Dr Gemma McKibbin is a Research Fellow in the Department of Social Work at the University of Melbourne, working with Prof Cathy Humphreys under the Melbourne research Alliance to End Violence against women and their children (MAEVe). Gemma has a background in gender studies and worked in the women’s sector. She has a PhD focused on the prevention of harmful sexual behaviour carried out by children & young people. She is a scholar with the Safer Families Centre for Research Excellence and is also the Chief Investigator on action research projects in partnership with MacKillop Family Services and Jesuit Social Services. She has recently led an action research project to co-design, implement and evaluate a sexual abuse prevention program in residential and home-based care. Gemma is passionate about supporting vulnerable children and young people and providing them with a voice to government.