150 participants attended a seminar presented by Professor Ben Mathews at the Department of Health and Human Services showcasing the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS).
The seminar was presented by the department's Centre for Evaluation and Research (CER) in collaboration with the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.
ACMS is the first national prevalence study of all five types of child maltreatment in Australia and is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (2019–2023).
The study will involve a cross-national survey of 10,000 participants to identify the location, frequency, severity and timing of these experiences and the nature of the child’s relationship with the person who inflicted them. The study will measure the impact of child maltreatment on physical and mental health outcomes across the lifespan and the burden of disease.
Data collection for the study will commence in 2021 and the findings are expected to be available in 2022–23.
The research will provide government and policymakers with information on national public policy strategies about where, when and how to invest resources to reduce child maltreatment and respond effectively to it at an early age.
Ben Mathews' presentation
First national study of child maltreatment in Australia - video transcript (Word)
More information
For more information about the Australian Child Maltreatment Study, email ACMS@qut.edu.au.