Child Safety and Wellbeing Panel

The Child Safety and Wellbeing Panel (the Panel) is an independent standing panel that supports review of serious child safeguarding events referred by the Secretary of Health. 

Role of the Panel

The role of the Panel is advisory in nature. The scope of the Panel includes, but is not limited to:

• reviewing and assessing all serious child safeguarding events referred by the Secretary, including completing a root cause analysis of the event;
• conducting defined research, reviews, inspections, or evaluations, and providing independent advice and evidence-based solutions to the Secretary;
• assist the Department in quality and safety decision-making in relation to child safeguarding;
• advise the Secretary on options for quality improvement in structures, systems, processes, and tools in relation to child safety;
• advise the Secretary on options for systematic management of safety and quality learnings from serious child safeguarding events; and
• advise the Secretary in relation to the appropriate escalation of risks relating to trends identified through the review of investigation findings.

Current Panel members

The Panel includes a Chair, two independent members and two consumer representatives.

Chair

Barbara Hingston (she/her) is an experienced non-executive director, senior executive and social worker practiced in trauma informed counselling with family violence and sexual assault and abuse of children, young people and adults. 

Her governance experience includes Directorship of national and multi-state not-for-profit businesses and public entities as well as statewide tertiary and primary health systems in Tasmania and Victoria; oral health and national youth mental health services.

Barbara is committed to growing social and economic inclusion and capability of vulnerable individuals and communities impacted by disability and family violence, quality and safety in early childhood education and care, and the safety of children and young people in other education, health and mental health settings.

As Chair of the Regional Economic Development Committee, Cradle Coast Authority, Tasmania, she promotes timely provision of social infrastructure - in health and mental health care, education, housing, transport, employment and children's care - as critical for equitable and sustainable economic development for that region's communities and the State.

Barbara is a Member of the Order of Australia, awarded for her services to community, health, and people with disability.

Two independent members

Paula Davies (she/her) is an experienced lawyer who has worked in legal and policy roles with the South Australian Government, as well as in the not-for-profit space, working with victims and survivors of childhood sexual abuse. She has a special interest in child safeguarding, including in a practical way with her son’s rugby club, as well as a being a director of Blue Knot Foundation, an organisation which helps to support adult survivors of childhood trauma (and adult survivors of institutional child sexual abuse).

Ann Stark (she/her) is a registered counselling psychologist. She has practiced extensively in Tasmania and Queensland, with emphasis on working with families and the management of critical incidents and trauma. For 25 years she was involved in the regulation of psychology and psychological practice at state and national levels..

Consumer representatives

Erica Edmands (she/her) is Principal of her own legal practice undertaking workplace investigations, mediations, and gender equity/diversity equity and inclusion training with clients across the public, private and regulatory sectors. She is also a partner in a national behaviour change consultancy. Erica is an experienced non-executive director working in the prevention of domestic and family violence and child safety.

Nix Berry (they/them) is a non-binary and neurodiverse youth advocate. They have lived experience navigating the Tasmanian health care system and mental health support services as a young queer person while under state guardianship on the North West Coast. Working previously at the Centre for Equity and Diversity Research and the School Partnerships Program at La Trobe University, they have drawn from their experience to advocate for out-of-home-care leavers, and facilitated programs for secondary and middle school students with social and financial barriers to higher education.