About the role

The General Manager – Child Sexual Abuse Prevention will provide leadership to Jesuit Social Services’ child sexual abuse prevention efforts, with a focus on the development of the offender prevention service building on our Stop It Now! Australia service. In addition will oversee the development of an initiative focused on trialling warning messages, our youth-focused program to prevent harmful sexual behaviours, a range of research as well as advocacy efforts and other child sexual abuse prevention programs develops as required.

The General Manager will work with the Executive Director, Community and Systems Impact, The Men’s Project and other staff to provide operational leadership, oversight and support on a range of cross-directorate functions, including strategy and planning, business development, research and evaluation, finance and budget management, recruitment and on-boarding, communications and marketing, and partnership development as it related to the prevention of child sexual abuse.

This role will also represent Jesuit Social Services in practice, at key networks and forums, building partnerships with a range or organisations and stakeholders, and advocating to support program and organisational priorities of supporting men and boys to live respectful, accountable and fulfilling lives free from violence and other harmful behaviours, keeping children safe from sexual abuse and building a just society.

Competitive remuneration, plus salary packaging benefit, is offered together with ongoing professional and career development as well as opportunities for personal growth.
 

What Jesuit Social Services can offer you:

• An organisation that lives its values, through its day to day work
• A welcoming and supportive relational environment
• A comprehensive Induction and Orientation program
• Ongoing training and development related to your role
• Employee assistance program
• A competitive salary plus salary packaging benefits
• Generous leave

About the program

Offender Prevention Service/Stop It Now! 

Stop It Now! is a child sexual abuse prevention program which works with individuals concerned about their own or someone else’s sexual thoughts or behaviours towards children. It was first established by a victim-survivor of child sexual abuse in the U.S 30 years ago, and we have been delivering the service here in Australia for over two years. We are also developing a larger scale Offender Prevention Service based on the Stop It Now! Pilot program.

The program’s key feature is an anonymous phone helpline for people who are worried about their own sexual thoughts and behaviours in relation to children, as well as professionals and family members who are concerned about the behaviour of others. The service also includes a website with advice, self-help materials and guidance to raise awareness around child abuse. Stop it Now!/Offender Prevention Service is dedicated to reducing or eliminating the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and seeks to achieve this by engaging with adults who may go on to harm children, and other protective adults. While the service can be accessed anonymously, all mandatory reporting guidelines are complied with.

Trialing warning messages to prevent child sexual abuse

In collaboration with Jesuit Social Services and University of Tasmania, we are seeking to disrupt child sexual abuse materials and other forms of online child sexual exploitation by working with technology companies to integrate deterrence messaging which deter offending and facilitate help-seeking. Through Government advocacy, partnerships, public awareness, and workforce development, we are committed to shifting deterrence messages to core practice, fostering a safer digital environment and driving sustained, effective action against online child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Worried about Sex and Pornography Project (WASAPP)

Child-on-child harmful sexual behaviour is the fastest growing form of sexual abuse in Australia, with up to 50% of child sexual abuse happening at the hands of another child. WASAPP aims to provide a service, similar to Stop It Now!, focused on reducing harmful sexual behaviour displayed by children and young people, as well as providing valuable information on normal sexual behaviour.

The Men’s Project

The Child Sexual Abuse Prevention team sits within The Men’s Project. The Men’s Project leadership on the reduction of violence and other harmful behaviours prevalent among boys and men, and builds approaches to improve their wellbeing and keep families and communities safe.

Our vision is for good men, respectful relationships and safe communities.

Current priorities for The Men’s Project include:

• drawing on our Man Box research and child sexual abuse prevalence study, building a greater understanding of perpetration including opportunities for prevention and early intervention;
• supporting people who work with men and boys every day (e.g. teachers, sports coaches, social workers) to prevent violence and improve the well-being of men and boys;
• developing new early intervention approaches with adolescents at-risk of using violence;
• strengthening early intervention responses for adults and young people to prevent child sexual abuse; and
• drawing on our grounded practice experience, advocating for systemic changes that seek to prevent violence and child sexual abuse.

The Men’s Project builds on Jesuit Social Services’ over 45 year engagement with boys and men in trouble, but it also involves us leading new work to reduce violence, to improve the wellbeing of boys and men, and to keep families and communities safe.