Anne Hollonds

Anne Hollonds is CEO of the Early Learning and Care Council of Australia (ELACCA).

Anne recently concluded her term as Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner, a role based at the Australian Human Rights Commission. This role monitors policy and legislation to ensure that the human rights of children are protected and promoted, and provides advice to governments.

Her report ‘Help Way Earlier!’ How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing’ was tabled in the Australian Parliament in August 2024, and was closely followed by a Senate Inquiry into Youth Justice reform.

Formerly Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, Anne was Chief Executive of government and non-government organisations focused on research, policy and practice in child and family wellbeing for 23 years.

As a psychologist Anne has worked extensively in frontline practice, including in child protection; domestic, family and sexual violence; mental health; child and family counselling; parenting education; and family law counselling. Anne currently contributes to several expert advisory groups and boards.

Dylan Cliff

Associate Professor Dylan Cliff is a researcher and lecturer in the School of Education and Early Start at the University of Wollongong. His research focuses on supporting children’s development and health through investigating their electronic screen use contexts, such as the types of technology and content children engage with, whether children engage alone or with others, and how long children engage for. He also has expertise in children’s physical activity and sedentary behaviour.

Dylan has co-authored more than 150 publications, including peer-reviewed journal articles, edited book chapters and government reports. He has been a leadership group member for the development of four sets of national physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines for the Australian Department of Health, including for the Early Years (2017), Children and Young People (2018) and Adults and Older Adults (2025). These guidelines have included recommendations on electronic screen use and health. He subsequently provided technical advisory to the World Health Organization. Dylan has led and contributed to research supported by more than $75 million in research funding. He is a Chief Investigator on the Australian Research Council-funded Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, where he Co-leads the Healthy Child research program. The Digital Child Centre involves more than 200 members, including researchers and industry partners across 16 countries. Dylan aims for his research to contribute to a world where digital technology enhances children’s development, connectedness and wellbeing, and where risks of harm can be minimised.

Janise Mitchell

CEO of the Australian Childhood Foundation and Director of the Centre for Excellence in Therapeutic Care, Janise Mitchelle is also an Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Arts and Social Sciences with Southern Cross University.

Janise has more than 38 years’ experience in the field of child trauma. She completed a Master of Social Work (Research) in 2008 in therapeutic foster care, being instrumental in the development of therapeutic care in Australia for 25 years. Janise is a founding Board member of the National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse and Board member of the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.

She has extensive experience in the development of innovative therapeutic programs for traumatised children and young people. Janise has provided consultancy to many governments on the issue of therapeutic services for children and young people and regularly participates on state and national Advisory Groups seeking to address the needs of children and young people in the child protection, out of home care, secure care and youth justice sectors. Janise has a commitment to evidence informed practice and believes strongly in the participation of young people in the development of services, policies and programs that seek to support them.

Janise has presented nationally and internationally and has a range of publications including:

The Handbook of Trauma-Transformative Practice: Emerging Therapeutic Frameworks for Supporting Individuals, Families or Communities Impacted by Violence: Edited by Joe Tucci, Janise Mitchell, Stephen W Porges and Ed Tronick, 2024, London: Jessica Kinglsey Publishers.

The Handbook of Therapeutic Care for Children: Evidence-Informed Approaches to Working with Traumatized Children and Adolescents in Foster, Kinship and Adoptive Care edited by Janise Mitchell, Joe Tucci and Ed Tronick, 2019, London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Campbell Paul

Assoc. Prof. Campbell Paul is a Consultant Infant and Child Psychiatrist at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne and Honorary Principal Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne. He is President Elect of the World Association for Infant Mental Health.

With colleagues at the University of Melbourne he has established and delivered postgraduate courses in Infant and Parent Mental Health since 1992. He has a special interest in the understanding of the inner world of the baby, particularly as it informs therapeutic work with infants and their parents. With colleagues he has developed psychotherapeutic models of working with troubled parents and infants. He has found the NBO (Newborn Behavioural Observations) to be a powerful intervention to enhance the early parent-infant relationship. He is a master trainer and Director of NBO Australia, the national NBO training program for professionals based at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne.