Overview

Child sexual exploitation is a crime, another sex crime against children which in principle nobody approves of. But despite this, its identification, disruption and response are at best rudimentary at worst entirely inadequate. Even the national strategy to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse fails to explicitly mention CSE or properly define it. We lack prevalence data and a distinct offence that constitutes CSE. This presentation looks at the state of play regarding our response to CSE through the personal lens of a forensic psychologist working to lead reform.

AGM

Please be advised that an AGM for the APS College of Forensic Psychologists – VIC will take place prior to the presentation. If you would like to attend the AGM only, please contact the Event Manager, William Wainwright at [email protected].

Schedule:

• 6:00 to 6:30 PM AEDT Annual General Meeting
• 7:00 to 7:45 PM AEDT Karla Lopez presentation

Learning Outcomes

• Participants will identify and articulate the challenges and inadequacies in the current national strategy regarding child sexual exploitation, including the absence of proper definitions and prevalence data.
• Participants will critically analyse the societal and institutional responses to child sexual exploitation, recognizing the need for improved identification, disruption, and safeguarding practices.
• Participants will gain insights into the personal experiences and professional perspectives of a forensic psychologist actively involved in reform efforts related to CSE.
• Participants will be equipped with evidence-based strategies and recommendations for enhancing the identification and response to child sexual exploitation within their communities and organizations.
• Participants will understand the legal landscape surrounding child sexual exploitation and the ethical implications for professionals working in the field.

Presenter(s)

Dr. Karla Lopez

About the presenter(s)

Karla is an experienced Forensic Psychologist with a specific interest in the implementation of evidence-based practice in all facets of community safety and wellbeing initiatives. For over 20 years, primarily in the public service, she has held strategic, therapeutic, program development and risk management roles pertaining to a range of complex client groups coming into contact with the criminal justice system. She has a strong track record of research, service co-design and implementation evidenced by her extensive work with police over the last decade to enhance police risk assessment practice in the areas of offender monitoring, crime prevention and covert policing. She is an experienced and dynamic trainer and workshop designer committed to supporting practitioners to use research evidence in practice through mentoring and coaching. In her role as Senior Advisor with CEI, Karla is responsible for leading a diverse portfolio of program development, implementation and evaluation projects focused on enhancing practice and improving outcomes for vulnerable and high risk cohorts. She holds a Doctorate in Forensic Psychology from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Honours) from La Trobe University.

Notes

Registration includes refreshments, tea and coffee and some alcohol.

Target Audience

This event is aimed at forensic psychologists and people interested in field of safeguarding children.

Venue - The event will be held at the Black Rabbit at 85 Queen street, Melbourne. The event is near Christmas and so parking is likely to be limited.

CPD

It is up to attendees to assess and determine how learning from this event aligns with the requirements of their learning plan. The providers accordingly do not make any representation that the event counts towards attendees’ CPD learning requirements. If an attendee determines themselves that the learning they complete aligns to their learning plan, then they can decide to count those hours towards their CPD requirements for the registration cycle.

The information in this presentation has been prepared in good faith and for educational purposes only. Therefore, the information is general in nature and should not be relied upon in the treatment of any condition and you should seek your own independent professional and/or legal advice concerning any specific issue. The APS accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions or decisions relating to the information. The content should not be reproduced without permission or unless permitted by law.

If you are experiencing registration difficulties please contact APS Events Support.