Providing an accessible and inclusive service for all forms of family violence

Chelsea believes all victim survivors of domestic and family violence deserve best practice services and support. She is passionate about providing the highest possible standard of care, particularly to marginalised people and is dedicated to ensuring that all children and young people are heard and understood as victim survivors in their own right.  During her time at Safe Steps she has led significant organisational change to ensure all people can access family violence services, and produced an impact film called “Unanswered Calls” shining a light on young people who are virtually invisible in the family violence system.

With a career spanning both the corporate and not-for profit sectors, Chelsea has led organisations as a CEO, Director, Non-Executive Director. Chelsea has worked across family services, child protection, domestic violence and disability as well as an economist in strategy and mergers and acquisitions at large corporates and professional services. Chelsea has a wealth of experience leading and empowering teams to deliver large scale socially and commercially impactful projects and forging powerful partnerships.

What do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities need to thrive?

*Note there will be overlap between this session and the themes on Day 10 of public hearings

Craig Rigney, KWY Aboriginal Corporation

Craig is a proud Ngarrindjeri/Kaurna man born in Gawler, SA. Craig is dedicated to eliminating all forms of violence against women and children and stemming the flow of Aboriginal children and families into the child protection systems. Over 14 years, he has grown KWY from a team of two to over 100 staff, providing trauma informed culturally responsive practice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and families.

Adjunct Professor Muriel Bamblett AO, VACCA

Muriel is a Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung & Taungarung woman who has been Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency since 1999. She is the Chair of SNAICC, the Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory group as part of the National Family Safety Plan reporting to Minister Rishworth and a member of the Family Violence Reform advisory group reporting to Victorian Minister for Family Safety & the Office for Women.

In addition, Muriel is active on many boards and committees concerning children, families and the Indigenous community, including the Aboriginal Children’s Forum; the Dhelk Dja Family Violence Partnership Forum, the Aboriginal Justice Forum, the First Peoples Treaty Assembly Elder’s Voice and the Aboriginal Community Elders Service and more.

Muriel was the 2024 NAIDOC Person of the year for her outstanding contributions to child and family safety on her long and successful career.

Elder abuse and family violence for older South Australians

Miranda Starke, Chief Executive, Council of the Ageing SA 

Miranda is the Chief Executive of COTA SA (Council on the Ageing SA) the peak body for 700,000 South Australians aged 50+. In this role she leads the team delivering a wide range of programs and services to support South Australians to age well, and drives COTA SA’s engagement, research, policy and advocacy on cost-of-living, health, housing, transport, social inclusion, and other issues to improve the lives of older people. COTA SA recently completed a significant project to understand the experience of older women of Family, Sexual and Domestic Violence, and is pleased to contribute these insights into the South Australian Royal Commission. Miranda has held senior Executive and Board roles in the education, arts and social sectors over twenty years and is current Chair of the Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation. Miranda has a Master of Marketing, is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and also a Churchill Fellow.

Rachael Nielsen, Head of The Plug-in and Research and Engagement Manager at Council of the Ageing SA 

Rachael is the Head of The Plug-in and Research and Engagement Manager at COTA SA (Council on the Ageing SA), overseeing research and engagement activities for COTA SA and its social enterprise, The Plug-in. Rachael led a research project supported by the Office for Women, to improve service accessibility and raise awareness of the unique experiences of older women who are victim-survivors of family, sexual, and domestic violence (FSDV). The research informed the creation of public service posters and bus shelter ads displayed across South Australia, amplifying the voices of older women and encouraging people to seek help. COTA SA welcomed the opportunity to contribute the research findings to the Royal Commission, elevating the voices of victim-survivors. With an honors degree in social sciences, specializing in gender studies, Rachael’s experience in academia and market research, guides her leadership of The Plug-in team in delivering actionable insights for clients across academia, government, and the private sector, with a focus on people aged over 50.

Experiences of violence for people with a disability

Belinda has been the Chief Adult Safeguarding Practitioner with the ASU since July 2022. She is a Social Worker who has worked in the disability, women’s homelessness, adult guardianship, and health sectors across her career, in direct client roles and various leadership positions. Belinda oversees the operations of the ASU, a statewide service that responds to concerns of abuse and mistreatment of adults who may be vulnerable. This includes adults with a disability and older people (over 65). The ASU provides community education, confidential information and advice, comprehensive assessment of reports of abuse and tailored safeguarding assistance.

The role of pets in family violence

Jennifer is an expert in the field of social services, primarily working with those who are involved in domestic violence, homelessness and mental illness. She has an interest in human/animal companion relationships, animal and human welfare, psychology, social justice, intergenerational poverty and violence and exploring the links between domestic violence and animal abuse. Jennifer is the founder and CEO of non-for-profit charity Safe Pets Safe Families which seeks to provide programs and services to people and their pets in the Australian community who are facing disadvantage and crisis situations, including domestic violence, mental health, medical emergency, and homelessness.