Jesuit Social Services has received funding from the federal government to establish and deliver an expanded child sexual abuse prevention service.
The service will work to keep children safe at a time when child sexual abuse is one of the most pressing issues facing Australia. It will include a free and anonymous helpline, website and online self-help resources for adults who are concerned about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts, feelings or behaviour towards children.
To be launched in early 2026, the service will be funded as part of the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse and will build on lessons learned from Jesuit Social Services’ related pilot program, Stop It Now! Australia.
Work to explore the feasibility of Stop it Now! Australia began in late 2017, and the program was launched in September 2022. Since then, Jesuit Social services has received more than 500 calls and live chats and had more than 35,000 people access its website.
With an increase in staffing and operating hours, the new service means for the first time Australia will have a federally funded national child sexual abuse offending prevention service.
“This is a critical development in Jesuit Social Services’ work to protect children, prevent abuse and provide help,” Jesuit Social Services chief executive Julie Edwards said.
“It’s based on successful work that’s been happening overseas for decades, on which we built and ran a similar, effective pilot service called Stop It Now! Australia.”
Matt Tyler, executive director of the Men’s Project at Jesuit Social Services, said: “As part of this effort, we’ve been grateful to collaborate with victim-survivor advocates, law enforcement, academics and technology companies. Now with this funding we can grow that work and better prevent offending from happening”.
This service will advise people on how to manage sexual thoughts and feelings and stop harmful or offending behaviour, or what to do and where to go if concerned about someone else’s behaviour towards children.
The service will be delivered in line with the national practice standards published by the National Office for Child Safety regarding working in the field of child sexual abuse.
FULL STORY
New Federal funding will support child safety (Jesuit Social Services)
