SafeCare was founded in Perth in March 1989 as a non-profit organisation to provide treatment, counselling and support services in the community, to families where child sexual abuse by a family member had occurred or where it was feared that it may occur. Employing the highest possible professional standards and legal accountability, SafeCare’s approach critically involved:

• The offender taking responsibility and undertaking a comprehensive treatment program
• A community-based service with all family members receiving treatment and support, and
• Voluntary rather than coercive participation.

In doing so, safety and care are dynamically combined. SafeCare uses the positive motivation within families where the person responsible for the abuse is willing to acknowledge the offending and seek help. The treatment program provides assistance for families to stop the offending and any further risk to children. It also avoids the damaging aspects to the child and family that can arise from current approaches such as fragmentation and isolation of the family and institutionalisation of children.

Over its 20 years of full operation more than 700 offenders were treated by SafeCare. Of those only 10 are known to have re-offended after treatment; a recidivism rate estimated at under 2%. A New Zealand programme at Kia Marama prison, considered one of the best in the world, has a recidivism rate of 5%. Other programme rates are higher: between 5 and 15%.

With the cessation of government funding to SafeCare in 2009, funding for the families and victims was transferred to another agency and the only community-based treatment program for child sexual abuse offenders in WA was gone. In an attempt to fulfil the need, a number of psychologists associated with SafeCare have continued to undertake individual work with offenders as well as conduct a cut-down version of the men’s group treatment program, partly funded through the individual clients Medicare Mental Health Care Plan rebates. Those attending these groups are mainly men who have been charged with Child Exploitation Material or for offending against children. This program remains unique in Australia and similar programs are few and far between across the World.

SafeCare now and its associates now offer the SafeCare Method Treatment Program as a 20-30 week groups in-person, online and in a hybrid format. All groups are oversubscribed with referrals being made through word-of-mouth, defence lawyers and the Police who are often concerned about offenders committing suicide after being charged with CSA and CEM offences. SafeCare also regularly receives inquiries and referrals from interstate and overseas, so we are well aware of a large unmet need for effective offender treatment programs throughout Australia and beyond.

Additionally, SafeCare’s Helping Families Heal is an Aboriginal outreach program based on the healing of childhood trauma and adversity to prevent later problems in people’s lives such as family violence, child sexual abuse and suicide. In 2013 the Fitzroy Crossing Family Violence Prevention Unit identified a gap in a lack of culturally appropriate and relevant educational and awareness workshops not being provided which equip people of all ages with the tools to manage and reduce the level of violence in their lives.  This program has continued in East Kimberley out of Hals Creek to the present time.

Further information about the work of SafeCare can be found elsewhere on this website including the Men’s Follow-Up Groups, Women’s Support Groups, SafeCare Method Training, Symposia and Seminars offered by the organisation and the it’s long-term research agenda.