About Us
The Australian Childhood Foundation works to defend the right of all children to a safe and loving childhood. We do this by working directly with children, young people and their families, and also in partnerships, through consultation and in collaboration with governments, service providers and community members.
For more than thirty years, the Australian Childhood Foundation has been transforming the lives of vulnerable children, young people and their families, supported by the latest knowledge and resources.
We Believe
We believe that children will benefit when those around them are well resourced with the knowledge and practice frameworks that are able to improve outcomes for children who have experienced abuse, family violence and neglect.
Trauma-Informed Transformation
We ground all our work in relationships, and believe in the power of partnerships to improve outcomes for children and young people. Both our Therapeutic Framework and our Knowledge to Action frameworks are practised in and prioritise relationships for success.
Therapeutic Framework
Our Therapeutic Framework work utilises the knowledge about the neurobiology of child development, trauma and attachment and we understand that children need healthy and supportive relationships to thrive. There are nine principles which underpin our therapeutic framework and describe how trauma makes its impact. You can read more about these nine principles on our blog.
Knowledge to Action Framework
Our Knowledge to Action Framework extends this knowledge into our partnerships with other organisations working with children and young people.
Our Work
Prosody Blog
Our blog, Prosody, has an international readership of over 140,000 professionals who work to support vulnerable children, young people and their families.
The blog enables members of this community to share their research, resources, insights and practice application with others to improve outcomes for children.
Helping children heal from trauma
ACF provides therapeutic care for children who have experienced sexual assault, physical abuse or family violence.
We also work with partner organisations to deliver a range of therapeutic and carer training services.
Upskilling the professional community
ACF offers a suite of education programs and activities for professionals.
These initiatives are designed to help individuals and organisations better respond to the needs of traumatised children and young people in a range of settings.
Keeping children safe
ACF is committed to helping organisations protect children from abuse and exploitation by their employees and volunteers.
We have designed a range of support activities over 10 years of research – and through our own experience with children who have been harmed.
Building parenting confidence
At ACF, we believe that all parents benefit from support and information.
Designed for families of all backgrounds, our Bringing Up Great Kids program uses web-based resources and face-to-face seminars to improve parent-child relationships and build parenting confidence.
Empowering schools and educators
ACF offers a range of school training programs and services to improve staff knowledge and wellbeing – to foster student wellbeing.
We help educators create trauma-sensitive environments and support their students in the best ways possible.
Building Knowledge. Creating Change.
We look for every opportunity to share our expertise and create new knowledge in partnership with like-minded organisations.
Our scientific research brings transformative projects to life – and creates lasting change for children and young people affected by trauma.
Building evidence for transformation
We have established research partnerships with Southern Cross University, QUT and the University of Sydney, and have provided policy and program consultancy for a number of state government departments about trauma-informed practice for children, families and carers. We have a number of international research and teaching partnerships with the University of North Carolina (USA), Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute in Boulder Colorado (USA) and the Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Network (USA).
Prosody Blog
Our blog, Prosody, has an international readership of over 140,000 professionals who work to support vulnerable children, young people and their families.
The blog enables members of this community to share their research, resources, insights and practice application with others to improve outcomes for children.
Helping children heal from trauma
ACF provides therapeutic care for children who have experienced sexual assault, physical abuse or family violence.
We also work with partner organisations to deliver a range of therapeutic and carer training services.
Upskilling the professional community
ACF offers a suite of education programs and activities for professionals.
These initiatives are designed to help individuals and organisations better respond to the needs of traumatised children and young people in a range of settings.
Keeping children safe
ACF is committed to helping organisations protect children from abuse and exploitation by their employees and volunteers.
We have designed a range of support activities over 10 years of research – and through our own experience with children who have been harmed.
Building parenting confidence
At ACF, we believe that all parents benefit from support and information.
Designed for families of all backgrounds, our Bringing Up Great Kids program uses web-based resources and face-to-face seminars to improve parent-child relationships and build parenting confidence.
Empowering schools and educators
ACF offers a range of school training programs and services to improve staff knowledge and wellbeing – to foster student wellbeing.
We help educators create trauma-sensitive environments and support their students in the best ways possible.
Building Knowledge. Creating Change.
We look for every opportunity to share our expertise and create new knowledge in partnership with like-minded organisations.
Our scientific research brings transformative projects to life – and creates lasting change for children and young people affected by trauma.
Building evidence for transformation
We have established research partnerships with Southern Cross University, QUT and the University of Sydney, and have provided policy and program consultancy for a number of state government departments about trauma-informed practice for children, families and carers. We have a number of international research and teaching partnerships with the University of North Carolina (USA), Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute in Boulder Colorado (USA) and the Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Network (USA).
Prosody Blog
Our blog, Prosody, has an international readership of over 140,000 professionals who work to support vulnerable children, young people and their families.
The blog enables members of this community to share their research, resources, insights and practice application with others to improve outcomes for children.
See where we are currently active with our programs
Connect with Us
If you’d like to learn more about what we do, please give us a call we’d love to hear from you!
Work with us
If you’d like to join our team of passionate professionals making a difference in the lives of children, young people and families click below to view our current positions!