professional practices that are intended to support attainment of these common outcomes for children and families. I also hope that my PhD equips me to strengthen interprofessional education within the UniSA as it relates to supporting young children who have experienced maltreatment."