Why Together We Can?
Good resources already exist. We make them easier to find and use.
Resources supporting children and young people’s sexual safety are spread across different organisations, sectors and jurisdictions.
Together We Can brings them together in one place, making it easier to find practical information and tools for your role and the children and young people you support. We’ve also done the work behind the scenes to find, review and organise resources so you can more easily understand what’s available and what might be useful for you.
What you'll find
Resources from:
Australian government organisations
non-government organisations
research organisations
The hub is designed primarily for people who work with children and young people, with dedicated spaces for parents and carers, and young people.
About the project
Together We Can has been developed by researchers at the University of Wollongong Australia. The project was co-commissioned by the NSW Department of Communities and Justice and NSW Health, funded under the Commonwealth's Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence National Partnership Agreement.
Our approach
Together We Can has been shaped by research, practice expertise and the perspectives of the people who will use it.
The project has been guided by an expert Steering Committee and developed and tested with people who work with children and young people, parents and carers, and young people themselves.
Our work extends beyond the website. The project has also mapped strengths and gaps in existing Australian resources and is using these findings to develop a research-to-practice agenda with young people.
How we select resources
We used a scoping review to identify an initial set of resources for the website.
We asked three questions
We searched widely for practical resources from across Australia that could be used with children, young people and families.
How we found and selected resources
Our search included
Searches of websites on a list of targeted, relevant organisations, focusing mainly on national organisations or those based in NSW
Structured Google searches to identify resources beyond those websites
Recommendations from subject-matter experts
Snowball searching to find additional resources through those we had already identified
Our focus is on practice-ready resources. Our guiding question was: can it be used by a practitioner to respond to, proactively support, or prepare to respond to a child, young person or carer today?
To be included, resources needed to be
Relevant to children and young people’s sexual safety
Resources needed to directly support the prevention or recognition of, or response to, problematic and harmful sexual behaviours in children and young people aged 0–17. For prevention, this could include resources that build body safety, consent or relationship skills relevant to reducing the risk of harmful behaviour.
Practical for everyday use
Resources needed to provide information, guidance or tools that someone working with children and young people could use or share in their everyday practice. This includes resources such as factsheets, practice guides, assessment tools, conversation guides, videos and podcasts.
Relevant to the Australian context
The initial review focused on Australian resources. The next phase of the review will focus on collecting relevant international resources.
Current and accessible
Resources needed to be publicly available online, in English and published between 2016 and 2026.
What wasn't included?
Our initial review did not include academic articles, policy documents, structured training or online learning programs, whole-school curriculum packages, campaign or social media content, or organisation-specific procedures. Resources focused on general child development, adult sexual offending or child sexual abuse more broadly were also outside the scope where they did not directly address the review questions.
We reviewed each resource to understand what it covers, who it is for, and how it aligns with current research and practice.
How we reviewed resources
For each resource, we
Considered its alignment with current research and practice, including whether it takes a developmental, trauma-informed and contextual approach to children and young people’s behaviour.
Categorised what it covers and who it is for, including its audience, sector, jurisdiction and where it sits across the continuum of prevention, early support and specialist response.
Identified the populations it responds to, including resources developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, children with disability, children and young people in out-of-home care, and young people involved with the justice system.
Recorded how the resource can be used, such as whether it is something to read, watch, listen to, use as a practical tool, or share with children, young people and families.
We then looked across the collection as a whole to understand where resources are strong, who and what they cover, and where there are gaps and opportunities for future resource development.
We added information to make it easier to choose resources and know which ones will be useful for your purpose.
What information we added
For each resource, we
Identified where lived experience expertise has informed a resource
Noted available translated and accessible formats
Provided clear information to help people decide whether a resource is relevant to their needs
Not all resources identified were included. The team reviewed selected resources for relevance and alignment with research and practice.
We’ll continue to review and add new resources as they become available, including those identified outside the scoping review.
Want to know more?
The people of Together We Can
The research team
Together We Can is led by Kenny Kor and a multidisciplinary team at the University of Wollongong. The team includes
Dr Kenny Kor, social work educator and researcher, bringing 20 years of practice experience to this project.
Associate Professor Jacqui Cameron, social work educator and integrated knowledge translation expert.
Associate Professor Summer May Finlay, a Yorta Yorta woman with over 20 years of experience working with Indigenous organisations and communities.
Professor Emeritus Simon Hackett (Durham University, UK), a world-leading researcher whose work over more than three decades has shifted the field towards more developmental, ecological, and rights-based practices.
Sophie Gillfeather-Spetere, Research Fellow bringing expertise in children and young people’s experiences of services and systems.
Dr Rebecca Goodbourn, Research Fellow with practice and research expertise in domestic, family and sexual violence and knowledge translation.
Dr Andrea Knezevic, Research Associate, social worker and mental health researcher specialising in early support in complex service systems.
Young people working on the project
Young people have played an important role in shaping this work. By sharing their perspectives, ideas and feedback, they have helped us think about what information young people need, how it should be communicated, and what makes resources feel useful, relevant and accessible. Their contributions have helped keep the work grounded in the experiences and priorities of young people. We thank Amalia, Hailey, Isabelle, Kirra, Kyeesha, Priya, Rachael and Ruben for their stewardship of this project.
The steering committee
Together We Can is guided by a Steering Committee bringing together diverse knowledge, expertise and perspectives from across different sectors, including health, child protection, youth justice, education, out-of-home care, research and specialist services working with children, young people and families. Members represent organisations including NSW Ministry of Health, the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, the NSW Department of Education, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, Youth Justice, Local Health Districts, Settlement Services International and universities.
With thanks to
Lorna McNamara, PSM (Chair), NSW Ministry of Health; Locky Bygrave, Sydney Children's Hospital Network; Rochelle Darby, Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District; Dr Catherine Esposito, NSW Department of Communities and Justice; Associate Professor Lesley-Anne Ey, University of Adelaide; Ben Fioramonte and Tari Mapfumo, Settlement Services International; Associate Professor Lesley Laing, University of Sydney; Dr Ruth Marshall, NSW Youth Justice; Tina Maybury, Hunter New England Local Health District; Adjunct Professor Dale Tolliday OAM, NSW Ministry of Health and Sydney Children's Hospital Network; Kaeli Walker, NSW Ministry of Health; and David Withers, NSW Department of Education.