2007
2006
2005
Launch of the Centre
September 2005
Professor Scott
The Centre for Vulnerable Children and Families was launched by Professor Dorothy Scott, at the University Club, on Tuesday 6th September 2005. Professor Dorothy Scott (OAM) and Centenary Medallist, is the Foundation Chair of Child Protection at the University of South Australia and the Director of the Centre for Child Protection. Before taking up this position in March 2005, she was Head of the School of Social Work at the University of Melbourne Professor and prior to that had been a long term consultant, and subsequently Executive Director, for the philanthropic Ian Potter Foundation – making recommendations on grant applications, and also developing the Foundation’s strategic thinking in social welfare and implementing a model of "innovate-evaluate-disseminate". With an academic and professional background in history and social work, Dr Scott’s particular areas of interest have been in child and family welfare and maternal and child health with a broader focus on community rebuilding. In the past she has admitted to having a strong sense of vocation in her work. Dr Scott received the Order of Australia (OAM) in 1999 for contribution to social welfare education and research, and to the development of specialised child abuse services, and services for women suffering from post-partum psychiatric disorders. She has presented numerous keynote and other papers to international conferences and seminars, is a member of a wide variety of professional, research and advisory bodies, and is widely published. Her most recent books are:
• Beyond Cruelty, Historical Perspectives on Child Protection (co-author Dr Shurlee Swain) by Melbourne University Press, and • Qualitative Research in Practice (co-author Dr Yvonne Darlington) by Allen & Unwin. Professor Scott’s major interest is working with people across a broad range of disciplines and in many organisations to advance a knowledge-based approach to child protection. She is currently working on a framework for understanding how research can be best translated into policy and practice to prevent and respond to the problem of child abuse and neglect. Professor Scott officially launched the Centre with a brief analysis of the current state of child wellbeing issues in the Australian research, policy and practice environments. She affirmed the Centre’s focus on all children whole may at different stages experience a variety of vulnerabilities, and expressed the view that the Centre was already impacting on debates and knowledge in this arena. Speech of Foundation Director – Ms Susan Diamond
• Thank you to colleagues, friends, family and mentors for being here today. Each one of you has in some way contributed to the development and shape of the Centre for Vulnerable Children and Families. • Mike has given you the background to the Centre and a potted history of how we have got to this point. • I reaffirm that the past year has been hugely exciting, very busy and enormously challenging. Whilst ‘the Centre’ has only myself attached to it as staff, there is a growing team involved in identifying, nurturing and managing activities under the Centre’s umbrella and for this I particularly thank members of the Discipline of Social Work and Social Policy – Emeritus Professor Laki Jeyasuriya, Associate Professor Mike Clare, and Drs Brenda Clare, Maria Harries, Sue Young and Mark Sachmann • There are also two strong women whom I feel lucky to have had as mentors over a number of years but particularly in this endeavour. Thank you to Jane Brazier, Director General, Department of Community Development, not only for her department’s financial support of the position of Director, Centre for Vulnerable Children, but also for her personal interest, encouragement and wise counsel. Thank you also to Maria Harries whom I am honoured to count as a personal friend but who contributed much of her sabbatical leave to the Centre, has shamelessly championed both myself and the business of the Centre for Vulnerable Children and Families through her many and diverse contacts, and who has been a partner and confederate in delivering against some (dare I say) rashly promised bottom lines. Thank you Maria and Jane!! • Finally, a big thanks to Professor Dorothy Scott, for making the space in her murderous calendar to launch the Centre for Vulnerable Children and Families in this - National Child Protection Week. 2004 Tony Morrison Workshops
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