Bright Futures - Webinar 4

When conversations occur about the contextual prevention of child sexual abuse, the family home is often not the central focus even though it is a space that figures largely in children’s lives. Our two wonderful guests on the fourth in our Keeping Kids Safe webinar series, Shona Innes and Dimitra Lattas have important thoughts and a wealth of experience to share on making family homes safer spaces. Shona will speak about how parents and carers can make the family home safer, and Dimitra will chat about what professionals going into family homes should know.

About the presenters

Dr Shona Innes, PhD

Clinical and Forensic Psychologist

Dr. Shona Innes is a clinical and forensic psychologist with over 35 years of experience in disability, juvenile justice, adult correctional services, child protection, hospitals, schools, research, and program development. With a deep commitment to preventing harm to children, Shona has worked extensively with children, young people, families, and individuals who have committed offences against women and children.

She has consulted with government agencies and has contributed to policy and program development. Shona has also supervised and provided individual consultation to psychologists and mental health professionals across the country. In recent years, Shona’s research has focused on child sexual abuse prevention, exploring both the perspectives of victim-survivors and practitioners.

Her PhD used creative storytelling to help families overcome barriers to discussing child sexual abuse prevention with young children. Soon to be published as a novel, the work will sit alongside her children’s books which, for over a decade, have been used by families, educators and practitioners around the world to open conversations with children about troubling topics. Shona’s work highlights the importance of engaging parents and caregivers and children themselves in building protective skills.

Passionate about practical, evidence-based strategies, she brings a warm and engaging approach to empowering families and professionals to create environments that help children thrive.

Dimitra Lattas

Lecturer

Dimitra (Dimi) Lattas is a social work lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Dimi is passionate about advancing forensic social work education in Australia.

Her research specialises in using innovative pedagogies, such as simulation-based learning, for workforce development and improving educational practices to reflect industry expectations. In 2024, Dimi won the AASW National Social Work Researcher of the Year and the United States National Organisation of Forensic Social Work’s Albert Roberts Scholarship. Dimi is the 2025-2026 Fulbright Queensland Scholar; she will be going to Tennessee later this year to explore workforce practitioner capacity-building and educational practices that support youth engaged in the criminal justice system.