Please contact ACCP's administrative team: childprotection@unisa.edu.au
Professor Leah Bromfield is the Chair of Child Protection and Director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection, University of South Australia. She is the 2025 SA Australian of the Year, Chair of the SA Child Protection Expert Group, Chair of the Tas Uplifting Care Independent Expert Group, and Co-Chair of the National Advisory Group for the National Strategy for Preventing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse.
Professor Bromfield is one of Australia’s foremost child protection experts, who has worked nationally and internationally with government and non-government organisations in establishing and implementing child protection reforms.
Prof Bromfield’s prominent work leading and supporting government reform and... Read more
About me
Professor Leah Bromfield is the Chair of Child Protection and Director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection, University of South Australia. She is the 2025 SA Australian of the Year, Chair of the SA Child Protection Expert Group, Chair of the Tas Uplifting Care Independent Expert Group, and Co-Chair of the National Advisory Group for the National Strategy for Preventing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse.
Professor Bromfield is one of Australia’s foremost child protection experts, who has worked nationally and internationally with government and non-government organisations in establishing and implementing child protection reforms.
Prof Bromfield’s prominent work leading and supporting government reform and significant contributions to Inquiries and Royal Commissions has directly changed laws, policies and practices in the field of child protection. Her roles and appointments include as a current Commissioner in the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s responses to child sexual abuse in institutional settings, and Professorial Fellow to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, established by the Australian government, leading its extensive research program.
Prof Bromfield’s expertise has been extensively recognised, including as Chair or of the inaugural South Australian Child Protection Expert Group and member of the Council of Australian Government’s National Framework for Protection Australia’s Children Governance group since 2010, and through awards including the Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year (Public Sector and Academia, 2017), and the 2018 Women in Innovation Social Impact Award.
Prof Bromfield has been an author on more than 250 commissioned reports, policy and practice papers in the field, and she has been awarded in excess of $20 million research income over the course of her career.
About me
Doctor of Philosophy Deakin University
Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology) Deakin University
Bachelor of Applied Science (Psychology) Deakin University
Child protection, including intake and assessment, national and international comparisons, and multiply referred families
Child abuse and neglect, including prevalence and incidence, chronic maltreatment and cumulative harm, and maltreatment definitions
Multiple and complex problems and child abuse and neglect
Research dissemination,knowledge translation and exchange, implementation science
Public health approaches and child protection systems design
Research
Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.
Impact of the Barnahus model in Europe, Oak Foundation, 31/03/2025 - 31/03/2028
Violence Perpetration: Profiling, Prediction and Prevention, NHMRC - Centre of Research Excellence, 01/11/2022 - 31/10/2027
Enhancing responses to harmful sexual behaviours among teachers and parents: Co-developing training materials and resources, Daniel Morcombe Foundation, 01/04/2024 - 01/03/2027
WA Child Sexual Abuse Sector Capacity Building, WA Dept of Communities, 02/02/2025 - 02/02/2027
Co-design implementation support and evaluation for the Specialist Harmful Sexual Behaviours Pilot Program, WA Dept of Communities, 08/01/2024 - 07/07/2026
Can administrative records inform estimates of the extent and nature of harmful sexual behaviours?, Daniel Morcombe Foundation, 09/06/2023 - 20/12/2025
Understanding the experiences of child sexual abuse disclosure in Australia in the wake of the Royal Commission, National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse - Competitive Grant, 23/11/2023 - 30/10/2025
Child safety training initial scoping advice, QLD Dept of Education, 12/05/2025 - 31/07/2025
Enhancing responses to Children with Harmful Sexual Behaviours and Advocacy, Support and Therapeutic Treatment for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse in the Western Australian Service Context, WA Dept of Communities, 28/06/2021 - 30/06/2025
SA Dept of Human Services Scholarship, SA Dept of Human Services, 01/07/2019 - 31/12/2023
Prototyping of the evidence-informed co-designed therapeutic approach for Noongar children with abuse and neglect related trauma with Aboriginal healing practitioners , Breakthrough Mental Health Foundation/UniSA ¿ Seed Funding, 01/02/2022 - 30/06/2023
Parkerville – Responding Effectively to Child Sexual Abuse Research Program, Parkerville Children and Youth Care Inc., 01/03/2018 - 07/05/2023
SCHEDULE 5 OFFICIAL ORDER 90013947 - IMS Part A, Cwth Dept of Social Services, 16/12/2021 - 28/02/2023
Cumulative Harm: The Outcomes, Risk and protective Factors Associated with Chronic Maltreatment, SA Dept for Education and Children's Services, 01/01/2014 - 31/12/2019
EIRD Perpetrator Desktop Evaluation and Information, SA Dept of Premier & Cabinet, 28/03/2018 - 30/06/2018
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Child Advocacy Centres, Parkerville Children and Youth Care Inc., 03/01/2014 - 31/05/2018
Harmful Sexual Behaviours Consultancy and Research Services, Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia, 03/10/2017 - 15/12/2017
Research support for the NSW Ombudsmans Review of the Joint Investigation Response Team, New South Wales Ombudsman, 07/10/2016 - 31/01/2017
Research
Research outputs for the last seven years are shown below. Some long-standing staff members may have older outputs included. To see earlier years visit ORCID, ResearcherID or Scopus
Open access indicates that an output is open access.
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2012 |
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2020 |
|
| 2015 |
|
| 2015 |
1
|
| 2014 |
Open access
|
| 2012 |
|
| 2010 |
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
Open access
|
| 2024 |
Open access
3
|
| 2024 |
Open access
3
|
| 2024 |
Open access
9
|
| 2022 |
2
4
2
|
| 2021 |
6
6
3
|
| 2020 |
Open access
4
|
| 2020 |
Open access
7
6
4
|
| 2020 |
Open access
8
5
35
|
| 2019 |
Open access
43
40
20
|
| 2019 |
Open access
21
16
5
|
| 2018 |
17
13
|
| 2018 |
Open access
23
20
8
|
| 2017 |
10
10
13
|
| 2017 |
36
30
39
|
| 2016 |
Open access
53
48
9
|
| 2015 |
29
28
10
|
| 2015 |
Open access
37
27
29
|
| 2013 |
14
11
|
| 2013 |
|
| 2012 |
Open access
9
7
|
| 2011 |
|
| 2011 |
|
| 2010 |
Bromfield, L & Horsfall, B 2010, 'Child abuse and neglect statistics', vol. no. , pp. 1-6. |
| 2010 |
|
| 2010 |
Open access
20
|
| 2010 |
|
| 2010 |
9
7
|
| 2010 |
5
2
|
| 2010 |
|
| 2010 |
Open access
|
| 2009 |
13
|
| 2009 |
67
67
|
| 2009 |
|
| 2008 |
|
| 2008 |
|
| 2008 |
Open access
|
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2022 |
Paton, A & Bromfield, L 2022, Paton and Bromfield Model for understanding harmful sexual behaviour. |
| Year | Output |
|---|---|
| 2025 |
Open access
|
| 2025 |
Open access
|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
| 2024 |
Open access
|
| 2023 |
Open access
|
| 2022 |
Open access
|
| 2022 |
Open access
|
| 2022 |
|
| 2022 |
Open access
|
| 2022 |
Open access
|
| 2021 |
Open access
|
| 2019 |
Open access
|
| 2019 |
Open access
|
| 2018 |
Open access
|
| 2017 |
Open access
|
| 2017 |
Open access
|
| 2017 |
Open access
3
|
| 2017 |
Open access
3
|
| 2017 |
Open access
3
|
| 2017 |
Open access
|
| 2017 |
Open access
|
| 2016 |
Open access
|
| 2012 |
Open access
|
| 2012 |
Open access
|
| 2012 |
|
| 2012 |
Open access
|
| 2011 |
Open access
|
| 2011 |
Open access
|
| 2010 |
|
Research
Child protection, including intake and assessment, national and international comparisons, and multiply referred families
Child abuse and neglect, including prevalence and incidence, chronic maltreatment and cumulative harm, and maltreatment definitions
Multiple and complex problems and child abuse and neglect
Research dissemination,knowledge translation and exchange, implementation science
Public health approaches and child protection systems design
External engagement & recognition
| Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| Arney Chong Consulting | AUSTRALIA |
| Australian Catholic University | AUSTRALIA |
| Australian Institute of Family Studies | AUSTRALIA |
| Bern University of Applied Sciences | SWITZERLAND |
| Berry Street Incorporated | AUSTRALIA |
| Charles Darwin University | AUSTRALIA |
| Deakin University | AUSTRALIA |
| Department for Child Protection and Family Support | AUSTRALIA |
| Department of Human Services, Victoria | AUSTRALIA |
| German Youth Institute DJI | GERMANY |
| Government of Victoria | AUSTRALIA |
| Griffith University | AUSTRALIA |
| Lund University | SWEDEN |
| Menzies School of Health Research | AUSTRALIA |
| Monash University | AUSTRALIA |
| Murdoch Childrens Research Institute | AUSTRALIA |
| Northern Territory Department of Health | AUSTRALIA |
| Parenting Research Centre | AUSTRALIA |
| Parliament House, Canberra | AUSTRALIA |
| Private Individual | UNITED KINGDOM |
| Productivity Commission | AUSTRALIA |
| PwC Indigenous Consulting (PIC) | AUSTRALIA |
| Queen's University Belfast | UNITED KINGDOM |
| Queensland University of Technology | AUSTRALIA |
| Resolutions Consultancy | AUSTRALIA |
| Royal Children's Hospital, Victoria | AUSTRALIA |
| Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse | AUSTRALIA |
| Salvation Army | UNITED STATES |
| Telethon Kids Institute | AUSTRALIA |
| The Benevolent Society | AUSTRALIA |
| The Benevolent Society (NSW) | AUSTRALIA |
| The Lowitja Institute | AUSTRALIA |
| Trinity College Dublin | IRELAND |
| University of Adelaide | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Jyvaskyla | FINLAND |
| University of Melbourne | AUSTRALIA |
| University of New Hampshire | UNITED STATES |
| University of New South Wales | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Newcastle | AUSTRALIA |
| University of South Australia | AUSTRALIA |
| University of Sydney | AUSTRALIA |
| Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) | AUSTRALIA |
| Wesley Mission | AUSTRALIA |
External engagement & recognition
| Engagement/recognition | Year |
|---|---|
SA Australian of the YearNational Australia Day Council |
2025 |
Winner, Winnovation Award (Social Impact)Women in Innovation SA |
2018 |
Business Woman of the Year - Public Sector and AcademiaTelstra SA |
2017 |
Co-DirectorAustralian Centre for Child Protection |
2017 |
Professorial FellowRoyal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse |
2017 |
Teaching & student supervision
Supervisions from 2010 shown
| Thesis title | Student status |
|---|---|
| Children's problematic sexual behaviour in schools: Identifying and addressing collaborative responses to incidents | Current |
| Evidence based interventions delivered in schools for students who display HSB and students who experience HSB | Current |
| First Contact: How child protection systems contribute to ongoing First Nations overrepresentation in Australia | Current |
| Laws that colonise: Aboriginal children, child protection and the Australian legal system | Current |
| Measuring the well-being of 0 to 3-year-olds in Out of Home Care | Current |
| Understanding regulation needs to facilitate therapeutic management of externalising behaviours in residential care | Current |
| Development of a screening tool for children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A preliminary study | Completed |
| Knowledge of sexual consent and the dynamics of grooming and abuse: the development and validation of two survey instruments | Completed |
| Pre-birth child protection concerns: the characteristics and experiences of women and service providers | Completed |
| Resilience in frontline child protection workers: a model of risk and protective factors | Completed |
| The extent of repeat involvement throughout childhood: characteristics and early identification of children known to child protection multiple times | Completed |
